Farm life wasn't for Clyde "Frank" Lang.
He grew up on the Illinois acreage that had been worked by his family for generations, but after returning from fighting in the Pacific theater during World War II (where he earned a Purple Heart), he sought excitement.
Lang found it when a flock of barnstormers flew into his small Midwestern town for an air show, giving locals plane rides and performing aerial stunts.
Lang realized he wanted a life in the cockpit.
He sold his motorcycle and worked odd jobs to pay for flying lessons. After earning his license, Lang became one of commercial air travel's early pilots, at a time when propeller-driven planes were state-of-the-art.
After six decades as a stick-and-rudder man, which included guiding historic aircraft, detours to Hollywood movie sets and missions for the United States government, Capt. Lang logged his Final Charlie. He died July 10 after a brief illness. He was 87.
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A fixture at the Avra Valley airport for the last 15 years, Lang had been in Houston visiting his two sons when he died. In keeping with his wishes, Lang's cremains will be scattered from a plane over the family farm.
Lang was one of the first pilots certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to use the four-engine prop DC-6 to fight forest fires, said family member Allan Zullo. Into his golden years, Lang flew planes for the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and the U.S. State Department. He also flew mercy missions for the United Nations in Africa.
He was sought after by Hollywood producers to fly in scenes of their films, including "Air America," "American Graffiti" and the remake of "King Kong."
He was a favored charter pilot among Hollywood royalty - including the Rat Pack - who hired Lang to fly them to star-studded bashes.
During Ronald Reagan's bid for California governor, Lang was the future president's pilot.
Lang lived in Tucson for the past 15 years and for more than a decade captained a Lockheed Constellation - or Connie - a four-engine passenger plane with a distinctive triple-tail design and dolphin-shaped fuselage.
The 1948 Constellation was used during the Berlin Airlift and was the sister plane to Eisenhower's Air Force One, according to a 2000 Fortune Magazine article, in which Lang was mentioned.
For 13 years Lang piloted the Connie to air shows in the U.S. and abroad.
On a three-month barnstorming tour of Europe in 1998, Zullo and his wife were part of Lang's flight crew.
"Europeans treated him like a rock star," Zullo said. "They love old piston-driven planes and old pilots, I guess."
To suggest someone for Life Stories, contact reporter Kimberly Matas at kmatas@azstarnet.com or at 573-4191.
