Planes to Fly ‘Missing Man’ Formation at Wayne’s Rites Today

The pilots of as many as 40 aircraft, flying the “missing man” formation, will bid one of their own a final goodby today during funeral services for flying traffic reporter Bruce Wayne at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in the Hollywood Hills.

The fly-by, arranged by Pamela McInnes, a flying traffic reporter for radio station KMPC, is expected to include aircraft flown by friends of Wayne and aircraft representing various Southland cities and law-enforcement agencies, according to Wayne’s widow, Lois.

Wayne, 52, who was considered the dean of Los Angeles’ flying traffic reporters, was killed last Wednesday morning when his plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Fullerton Municipal Airport.

He was four weeks short of celebrating his 25th anniversary as an airborne traffic reporter.

Funeral services will begin at 11:30 a.m. in Old North Church. Elaine Pool, a Forest Lawn funeral coordinator, said officials were preparing “for a very large turnout.”

Wayne provided morning and late-afternoon traffic reports over radio stations KFI and KOST. Fans have expressed their sense of loss in various ways over the past week.

His wife, Lois, said Tuesday that she and relatives visited the scene of the crash over the weekend and discovered that fans had placed flowers, notes and even a wooden cross at the site.

Honors Suggested

A spokesman for Fullerton Municipal Airport said a number of people have called suggesting that the airport be renamed in honor of Wayne, a Fullerton resident for 14 years. Calls are being referred to City Hall.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has received about 1,000 letters from fans in support of a Bruce Wayne star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“We have two gigantic boxes full of letters,” said Kathy Shepard, the chamber’s director of publicity.

Shepard said Wayne had been nominated for a star about a month before he was killed. The Walk of Fame Committee, which makes its selections based on the nominee’s longevity in the entertainment industry and his contributions to the entertainment industry and to the community, will meet to consider the matter later this month.

Wayne’s wife plans to deliver one of the eulogies at the funeral service today. Also scheduled to deliver eulogies are radio personality Al Lohman and other personal friends who will represent Wayne’s activities in radio and aviation and his charitable work.

Lois Wayne said her husband’s body has been cremated. Although some of the ashes will be interred at the burial site, she said, she and Pamela McInnes will fly along the Southern California coast next week and scatter his ashes at sea, as was her husband’s wish.

National Transportation Safety Board officials said they are continuing their investigation.