Feature

The Wages of Sun

Hook Lavinio, pilot
East Hampton Airlines

What do you fly?
I fly two planes. One’s a Beechcraft Bonanza. That’s a six-seat aircraft, single-engine. The other is a jet, the Falcon 10; it’s pretty plush—tan leather interior, and five chairs that are like a La-Z-Boy.

Do you get paid per flight?
No, salary. Low five digits. I wish I’d get paid per flight. My house is in Southampton, one house away from the water. It’s 600 square feet, but we’ve got half an acre. Our goal is to tear down the house and build something modest, maybe 1,600, maybe 1,800 square feet. I bought it for $260,000 two years ago. Now it’s probably worth $425,000.

What do you do in the winter?
We fly our clients down to Florida and back. It blows me away how much money they will spend on a flight.

Chris Numbers, tennis professional
East Hampton Indoor Tennis Club

Who is the kid in the picture?
That’s Jack Cook. I teach him and his parents, Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook, the architect.

Is he good?
He’s a very good player. He’s my little protégé.

What are you working on with Jack?
I switched him to a one-handed backhand last year. He’s 10, so he doesn’t really have the physical strength to make that change, but a lot of the top pros like Sampras, Federer make that switch young.

How did you end up in the Hamptons?
The club was looking for a head pro. I met the owner and here I am, three years later.

What’s your rate?
It’s $125 if I go to their house, $115 if they come to the club.

Does it get competitive?
Oh yeah. A lot of the men get very competitive. But I love that.

Do they win sometimes?
Very rarely. Only if I let them.