Honoring a legend: Half Moon Bay airfield named after the late Eddie Andreini Sr.

But many remember the 77-year-old as a community fixture who was always willing to help his fellow neighbors and ran a successful construction business in Half Moon Bay.

On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors approved renaming the Eddie Andreini Sr. Airfield at the Half Moon Bay airport where the avid plane collector spent much of his time.

His eldest son, Eddie Andreini Jr., said he’s thankful the county and community think highly of his father.

“We do appreciate it, the whole family does. It’s quite an honor, it means a lot to everybody,” Andreini Jr. said. Flying “was the love of his life, other than my mother, he had a passion for it. Without it, I don’t know if he’d have gone crazy.”

Andreini Sr. learned to fly at the airfield now named in his memory in 1953 before going on to perform in countless airshows around the world. His legacy is marked as a recipient of the 2004 Sword of Excellence Award from the International Council of Air Shows, the highest honor a stunt pilot can receive; and in 2013 he was inducted into the Air Show Hall of Fame, according to the Board of Supervisors.

He and his brother Angelo Andreini ran a successful contracting company that built several city infrastructure projects as well as school fields. He also played a pivotal role in the success of the annual Pacific Coast Dream Machines classic car and airplane show at the airport.

Councilman John Muller, a longtime friend of Andreini Sr., recalled his youth and always being amazed by the older pilot who would make impromptu stops on the family farm.

“We can remember as little boys, he’d be flying a little plane and land it in the hayfield, just to stop by and say hi. We were always very impressed with that,” Muller said, noting a drive past the airport elicits fond memories.

Renaming the airfield “is very special, not only for his skills as a pilot and lifelong dedication, but he was such a kind and generous person to everyone,” Muller said. “I think it’s a well-deserved special honor for him and his family and his wife to have this name out there. Because that’s what we all think of when we go by the airport.”

Supervisor Don Horsley proposed the dedication after Sandra Andreini, the wife of Andreini Jr., opted to focus her grief and attention on something positive.

“What an honor, he was such a great guy. … I think Eddie would have loved this,” Sandra Andreini said. “For me, that was something I could focus on. Because it has been hard, he’s been so instrumental in our life. … He was really the driving force behind everything.”

Sandra Andreini thanked Horsley, his staff and Half Moon Bay councilmembers for working on the renaming. Once a sign is approved and installed, the community at large is invited to celebrate during a party commemorating the airfield, Sandra Andreini said.

Horsley said he was pleased to promote the renaming of the site where the skilled pilot started his career.

“Eddie was really a pioneer at the Half Moon Bay Airport. He learned how to fly in 1953 when he was still in high school,” Horsley said. “There began about a 60-year history.”

The Andreinis and Muller said while driving by the airport off Highway 1 just north of Half Moon Bay, it’s hard not to think of the fallen stuntman who was an integral part of the community.

For the eldest son who grew up flying with his father in the early 1970s, he still lifts off from the coastal airfield while sharing the family legacy.

“Flying with him, it’s something I miss. I lost my father, I lost one of my best friends, I lost a business partner. I lost a lot,” Andreini Jr. said, before describing the family’s passion for flight. “Just being up there and it’s beautiful looking down at everything and you can see the whole world. The thrill of the airplane is an amazing thing. Sometimes you sit up there and wonder how lucky you are.”

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106