Pilot’s License Suspended for Low-Level High Jinks in Valley

Robert Alexander Quarterman had his wings clipped Friday by a Los Angeles Municipal Court judge who directed the North Hollywood pilot to abstain from flying for six months for performing low-altitude aerobatics over the San Fernando Valley last month.

Quarterman, 25, who pleaded no contest to one count of careless and reckless flying, also was fined $1,275 by Municipal Court Judge Jacqueline A. Connor.

Quarterman was ordered to turn over his pilot’s license to the Federal Aviation Administration for six months, City Attorney James K. Hahn said in announcing the judge’s decision.

Quarterman was cited by Los Angeles police on Nov. 25 after he landed his rented single-engine plane at Van Nuys Airport.

FBI agents on the ground and police helicopter pilots said they saw Quarterman performing aerobatics over the Ventura Boulevard area in Encino, flying upside down and at altitudes as low as 500 feet. The Federal Aviation Administration requires pilots to fly at least 1,000 feet above populated areas.

A police spokesman said Quarterman wanted to impress a friend who lives in the area. Quarterman, an airline mechanic, said he did not realize he was breaking any laws or “I never would have done it.”