Our 'Nobbie' Clarke
So sad to hear our wonderful 'Nobbie' has left us.
An absolute gentleman, a terrific humourists and a great natural pilot and instructor.
Nobbie joined my first ever business 'Skyline Helicopters' at WAP in 1982. But before this he 'freelanced for me in the 1970s at Spooner Aviation at Shoreham and how well I remember his after hours stories in the Spoonair bar. In those days we had two ex R4 instructors being Tony Clarke and Chris Bartlett.
In 1975, I persuaded Tony to fly one of the first Enstrom F28s (G-BALT) for a sales client. The type isn't noted noted for its payload and I recall him landing his 250 lbs with another 2 pax up at the 'Blackboys' confined area site as if it was a Lama.
As many will know, his opening quote for our Skyline students was often ... "Are you hot to trot?" ... as I'm sure our very first student, Elfan Ap Rees of Helidata/Helicopter International will recall.
I have such fond memories of the great man and could go on and on .... but of one thing I am sure, alongside his many aviation friends, he will also be missed at his one-time local, the Beetle & Wedge at Moulesford. I was landed with him on the lawn with the T/R overhanging the river!
Dear Nobbie, keep 'em amused in that great helipad in the sky and on behalf of all who knew him, our warm condolences for his family ... they truly don't make them like that any more.
Dennis Kenyon.
I cannot resist my final story. As Skyline's TRE, (as was Tony) every six months we were required to check each other for the Schedule 10 (as it then was) AOC 'base' check. The deal was that we pegged a ten pound note in the autorotation landing area ... the winner of the note being the one nearest on the EOL landing ... but always providing the note could be retrieved with out getting out of the helicopter. I don't recall ever winning !