Californian killed with Lidle started flying as a teen

Lidle "was probably my best student," and had a knack for dealing with simulated emergencies, Stanger told the newspaper last month.

"On the mound, he has to hold in all the emotions and keep completely focused. It's the same thing flying: If you're in an emergency, you can't waste any time worrying," Stanger said. "You have to take command of the situation. A lot of people I fly with don't have that mentality. Cory does."

Stanger's 3-year-old business, Stang-AIR, offered instruction, plane rentals and sightseeing trips. Stang-AIR's Web site contained a quote that said: "The most dangerous part about flying is the drive to the airport."

Stanger -- who is survived by his wife, Stephanie, who is pregnant, and an infant daughter -- grew up in the San Gabriel Valley city of Walnut. The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported that Stanger once said he fell in love with planes while watching them fly over his home near Rialto Airport as a boy.

A friend from high school, freelance photographer David Pardo, said flying was "his life and his passion."

Stanger was an adventurous man who nonetheless insisted on safety and felt absolutely confident behind the controls of his own airplane, according to Pardo.

He said Stanger flew him out to take photographs after a 2005 mudslide disaster in the coastal town of La Conchita.

"He was like, `Dude, you're safe with me.' I trusted him with my life," Pardo said. Pardo said Stanger told him: "I know my plane and I just know that I will never get in a crash with my plane."

As for Wednesday's crash, "I believe had it been his own plane ... he would have been able to pull through," he said.