During the mid- to late 1960s, Lou was still on active duty in the Navy. A Commander at the time, he was serving as the Executive Officer of the NROTC Unit at UC Berkeley where I was a Midshipman. 

Lou had access to a Lockheed T-33 at the Alameda Naval Air Station, and interested Midshipman were offered orientation rides after going through ejection seat and pressure chamber qualifications. Of course I seized the opportunity and Lou gave me my first hop in a Navy aircraft sometime during my junior year there. It was a simple orientation ride around the Bay Area and points afield that lasted about 1.5 hours. During my Navy active duty I had many flights of course, but that first flight with Lou will always stand out. 

Years later, about 2001 or 2002, I shared a couple of drinks with Lou at a Tailhook reunion in Reno. He was looking good and enjoying his business and life generally. I never saw Lou after that, so I'm glad that last memory was a good one.

By the way, Lou had an uncredited "supporting actor" role in a homemade movie (Launch 'Em) that is famous in Naval aviation circles. You can find Launch 'Em on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KVqb94Vja8 and other locations. Lou is the fellow sauntering across the flight deck about 7'30" into the movie, incurring the wrath of the carrier's captain. 

I think it was 1976 when I met Lou.   He was the dad of my girlfriend.  One could not find a more welcoming and accepting human being. For me, Lou was patriarch, flyer, sailor, mechanic, runner, and consultant.  I crewed with him on his Santana.  He was a fierce competitor and everytime we finished a race his family wondered if I had survived his intensity.  He was indefatigable. I remember one time racing with a National Champion who had been a physicist at Lawrence Livermore.  Lou was always looking to learn from anyone and anywhere, particularly when it came to sailing.   We enjoyed flights to the Nut tree and Reno and some runs. I remember having Sunday dinners and some trips up to the Union Hotel.  Lou had this commanding voice.  I remember Jane and Nancy imitating him.  Always in humor and always with a pride.  He surprised his family often.  He could tinker with a VW engine and make it work and of course, make his planes operate and sail.  In many  respects, he was a kind of archetypal American.  He had his Italian roots.  I gathered that his father was absent for him and yet when his father made it to town, he accepted him notwithstanding the estrangement.  His mother was a very strong willed person. She beamed when she talked about his Naval career. He suffered the loss of his first wife raising a family pretty much on his own.  He had a way of letting people do what they wanted. He was laissez faire with his kids. He loved family and I saw him begin a second family.  For him, the children were a continuum.  They were all part of him and family.  I saw him as a man's man.  He was a proud and patriotic American. He was practical, ingenius, independent, and open minded albeit he had his own opinions.  I remember being amazed listening to how while he was teaching ROTC at Berkeley, Jane was protesting the war in Vietnam with placards at their home.  In many ways at that time,I felt he was the father I never had.

 I only regret not learning to fly from him and letting other things get in the way of seeing him when  I returned to the Bay Area.   

Hello everyone,
I’m Mikio Motoyama, and I came here today from Japan to pay my respect to Lou, who is someone I’ve known for close to 35 years. I’ve already uploaded my story and remembrance to his memorial website, here, but I’d still like to add just a few words at this afternoon’s memorial.

In Japan today, coincidentally, we celebrated what some Japanese historians refer to as Japan’s own “independence day”. The reason is that 61 years ago today, the San Francisco Peace Treaty came into force, ending the occupation of Japan. This historical coincidence kind of makes me feel as if I were representing all Japanese nationals here in this celebration of Lou’s life.

This reminds me of a story I was once told by a U.S. Marine commanding officer. The incident took place at a Memorial gathering on the Battle Ship Arizona in Perl Harbor. There was a lone Japanese invitee. Someone asked him why he was and why he was there. The invitee proudly responded by saying that he was the one who had sunken the battleship. So, although I’m the only one here today from Japan, I just want to reassure you that if you ask my why I'm here, I'm not going to saying that like. Instead, I am here to say, proudly, that I flew with Lou a lot, and learned a lot from him—and not just about flying.. It is partly because of Lou that I have been able to live the life I have and flying with Lou is one of my most wonderful memories in my aviation carrier. I feel fortunate in this lifetime to have had known such a truly great man.

Again, my most thanks to Lou, and to everyone here today.

Thank you!

Lou, quite simply, changed my life. I came to Oakland Airport in the eighties a brand new flight instructor terrified of spins, and at his school I learned tailwheel flying, aerobatics, and most of all, confidence.

I remember when I had just checked out as a tailwheel instructor and I was nervous about teaching my first primary student in the Citabria. He grinned and said, you'll do the best instruction you'll ever do with him.

I remember standing out on the tarmac at the Old T's at dawn watching a student preflight, breathing the mingled scent of avgas and brine, repeating Lou's words about the U-bolts on the Citabria landing gear to the student, glancing up into the pale sky threaded with clouds and feeling a surge of vibrant delight. Here I was about to leap into the arms of the wind, and best of all, I was sharing that rapture with another human being: I was teaching them a skill that would undoubtedly bring them more joyfulness than just about any other activity on or above the earth. And Lou Fields made it possible with his flight school.

Lou built a community of people who loved flying in its purest sense: the joy of dancing in the air. I remember talking with him once about his business, and he said that was what he really liked about running a flight school: he got to interact with happy customers all day long. He said that he once had the chance to get into the laundromat business, and that he was really glad he chose an aviation business instead. Then, in typical Lou fashion, he laughed wryly and said, of course, it's the laundromat owners who can afford to buy a fancy airplane and fly around for fun while I’ve got to work hard to pay the hangar rent.

I could go on and on with stories about Lou. He had an indelible effect on the world around him. I will miss him…

Blue Skies, Lou, and I can’t tell you how glad I am you didn’t buy that laundromat.

Oh, there are no NAVY pilots down in Hell
There are no NAVY pilots down in Hell 
There are pilots it is true
But they wear the air force blue
But there are no NAVY PILOTS DOWN IN HELL 

There are Marines by the score shouting praise to the Corps
But there are no Navy pilots down in hell

They are all up above, drinkin gin and making love
But there are NO NAVY PILOTS DOWN IN HELL 

He Who Loves Me, Loves My Dog

I first met Lou in Nov 1991 when he gave me my check ride for a private pilots certificate. Over the next 3 or 4 years I flew round in Cessnas giving people rides eating at airport cafes and just flying for the sake of fying. After a while I got bored and stopped flying.

   From Judy Barron :  Pertetual Student and friend

Lou was around for 90 years.  He loved life and people.   I see the fact that he lived each day until he just couldn’t do it anymore as the legacy he left for each of us. 

In fact Lou read a poem when we celebrated his 90th B.D. In the Alameda Aero Club hanger.

A Psalm of Life by H.W. Longfellow:  Although the poem has 6 stanzas (and I know Lou would read them all) let me just give you the last one.

    Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!

    Let the dead Past bury its dead!

    ACT—act in the living Present!

    Heart within, and God 0'erhead!

For all of us Ninety Nines I can tell you that Lou loved us Women Pilots.  For this women pilot Lou was my Hero,Mentor and Friend.  If you were one of the 99's that had the opportunity to fly with and have Lou sign your log book, I am sure you will cherish that entry as I do. 

On one Veteren's Day I got my tailwheel endorsement from Lou.  Then every Veteren's Day I would sign up to fly with Lou.  Most of the time he didn't even know it was Vetern's Day but I knew and I was always estatic that I was flying with my hero on that Day each year.

I loved taking him to HAF on his actual BD last year.  8/8/2012.  Us retired people have the advantage of being able to fly off in the middle of the week.  Lou with his 5 point harness in the back and myself in the front with a commanding view (flying the Champ 83852) and stick in my hand took a glorious flight to HAF for lunch.  Ben, Will and Melanie joined the party in 9UL to make it almost an official Winging party.  As well wishers called Lou on his cell phone at lunch he was having a good old time telling people where he was and that after a few celebration beers he would fly back to KOAK. 

On the way home Lou took the controls so I could take some phots.   Lou would bank, dive, circle back whatever it took the minute I pointed to something.  What a guy!!

The last few months were not easy to watch as Lou lost weight and became weaker and weaker.

But his heart was big and his spirit strong.

Peter Faulk took a picture of Lou out on the ramp one day and I remember that day clearly but blurry eyed.  It was the day I watched Lou struggle to prop the Champ and I realized that our flying days would not last forever.   At the time I had not idea that I would learn to prop the plane but on 12/31/12 Lou taught me and taught me well.  After it was running he got in and taxied it back to the hanger.

We will be sharing stories about Lou for years to come.  Lou was a master instructor , examiner, and wikapedia of all things aviation.   So, the next time you here of a pilots gathering at KOAK North Field come on down and you will surely hear allot of “Lou's stories” and “Lou said's”  whistling around the hangers.  I'm listening Lou.

   Judy Barron

   Alameda Aero Cub

Left to right: Eva, Lou, Lisa, Laura, Erin, Bud, Jane, Nancy, Bill, Joe, Rebecca, Kathryn, Juli, Don, Dave, Carson, Sarah, Delaney, Jaden, Aaron, Ben, Spencer, Sharlyn.

When I returned to flying in 1993, I went to Lou to bring me back to currency.  I hadn't flown for 19 years and needless to say, I was a tad rusty.  At one point during my re-training, Lou and I were flying a Citabria from San Carlos to Hayward.  We had been doing touch and goes at different airports.  As we approached Hayward from the east, there was a plane coming into Hayward for the north.  I remember Lou saying, rather loudly from the back seat, "Have you got the picture"?  Of course I didn't, but Lou was patient and got me to see what was happening.  I'll never forget that.  The other plane and ours were not very close, but it was a big wake-up call for me.  Thanks Lou, for teaching me to see the big picture.

Lou & Bud & Joe always had some mutt hanging around. Back when I was training there, it was a stray named Pinhead, or Pea Brain, depending whether you asked Bud or Joe. Even when I came back to visit it was still no different - always a nice pooch hanging around.

The day I finished my Private Pilot flight exam with Lou, he took the controls on the way back and flew us home. I remember talking with him the whole way back. Immediately upon TD to rollout on rwy 33, we got hit with an unusually strong rgt crosswind gust. His hand instantly and adroitly put in full right yoke, and he didn't even break his sentence. He appeared not even to notice the whole event or his response. I thought - Wow, what a natural - I hope I amthat good some day. I've never forgotten that moment and how impressed I was.

I knew Lou for close to 35 years. We met in the late 1970s, when I was working as a flight instructor at Oakland and Hayward airports. I needed a Piper Apache, a light twin-engine airplane, for a CFI multi-engine check-ride. A company named Western Airmotive located at Oakland Airport had a Piper Apache, and one of the check pilots at the company was Lou. So, it was May 19th, 1978 that I met Lou the first time.

The Apache provided by Western Airmotive was a 160HP version, a higher performance aircraft than the Apaches I had previously flown. The acceleration on take-off was superb. However, at around 500ft AGL, I noticed that the vertical speed indicator was showing only about 500ft/minute. I said in dismay, “It’s not climbing fast enough.” Lou didn’t say anything and instead silently pointed his finger to the gear lever. I was so embarrassed, but Lou was so gracious. He seemed to take everything in stride, which I later came to understand was his usual manner. He cleared me in the Apache, and three days later, I passed my multi-engine instructor check-ride with an FAA inspector. Since that day, I’ve never forgotten to raise the gear after take-off.

Another time that Lou really helped me was nine months later. I had reserved a single-engine plane at Western Airmotive for a family trip with my wife and in-laws to southern California and Las Vegas. Upon arrival at Western Airmotive, they told me that the airplane I had reserved was still in maintenance and no other aircraft was available for us. I was shocked, embarrassed and greatly disappointed—but my disappointment didn’t last long. Lou appeared in the office and approached me and said that he had just started an aircraft rental business and I could use one of his aircraft, a Piper Archer. He said that he knew I could fly and trusted me, so he let me have the plane without even the need for a check out! He even gave me a rate much lower than what Western Airmotive was charging. He helped me to save face with my in-laws, and over the next 4 days, thanks to Lou, we had the most enjoyable vacation, logging 12 hours, 8 of which was at night. This was the beginning of my close association with Lou and I used his aircraft many times to provide flight instruction to my students, and he would then give them check-rides.

Several months after obtaining my type-rating in a Citation Jet (CE-500) in 1981, I left California to return to Japan. Over the years, I often went back to Lou for my recurrency training and CFI renewals, in his single- and multi-engine airplanes.

In Japan, although flying has not been my main business, I taught flying for several years as a part-timer at Yokota Aero Club on the USAF Yokota Airbase in Tokyo, and I currently assist ANA (All Nippon Airways) in their non-Japanese pilot training program as an aviation technical interpreter.

I obtained my type-rating in the B-737 in the States in 1989. I dropped by his place on my way back to Japan. Lou was always jovial and joking and teased me for being a “Jet Junkie”.

The last time I saw Lou was in 2010 when I visited California for renewal of my CFI certificate. After completing a flight instructor refresher course, I flew with him for the practical part of my biannual flight review.

Lou was an incredibly intelligent, warm-hearted and kind man, and very gifted with wit and humor, and moreover he was a great pilot. My memory of him and the role he played in my life still occupies a big portion of my life. Due to Lou’s direct influence, I’ve been able to spend many years doing something that I really love doing. I will miss him.

Mikio Motoyama
Tokyo, Japan

Lou had a pretty layed back style, allowing you to make your own mistakes within reason and figure it out for yourself.  However he did not suffer fools and could be pretty direct when needed.   My memory is a bit foggy on this as to whether this story was actually related to me or I was in the plane at the time.  As anyone who hung out at the hanger -- there were a lot of stories floating around.  Anyway it goes like this:

Lou and a student pilot were holding for instructions from Oakland tower.  The tower comes over the mic with a stream of fast non-sensical syllables.  The student says, "Say again."  The Tower says the same thing only louder.  Student pilot, "Student Pilot.  Say again."  Same thing from the tower only louder than the last time.  Lou finally grabs the mic and says something like this:   Oakland Tower, do you think what you are saying is important?  Tower, "well of course."   Lou, "Well then,  say it so someone can understand it!"  Tower, [much slower], "Cessna 739BH, cleared for takeoff on 27. . . ."

I first met Lou in 1991. Back then, I was a rookie flight instructor at Navajo Aviation in Concord. I realized I didn't know enough about flying and that the missing element was aerobatics. Somebody talked about this great guy in Oakland named Lou Fields and off I went.

I met Lou in his hangar and told him what I wanted. He smiled and said :  " Aerobatics, now that's my kind of man". Off we went in the Citabria. High above Hamilton airfield, Lou showed me reverse Cuban eights, chandelles, Immelmans, loops, ailerons rolls, barrel rolls, hamerheads, split-S; all to the left and right. We started with the last manoeuver, the spin. We just got into the first one, to the left and I said to Lou: " I feel queasy". He handed me the controls and I flew back. All the way back to Oakland, Lou kept teasing me about how good it would be with a big greasy juicy hamburger after landing. The queasiness was really bad and I could have strangled him (not an easy feat in a Citabria).

His debriefing words were:" You did great! Not many people manage to get to the last maneuver." 

I came back for more training and one day, Lou signed me off to go do aerobatics by myself in his Citabria. Many years later, what I learned from him saved my life. I did get a chance to tell him about it a few months ago and he was very happy for that feedback.

Lou had a great sense of humor and was always ready to help and advice.
He was a wonderfull instructor and a great man.

I will miss him.

Lou is taking Rob out in the Pitts for his first aerobatic flight

Most of my flight tests after becoming a private pilot were with Lou in one of his airplanes. My first flight instructor job was at his school, and Lou watched me build up my hours and move on into twins and eventually into corporate aviation. About 7 years ago, we had our Gulfstream G200 parked at Oakland and needed to reposition it empty to Concord. I though what a great opportunity to give Lou a ride and show him what I was now flying. After calling down to his trailer, Lou made his way over to our plane and I gave him a quick tour before starting the engines and taxing to runway 29. We were light so the takeoff acceleration was brisk, and it was a clear and smooth kind of day. I greased on the landing at Concord. We didn't have a ride back to Oakland, so we got a ride to BART and rode back to Oakland together. Afterwards I asked him what he thought, and he said "I was really impressed. The acceleration was amazing, and it was so smooth and quite. That was my first ride on BART!"

Lou said he was responsible for my flying career, since he administered 8 of my 9 flight tests.  I had to take the ATP checkride from a different examiner, but Lou did all the others.  The CFI was the longest, with an 8-hour oral test.  I was prepared to do the bare minimun of the flying part in the Arrow, having practiced most of it in the Citabria.  Lou decided we were to do the whole thing in the Arrow, but I passed anyway.  Then I got to instruct in the Citabria at Lou's flight school.