Cliff Hubbard Rip

[Rads]

It is with great sadness I have to tell the community that Cliff died peacefully in the early hours of the 19th January at the grand age of 80. I know a lot of you will not know my Dad but I guess some of you in the UK and maybe further a field will know him quite well and have a drink on his memory tonight.

For those who did not know Cliff his career in aviation started in 1943 when he joined the RAF. He trained in Phoenix, Arizona and returned to the UK in 1944 to find there were too many pilots and not enough jobs. (Where have we heard that before!) After kicking his heels for a short while he volunteered to train Army pilots to fly gliders. This was I believe for Operation Varsity. His last flight in a Horsa resulted in an accident that left him in hospital for a considerable time. However, during his recuperation he did meet a beautiful NAAFI girl called Ruth. They married in 1947 and had two sons Michael and Tony.

He did not fly again until he happened to drive past Cardiff Airport one day in 1957. He thought it would be fun to have a little go again. Within months he was instructing and in 1961 joined Cambrian Airways as a First Officer. He was promoted in 1963 and flew DC3’s, Viscounts and BAC1-11’s with Cambrian and then British Airways until his retirement from BA in 1980. During this time he continued instructing at Cardiff becoming a PPL examiner in 1966 (X50!) then an FIC instructor and eventually becoming a Panel Examiner for the CAA. He retired from flying as an instructor only a little over eighteen months ago finishing a career in aviation that spanned sixty years.

I will post a notice of his funeral arrangements when I have them.

[Silvertop]

Radar,

I'm so sad to hear about Cliffs death, I did many an Insrtuctor course or renewal with him at Cardiff, and spent many happy years working along side him with the instructor community there on the "south side". I also remember on rainy days, hours of his flying stories, spanning decades, and no matter how many times I heard them, they were always great to listen to. He was also pretty useful on the pool table.

My sincere condolances to Ruth, you and the rest of the family, I'll certainly drink to him tonight.

[J.A.F.O.]

In 1986 Cliff did my check flight at Cardiff at the end of my Flying Scholarship course, I seem to remember that during the flight he passed some ridiculous number of hours with lots of zeros on the end airborne.

Even though I only spent four weeks in his company (and just one flight) I remember him still after nearly twenty years, I also remember many of his stories - a great number of which I am still telling. He was the type of pilot that I aspired to be then and still do now; also a wonderful, memorable man.

My heatfelt condolences.