A most interesting man and a very good friend. I trained with him in Canada on Harvards and T33s. When he finished, as a national service pilot who had become somewhat of an embarassment to the MOD because, despite signing on for 3 years, there wasn't time to get significant operational useage out of them. So, they were offered the choice of leaving the service in Canada if they wished. David elected to do so because he had the balance of 3 years to go before his place at Brasenose. Initially he was a house detective in an hotel in Ottawa until he was found to be doing what he was supposed to be stopping. He then worked for a while in the copper mines until he had enough money to buy a small Grieves motor bike. He then set out South (NATO students had right of entry to the States). He meandered south, blagged his way into Mexico, through Panama and so on South until he finally got to Peru I think. At this time he had run out of money, his bike was shot and he was geting a bit close to his date at Brasenose. So, he went to the Consulate and strung them a story that, not being wanted after his training, he had been turfed out in Canada and had been trying to get home ever since. They believed him! Made a fuss of him and sent him back to UK first class. I believe he wrote about it in a motor cycle magazine. He and I linked up when I was at Gaydon and he was at Oxford and he told me all about it. We were close friends for some years but eventually went our own ways and I lost contact with him. This I have always regretted and have regretted even more to learn of his passing through PPrune. Didn't see the Telegraph yesterday. He was a truly remerkable man.