The only thing sadder than this news is the thought of Ray at 80 and perhaps unable to fly anymore...perhaps his timing, as always, was inpeccable...life doesn't have to be long it just has to be lived....his was long and certainly lived.
I talked to him once for 10-15 minutes at Duxford last year on my first visit there...what a nice chap...never saw him fly in the flesh and find that regretable.
That clip of him scaring the rap out of the reporter is saved to my hard drive and is, without doubt, the best few minutes of flying footage ever filmed....that and the bridge sequence I have on my DVD copies of 'Piece of Cake'.
RIP sir....and congrats on a life well lived.
Chuck.