The body of David Riggs has been recovered from the lake near Shenyang, China, where his Lancair 320 crashed last week. Unfortunately the story hit close to home for me. I hate to admit it, but I flew with Riggs a few years ago. It is an understatement to say that the flight left a lasting impression.
In early 2011 a friend with close ties to Riggs recommended that I go flying with him. At that time, Riggs was based at Van Nuys Airport, only about 20 minutes from my home on the west side of Los Angeles. My friend, who I won’t name here, said Riggs was a fantastic aerobatic pilot and that I would be sure to have a lot of fun flying with him. Since I have a passion for aerobatic flight and had never flown in a Lancair before, I decided to take my friend’s advice.
