Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard confirmed on Wednesday he had also ridden with Ara Zobayan, the pilot who tragically died in the helicopter crash involving Kobe Bryant on Sunday morning, per ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly:
The Los Angeles Times reported Zobayan was a “certified flight instructor” with over 8,000 hours of flight time to his name:
Ara Zobayan of Huntington Beach — the pilot of the helicopter that crashed in Calabasas on Sunday, killing nine people, including Zobayan and retired Lakers star Kobe Bryant — was an experienced flier and a certified flight instructor with more than 8,000 hours of flight time, sources said this week.
The same story also confirmed reports suggesting Zobayan became Bryant's pilot of choice:
Kurt Deetz, a pilot who worked at Island Express and said he flew Bryant from 2014 to 2016, told the Los Angeles Times that after he left the company, Zaboyan became Bryant’s go-to pilot.
The company said he was “our chief pilot” and had been with Island Express for 10 years.
Although Zobayan was certainly one of the more experienced pilots in the area, Deetz told Forbes most of the pilots at Island Express probably had little “real-world experience” in encountering limited visibility (via Jeremy Bogaisky):
“I don’t think he had any actual [experience] inside the clouds,” says Deetz, who notes that it can be unnerving for pilots limited to operating under visual flight rules, or VFR. “You spend your whole career thinking, ‘I shouldn’t do this.’ ”
The tragic accident is heartbreaking on many levels, and the loss of nine lives is sure to have a long-lasting impact on those that felt a connection to any of the victims. For Kawhi Leonard, that includes Zobayan.
As the public grieves, may the memories of those who perished live on in those whose lives they touched.
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