Sad news indeed. I met Brian a few times (he was a regular performer at the Barton Air Shows of the 80s and 90s). He was the chap who, no matter how much I persevered, would always be a far better writer and pilot than I could ever be. In fact his writing I rate as among the best ever.
And as for his flying.... I remember preparations were underway one Friday afternoon for the Barton Air Show - tents being erected, fence posts banged into the ground by the ker-donker machine, signs going up... when a Stampe appeared in the overhead and commenced an impromptu display before landing. It was Brian of course. All activity on the airfield stopped as everyone watched spellbound.
A massive round of applause from everyone on the field followed even though all Brian would have heard would have been the blatter of his Stampe's Gypsy Major engine as he slipped down a short final to a perfect 3-pointer.
His books are entertaining, beautifully written, and instructive. His description of dealing with a partial engine failure on take off from a jungle strip in a crop duster with a full tank of banana oil is masterful.
There should be a book published of his collected magazine articles. I remember on in particular in 'Pilot' entitled 'The Spin'. It comprised a couple of thousand words yet described a timespan of only a few seconds between losing control of his aeroplane, thinking he was about to die (he cold see the bit of Berkshire countryside where his life would end in a few seconds), and thinking things through to a recovery.
As the circumstances of his death confirm, he survived decades of display flying in a period where many others did not, yet his displays were among the most exciting to watch.
And I'll always remember his RT transmission while transiting between displays in the Stampe... "negative transponder, but we are painted bright orange".
When such as Brian leave us, I feel my mortality....