Not long after arriving in Southern California — far from his native Ukraine — Igor Pasternak walked into an office building wearing a cheap pinstripe suit, an interpreter in tow. He wanted to fly a small blimp he was building but needed approval from the U.S. government.

 

Federal Aviation Administration engineer Maureen Moreland was dubious when the cigar-chomping, wild-haired Pasternak came to her desk. There weren't many airship makers in this country, and she wondered whether he was for real.

 

He had set up his Worldwide Aeros Corp. in Chatsworth at a former porn studio. He had only six employees, half of them family members.

"I didn't believe there was any chance he would make it through the certification process," said Moreland, who reviewed his application.