On a clear winter afternoon, swept clean by a recent rain, several flying enthusiasts are out on the Via de las Olas bluffs with remote controls in their hands. In the distance, big jets are taking off from LAX, silently soaring over the Pacific. But the men’s focus is closer by, on the model planes and flying wings that playfully chase each other through the sky, guided by the pilots’ sure hands. The wind coming up the steep hillside provides the ideal environment to keep these engineless gliders aloft, while the pilots can vicariously enjoy the pure joy of swooping through the air, catching the wind and performing acrobatic tricks with a view of the ocean stretching from Point Dume to Palos Verdes. The bluffs at the Mount Holyoke lookout are one of the few locations in Los Angeles perfect for this activity. Soaring specialists come here from all over the city, but many of the diehard are Palisadians. It’s a short trip from home to see if the wind is blowing the right way. “Everybody has a tree they like to watch to see which way the breeze is going,” says Jim Breese, who looks at the palms up the hill above his house on Las Pulgas as his own personal wind meter. The basic flying wings, 3 to 4 feet long and shaped somewhat like a thick boomerang, are made of styrofoam that easily survives frequent crashes. Fancier models, which look more like 3- to 6-ft. replicas of actual airplanes, are made of fiberglass. Palisadian Kerry Feltham, one of the regular “pilots,” even made a movie about this mostly male phenomenon, called “The California Flyboys.” Feltham, a director whose short film “Too Much Oregano” won the Jury Prize at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival, decided that the flying made “a natural subject” for a half-hour film. A teacher at Palisades High School, he stationed himself on the bluffs on and off for about a year with a digital video camera in hand, and completed the film in 2002. The “flyboys” are mostly “guys who do things with their heads all day,” says Feltham. They include a retired pilot, engineer, corporate lawyer, and chiropractor. “It really is a kind of spatial thing-you switch off the analytical part of your brain and go into the rhythm part of the brain.” “I saw Jim [Breese] flying out here and he let me fly the plane,” says Feltham recalling the first time he tried to pilot a model 10 years ago. “I put it in the tree.” But he was hooked. “Now I’m out here a couple of times a week.” “You get better at it,” says Breese. “At first it’s all you can do to keep it in the air. My wife bought me a radio-control set and it stuck. It’s the last she’s seen of me.” The hobby is social and meditative at the same time. “It’s the danger of not being in control and seeing how far you can go without being in control,” Breese says. “It gets you in touch with the wind.” Larry Seversen, a psychiatrist and one of the “flyboys” featured in Feltham’s movie, likes to watch red-tailed hawks as an inspiration for flying. The hobby also has an aerobic side to it. When the planes don’t stay aloft, or crash into one another during “combat,” they can fall down the hillside, and the pilots hike down one of two paths to get them. Yet planes that fall into a certain spot, known as the “Bermuda triangle,” are often lost forever. “Whoever goes down the mountain the fewest times wins,” Breese says. Breese, an engineer who designs hard drives for computers, taught a class at the Palisades/Malibu YMCA last year about how to put together a plane. Although none of the students got into flying regularly after building their planes, Breese maintains that it’s a great hobby for kids. The kits cost $45 and up, with the radio transmission costing $70 and up. Breese allows the young children walking on the bluffs with their parents to try his radio controls. “We encourage questions. We like to find new addicts,” he jokes. The hobby can get expensive for those who go onto fiberglass planes, which can cost $500 or more. They are best for experienced pilots because the planes can break easily when they crash to the ground. Gas-powered planes, which are noisy, are never used on the bluffs, and electric-powered models are seldom flown there, as most of the pilots prefer to use the natural wind power. Some aircraft pilots “waggle their wings” in friendly hello when they see the glider fliers on the bluffs. The best “flying” season is spring and summer, when the on-shore breezes provide just the right lift. About five to 10 people will come out on the weekend with a good wind. The informal group, known as the Palisades Soaring Club, often flies until dusk. “It’s very relaxing, being out there with the sun and fresh air, the ocean breezes blowing on you,” Breese says. “It’s an all-engrossing sort of thing.” To purchase a copy of “California Flyboys,” e-mail ae126@lafn.org. Introductory beginner kits can be found at hobby shops, such as Hobby People, 10825 Pico, 234-2425 or Evett’s Model Shop, 1636 Ocean Park, 452-2720. Fiberglass models can be found at specialty retailers such as www.nesail.com

Writer/Artist Arnold Mesches borrows the language of medieval illuminated manuscripts-illustrations and text set off by decorative borders-and gives it a contemporary twist in the current crop of 50 paintings and collages now on view in the “FBI Files” exhibition at the Skirball Cultural Center. Just as early handwritten manuscripts recorded 13th century history, the works in this exhibition light up the darker side of recent American history during the Cold War/McCarthy era. In 1999, through the Freedom of Information Act, Mesches discovered and gained access to 760 pages of FBI files covering his political activities, personal life, teaching and artistic production between 1945 and 1972. “I had goose pimples-it was just unbelievable,” says Mesches, who was struck by both a sense of betrayal-countless former students, neighbors, colleagues and “friends” were among those who cooperated with the FBI-as well as by the alluring aesthetic quality of these typewritten documents that had large portions obscured by thick black lines in an attempt to protect the betrayers. The slashing black strokes in the documents reminded Mesches of the late Abstract Expressionist Franz Kline’s art, inspiring him to create the body of work that comprises the “FBI Files.” In these works, actual pages from the FBI files are mixed with images of popular culture, 1950s-era advertising and elements from Mesches’ own figurative paintings and drawings. Celebrities, politicians and other notables of the day-everyone from Malcolm X to Richard Nixon and Marilyn Monroe-also figure in the work, a style that seems to merge Abstract Expressionism with Pop Art, all wrapped in an illuminated manuscript-like decorative border. “Everything I’ve ever known is in my art,” says Mesches, whose animated speech, easy laughter, and quick step belie his 80 years. “I want people to wonder why things are juxtaposed in my work.” Mesches, a lifelong leftist activist, ultimately hopes to expose what he sees as the “evils and ridiculousness” of his long-term surveillance by the FBI, while addressing such broader themes as the right to privacy and freedom of expression. Born in the Bronx and now living in Florida, the artist has strong ties to Los Angeles. He lived here for more than 40 years and taught at USC, UCLA, the Art Center of Design and Otis College of Art and Design. He continues to teach at several universities and art schools. While Mesches views his current series as a summation of a certain historical time, he also sees strong parallels with what’s happening today in terms of limits placed on civil liberties. “It went on then, it will go on again,” he says, making specific reference to the controversial Homeland Security Act and Patriot Act. Surprisingly, Mesches harbors no bitterness towards those who spied on him. “It was a long time ago,” he says. “And what the hell’s the difference? Ninety percent of them are dead.” The exhibition continues at the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. in L.A., through March 28. Contact: 440-4500.

With just over 50 listings on the housing market this week (not counting mobile homes, condos or townhouses), where does that leave buyers who desperately want to purchase property in the Palisades? “Scrambling!” said Anthony Marguleas, owner of A.M. Realty on Sunset, who represents buyers exclusively. “Many are not only finding themselves in multiple-offers situations but also competing against buyers who can pay all cash.” Marguleas started his company 10 years ago because he felt there was an “inherent conflict of interest” in situations where the listing agent and/or the firm also represented the buyer, “especially when it comes to negotiating.” Marguleas, 38, represents buyers not only in the Palisades but all over Los Angeles. He estimates that about a third of his clients are people moving to L.A., a third are first-time buyers, and a third are buyers ready to move up. “Anyone who has owned property here in the last five years has lots of equity, which puts them in an excellent position to buy a bigger or better house,” he said. Of the buyers he has, Marguleas said that “about 35 percent can pay all cash, and 25 percent can put 50 percent or more down.” Most of them are looking in the $2.5-million range. With currently only two houses listed under $1 million in the Palisades (a probate at 16780 Livorno and a 3 plus 2 on Jacon Way), 16 between $1 and $2 million, and 13 properties between $2 and $3 million, “the choice is limited, even for the most qualified buyer. We write a lot of offers.” Marguleas, who recalled that there were at least twice as many properties available at this time last year, said he never imagined that housing inventory would drop so low. “No one did.” He said the small number of listings on the market has forced him to “really think outside of the box.” A challenge in recent weeks involved a buyer who absolutely wanted to buy in one of the bluff areas. Marguleas sent letters to several bluff owners asking if they were willing to sell. One was, and a deal was struck. Marguleas, who now has two offices (the other is in Pasadena) and is about to open a third in Toluca Lake, also provides prospective buyers with 24-hour access to the MLS and keeps track of local probates, REOs (bank-owned properties), and FSBOs (For Sale By Owner). He said that perhaps the easiest way for someone to get into the Palisades market these days is to do a lease-option on one of the many home rentals available in the area or to buy a townhouse or condo, which have appreciated “24% faster in the last year than single-family homes, making them a great investment in this market.” A resident of the Alphabet streets where he lives with his wife Sue and their four children, Marguleas said the shortage of listings in the Palisades is leading to business practices which could create problems for both buyers and sellers. For example, sellers being solicited directly by buyers may be persuaded to do a private sale, thereby depriving themselves of getting “the best possible representation.” And anxious buyers may make offers on houses that are higher than the bank’s appraised value, resulting “in their either paying too much for the property or having to pull out of escrow because they can’t come up with the extra cash to close the deal.” Another trend that Marguleas finds disturbing is the waiving of inspections, which could lead to litigation. “What if the buyer finds the chimney is cracked within weeks of closing escrow?” Marguleas asked. “We never recommend waiving inspections, no matter how much a buyer wants the house. It’s not good for them or us.”