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Torres
22nd Sep 2017, 01:15
I read a brief summary of a rather interesting flying and fishing book, "The Flying Fisherman" by Ted Richey.

It is predominantly about his father, Dick Richey OBE, a pioneer fisherman/pilot and local hero on Tasmania's east coast.

Dick is described:

"Over his lifetime he built a major fishing company from one small boat to multiple large new fishing vessels and developed fish spotting in Tasmania to a new level. He flew untold thousands of hours in out of the way places, landing his aircraft inplaces where aircraft have never been. Most importantly, he saved the lives of many persons in distress at sea, participating in over one hundred searches and rescues, from very large media intensive operations to smaller events which were quickly resolved. Every one of these searches was at no cost to the community, he refused any payment for his time, or his aircraft, stating time and again that this was his contribution to the community in which he lived.

He was a great Tasmanian, a great father, a magnificent pilot and described by his peers as ‘not a fisherman’, but a ‘fisher of men.’"

The book has four stars at Goodread.com and is available electronically from Amazon.

Will see if I can obtain details of how to purchase a hard copy book.

Certainly appears to be a very worthwhile and interesting read to those interested in fishing and - or flying!! :ok:

flywatcher
22nd Sep 2017, 01:55
I have read an earlier print of this book and was very impressed, not only with the book but the accuracy of the aviation content. Highly recommended.

Torres
22nd Sep 2017, 05:08
I found the author's contact details: [email protected]

I believe the book costs around $40 plus postage.

Recommended reading! :ok:

Aussie Bob
22nd Sep 2017, 05:48
I have read an earlier print of this book and was very impressed, not only with the book but the accuracy of the aviation content. Highly recommended. Me too! Mine is personally signed by the author and it is a great read for anyone interested in Tasmanian aviation, Dick Richey was a legend and quite a few owe their life to him.

Petropavlovsk
22nd Sep 2017, 09:53
Ted has his fathers Piper Super Cub, totally rebuilt and restored to factory new condition by Schutt's at Moorabbin. Ted was also flying a C-210 at the time.


He had no fear of ditching whilst fish spotting, because there would be no pay cheque if the boat skippers let him swim!


Great guy !

pithblot
22nd Sep 2017, 15:18
He had two Super Cubs and a 210 in the early eighties and they were all immaculate. The Richey family are luminaries in the fishing industry; are they still fish spotting ?

Good to hear 'The Flying Fisherman' is still available. There was a thread running on Pprune about an earlier edition of the book. The thread title is Great Read. (http://www.pprune.org/pacific-general-aviation-questions/392138-great-read.html?highlight=Bill+Vincent)

tail wheel
24th Sep 2017, 20:15
I think their pride and joy first Piper Cub was stolen when fairly new, was recovered and rebuilt? :confused:

B772
24th Sep 2017, 23:17
Met Dick Richey at Devonport many years ago. A classic gentleman.

flywatcher
26th Sep 2017, 07:13
I think their pride and joy first Piper Cub was stolen when fairly new, was recovered and rebuilt? :confused:

It was stolen and crashed at Bridport in, I think, about 1963. Apparently some person decided to steal it and fly it to Victoria, quite oblivious to the fact that it had insufficient fuel to get halfway there.

He sat in it for most of the night, at first light he fired it up, attempted to take off, lost control and put it on its back. Dick Richey arrived just after that to go fishspotting and found it with the engine hot and no one in sight.

Dick called the police and summoned his crew and while the police guarded the fence line, the crew and the local fisherman searched in the scrub. They found him in a short while, completely unharmed by the crash, but before he was turned over to the police he suffered facial injuries and other damage inflicted by the angry fishermen.

He was out of jail long before the aircraft was fixed. Shortly after that the Commonwealth changed the penalty for illegal interference to an aircraft from six months jail time to ten years.