Pilot who pulled Bees banner passionate about flying

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With some more time in the air, Quinn M. Falk might not have been hauling banners. He might have been hauling passengers and luggage for an airline.

"He was really a talented aviator, and we're all devastated at his loss," Richard Meyer said.

Falk, 34, died Saturday evening when his small plane crashed at the South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan. He was to have pulled a banner advertising that night's Salt Lake Bees game.

On Saturday, Falk's plane took off then circled, flew low and hooked the banner, witnesses told police. The airplane began to climb, but the banner dragged along the ground as witnesses heard the engine begin to lose power, police said. Falk released the banner, but the plane could not continue its ascent and nose-dived into the ground.

He likely died on impact, police said.

Falk worked on the ground for Sky West Airlines, said Cory Robin, who was friends with Falk since the pair attended Brighton High School. Falk wanted to fly for the airline and pulled the Bees banner to accumulate flight hours.

"I'll bet you he would have been hired their very first round," Robin said. "They just haven't had a hiring round in a while."

Aviation was more than a career for Falk; it was his passion. He served in the Air Force in Kuwait and in Okinawa, Japan, as a sheet metal fabricator and helped maintain aircraft, Robin said.

Meyer said Falk told stories of being small enough to climb into the dome of Air Force radar planes to fix their wiring.

In Utah, Falk joined the Commemorative Air Force, which restores and maintains World War II aircraft. He traveled to Midland, Texas, to work on the maintenance crew of a C-45 Expeditor, a twin-engine transport plane. Falk also was helping restore a P-26, a fighter Meyer said was used to train pilots.

"He was a very good, detail-oriented mechanic," Meyer said.

Jim Struhsaker, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the airplane's maintenance logs were reviewed and witnesses were interviewed Monday. A final report on the crash may not be available until next year.

Robin said he has heard from Bees fans offering their support and expects a few fans at Falk's funeral.

"A lot of people like that banner flying around," Robin said. "It's part of the community. I don't think he knew how many people he was touching."