Don McBain; Ex-Spokesman for Pilots Group

Don McBain, 84, veteran pilot and former spokesman for the regional Airline Pilots Assn. McBain flew for United Airlines for 33 years, beginning in 1940 piloting a DC-3 between Burbank and San Francisco, and retiring in 1973 from flying the 747 route between Los Angeles and Hawaii. He chaired United’s Air Safety Committee for five years and worked on the development committee for the SST-Concorde airliner for more than 12 years. McBain vigorously defended the supersonic aircraft, which has never been allowed to fly over the United States. As spokesman for Los Angeles-area pilots, he also protested the layout of an aborted Palmdale International Airport, demanded proper airport protection to prevent skyjackings, and expressed pilots’ concerns with the safety of noise abatement procedures that required seaward landing approaches for Los Angeles International Airport. After his retirement from United, McBain flew Lear jets for Clay Lacey Aviation in Van Nuys. He also served as technical consultant for the film “Airport ’75.” On April 9 in Paso Robles, Calif.