RIP Jim Hilton

[max roll rate]

Today I was told that Jim Hilton the Chief flying instructor and owner of the old IMC flying school has passed away , he died on Saturday after a heart attack , Jim had stopped flying himself due to bad health some time ago and that was a loss to us then , his wonderful ways of teaching the imc rating will be remembered by all who had the chance to spend time at his home field barn at Turweston , his holding patterns ndb tracking and other instrument procedures around the salt and pepper tomato sauce bottle and of course the bottle of wine on the dinner table were a site to behold , my thoughts go to his family at this time , I feel lucky to have known the man .

RIP Jim

[Cusco]

Yep!

I did the IMC at IMC in the early 90s and can echo those sentiments:

Jim and his team had a way of making sense of NDB holds and all the other IMC stuff which in those days did not form a great part of the PPL syllabus.

I remember well trogging for hours round WCO and DTY more often than not in real IMC (I did my course in the winter).

Then the evening with other studes in the barn sitting around that amazing carved dinnertable practicing holding round the pepper and HP sauce bottles!

Sue Hilton's grub was legendary.

So A sad day for aviation and I too send my condolences to Jim's family.

Safe Flying

[Hairyplane]

Nice bloke. Always smiling.

I met him 15 odd years ago when they had the Butchers Arms at Farnborough (a little village near Banbury). It was hugely successful and the sale of it presumably enabled him to pursue his first love of aviation at Turdy.

Jim, a heavy cigar smoker, had a second chance a few years back when the pains in his legs turned out to require major arterial surgery.

Alas, he went back on the weed again within 4 weeks of the op despite acknowledging that it was the weed that ruined his heath....

We ate regularly at The 3 Conies - a pub they took over after giving up at Turdy - and always had a great time.

Last heard of messing about with canal boats.

HP