Carl Cochrane RIP
Friends and colleagues will be sad to hear that Carl Cochrane, MD of AV8 Helicopters at Rochester, and commercial helicopter pilot, died peacefully this afternoon, Monday 22nd April.
Carl had fought bravely against cancer, diagnosed at the end of last July. Despite great courage and optimism, a pro-active medical team, and the support of his family and his many friends, he was finally overcome by the disease.
Carl began helicopter flying when invalided out of the Police Service, having contracted a kidney disease; after obtaining his PPL he built his hours and took his CPL exams. But in the midst of this he lost his flying medical. This he regained as a Class 1 (UK only) after a kidney transplant and stabilisation of his regime…but by then 7 years had expired, and he set himself to the task of again slogging through the CPL exams, and completed his modular CPL flight training within a month of getting his pass results. I had the pleasure of being one of his instructors on the commercial course, and again later when he added the AS355 to his type ratings. In the early part of last year he completed a FI (H) course.
Carl set up AV8 in 2004, in partnership with a Kent building company which needed a helicopter to help move senior staff to meetings at commercial sites around UK. Carl successfully negotiated the sale of the company to a new parent company, Oryx Jet, at Biggin Hill, in October 2012, and since then the company has been trading as AV8-Oryx.
Although he had again lost his medical at the start of chemotherapy, Carl was determined to keep working despite his illness; only recently could he no longer manage the journey from home to Rochester, though he continued to keep his finger on the pulse of the business.
Carl will be missed by his many friends and his family; and in particular we remember his widow, Tracy.
I will post details of funeral arrangements when I have them.
RIP Carl.
Last edited by idle stop; 22nd Apr 2013 at 21:38.