Van Nuys : Helicopter Pilot Mourned at Airport

He made his living soaring through the air, so when friends and family organized a memorial service for Henry Urgoiti they chose the location carefully: Van Nuys Airport.

On Friday, mourners gathered at Helinet Aviation to say farewell to the 43-year-old Camarillo resident known as “Capitan Enrique” at KMEX-TV Channel 34. Urgoiti piloted the Spanish-language station’s helicopter, Aguila Uno, since July of last year.

He died Aug. 29 when his helicopter crashed in Sequoia National Forest while shooting a music video for singer Meat Loaf. Also killed in the Tulare County crash was cameraman Mike Shea, 69, of Los Angeles.

After the eulogies, helicopter pilots from several Los Angeles television stations saluted Urgoiti with a flyby over the airport.

According to KMEX spokeswoman Patricia Ramos, Urgoiti operated a side business known as Cineflight out of Van Nuys Airport. As well as being Aguila Uno’s pilot, he also reported for KMEX newscasts and the station’s morning program, “Los Angeles al Dia.”

“This is a terrible loss for both KMEX and the Latino community of Southern California,” the station’s general manager, Augustine Martinez, said in a statement. “Enrique was an integral part of the station’s newscasts.”