Randy Gagne; Stunt Pilot, Teacher

Randy Gagne, an internationally known stunt pilot, aerobatic competitor and instructor was killed Sunday when his plane crashed south of California 126 near Piru, said family spokesman Lamar Jackson.

He was 42.

At the time of his death, Gagne was the president and chief pilot for Attitude Adjusters Aerobatic Center at Van Nuys Airport.

Born June 23, 1955, in Lewiston, Maine, Gagne’s interest in flying was apparent early, according to his family.

“When he was about 17, a friend of his mom’s had a plane and took him for a ride . . . and that was all she wrote,” said Jackson.

After graduating from Oxford Hills High School in Norway, Maine, Gagne attended Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. He then embarked on a career that was notable for a number of firsts.

He was the first pilot to fly in U.S. air shows in a Sukhoi 26, a Russian aircraft. He was the first non-Russian to compete in a Sukhoi in the World Aerobatic Championships. And he was the first U.S. citizen to train with the Russian aerobatic team in that team’s home country.

Gagne was also a member of the Canadian aerobatic team and had competed in two Unlimited World Championships.

Recently, he served as the team trainer and manager for the Japanese aerobatic team, which made its debut in world competition last summer in Lawrence, Kan. He also trained the Brazilian aerobatic team.

Celebrities and aviation enthusiasts from around the world sought out Gagne as an instructor because of his aviation skills and his engaging personality, Jackson said. He joined the Screen Actors Guild and earned numerous screen credits, including ones in “Primary Colors,” “Letters From a Killer,” “Ransom,” and “Congo.”

His television credits included “Wings” and “Beverly Hills 90210.”

Gagne lived in Sherman Oaks with his wife of six years, Sheree. The couple met in 1991 while in Abu Dhabi, where Gagne was teaching an Arab sheik how to fly. The couple lived in London for a short time before moving to California in 1992.

In addition to his wife, Gagne is survived by his mother and stepfather, Dorothy and Keith Bradshaw of DeBary, Fla.; his father, Edwin Gagne of Oxford, Maine; two sisters, Kathy Lesiuk of Orlando, Fla., and Sarah Yarborough of DeBary, Fla.; and two half-sisters, Mary Dechene of Poland, Maine, and Sandra Gagne of Harrison, Maine.

A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held at noon today at Van Nuys Airport’s Thomason Aircraft Hangar, 16700 Roscoe Blvd.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Million Air Aviation, 16700 Roscoe Blvd., Van Nuys.