Fondest memories indeed
Ed was my Captain on the first block of line flying that I did as an FO with Orion in 1981. I had completed the training and Ed was my first experience on the line.
We were rostered away for three days together and shortly after take off he found he had lost his glasses, and coudn't read a thing close up. Luckily I wore near vision specs at the time so we shared one pair of glasses for three days! (Can't remember why we didn't have spares!)
Ed was not want you wanted if you were asmatic as he used to chainsmoke Hamlets before, during and after all flights. In fact I never remember seeing him without one. Yet I never knew of anyone complaining. That was life in the airlines then.
However my fondest memory of Ed was some years later when we flew from Coventry to Palma together one night. Two Orion 737's were to operate the same route. The other Captain decided to operate into the 5 kt headwind on the south westerly runway, thereby risking a tech stop as the performance was very tight. Ed and I decided to take the slight tail to the northeast and make it in one go.
As we progressed down the runway it was very evident that the wind was anything but 5 kts and probably more like 15. We were not just tight on performance A, we were at serious risk of not getting airborne in the available length. I remember Ed raising the nose just as the end of the runway went under my side window. We carried on in total silence apart from standard calls and drills until at 10,000 feet Ed finally took the Hamlet from his mouth, pulled his half rims down (he'd remembered them this time) and looking across at me said..."A bit f*****g tight that lad". Nothing else was said for the rest of the sector!
His other claim to fame was that no First Officer would beat him into the office. He was always there two hours before with all the paperwork filled in so neatly it was a work of art.
One of the true Captains, a true Gentleman, and someone from whom I learnt my profession.
RIP Ed, from myself and Gina.