Dick Sanford

Hi JR. So very sorry to hear the news about DD. Can you please give me some contact details, I am in the UK for a bit so would like to go visit.

Please give him my best wishes till I see him.

Dick Sanford.

JCR

Thanks D. Good to hear from you. Please P.M me with some contact info. The E-mail address I have for you from-way-back-when doesn't work.

JR

____________________________________________________________ _____


UPDATE.

Spoke DD last night and he was only feeling so/so. Spoke hospital just now and they said he was feeling better than during the night so rang him. He sounded poorly so just said hi and hello.

Will keep this forum posted.

JR

charlesp

Only just been given this thread by an old friend.. so sorry to hear the news. David gave me my first job on leaving the raf and I'm sure he hated giving a job to a "crab" however my sister was best mates at school with his first wife Alison and together they very kindly put me up until I found some digs... shades of listening to Pachebal's Canon every night after returning from the pub (i think it was the only tape he had) and then raiding the freezer for grub.

At Trent I was the "nice" instructor and he was the "hard man" and it worked really well until I wanted to get "Andy R" solo in some amazing record time of about 5 hours in the bell 47 - so i passed him on to DD for the check before solo - sadly it was a strong wind day and Andy didn't do much of a clearing turn to look behind before he set off. Both he and I got a huge bollocking for not ensuring adherance to sop's.. (he still sent him solo..!)

Years later flying the 737 lgw/edi one day someone heard my name on the pa and came up to talk to me (in the days you could!) it was john, DD's brother who gave me all his sad news then - saw him a couple of times with John and met his gorgeous little daughters (can't believe they are now having children themselves..) but then we have hardly kept in touch, and recently I have wanted to and not known how to... so give him my very best from "charlie P" and pls contact me asap or I will send you a pm.

Charles Pemberton

JCR

CP Fab story! Do P.M. me. Jonathan.

JCR

Everyone.

I'm sitting at DD's desk and I can't believe I'm writing this but I am very sorry to say that he passed away this afternoon.

It was peaceful and dignified and calm.

All his daughters and extended family were present and really, with the sun shining and the warm atmosphere I can't think of a better way, for what was on the cards to happen, to occur.

My phone has gone ****tic since and I can't thank you all enough.

Readers of this may associate DD with funny stories, the success of the R22, the non stop encouragemnt of up and coming pilots-myself included-but may I say, in common, with the context of all the messages I have received-this world has lost a bloody good bloke.

David, I'll miss you so much. God bless.

JR

helimutt

So sorry to hear the news JR, all I have to offer are my condolences to the family.
May he RIP.

bast0n

Oh Jonathan - how very very sad - please pass all our love to the family and let them know how we are thinking of them. The great thing is that we have so many more happy memories of David than sad ones. Great chap, great friend, great pilot, and how sad we did not keep in better touch these past years. A chip has fallen off the block of aviation history. Lots of Love, David and Gina XXX

spinwing

" Great chap, great friend, great pilot"....... A chip has fallen off the block of aviation history....."

Hear Hear!

God bless DD R.I.P.


........ and I'll bet he's already gotten a place at the BIG bar!


Spinwing .... Melbourne Australia

FAStoat

Yes,I second all the above.It is a very sad time,when so many good guys are falling over.I count myself very grateful to have managed to speak to "Old Boy" only a few days ago,and to have laughed over so old memories of the 60s and 70s.I send my deepest condolencies to all his Family,that I never managed to meet,having not seen Dave since the early 80s.I did manage to send him a Card to celebrate his latest Grandchild.So then Dave,I will have several sups and a few gulpers for you.Yours,Aye,Mike

heliski22

Jonathan,

Very well done to you, sir, for such a tremendous effort on DD's behalf. As 212man noted earlier, "what a dignified.....thread".

I'm sure many people will have been pleased to have had the opportunity to pass on best wishes and/or renew contact with an old friend/acquaintance during what turned out to be his final days.

May he Rest in Peace.

Pofman

Jonathan,

Thank you for putting me back in touch. When I called we picked up where we left off years ago.
Please pass on my condolences to the family and let them know he was a great guy.
RIP Dave.
G

JCR

My Goodness-reading that made the floodgates open. Thank you for such amazing kindness.




Justine (my missus) and I, got back from Suffolk this evening. It's been tough.


Need to start off with a public to my wife Justine. She dropped me off yesterday to David's village from EGLG in her Dad's R44 and then flew home. Must have been tough dropping off her near batty hubby and then flying back all that way. Poor girl has been worried sick about DD. She got the call from me 1630 with the awful news and then flew BACK to me and supported the family and me before departing zero-dark-thirty this morning-all the way back- to pick up her sister fresh from her arrival from the US. This after feeding the whole clan at DD's place last night. She than picked up DD's great mate S.R and flew him up to us in A. She has been the most FANTASTIC wife in the world. I flew Justine and S.R. back to EGLG this evening. Justine-THANK YOU. Uncle David never got to fly with you but a few weeks ago he saw a video of you flying your machine and he was SO proud of you. I am so proud of you. THANK you. You're a bloody good little Pilot and DD would be SO touched for all the running around you have done today, safely, sensibly and in such a RELAXED manner.

I am so Impresssed.


Sorry about the public thank you to Mrs R. Needed to be said!


The family.

S, C and G. Your Dad would be SO proud of you the way you have handled youselves yesterday, today-and I am sure the future. The way you have dealt with this cruel blow would/should make anyone and everyone stop and think about the next time anyone and everyone faces a crisis. I may be the old fart cousin-but Boy have I learnt from you today some things.

DD.

I got to have 20/30 minutes talking to you yesterday. I hope you got the message. I meant what I said.

To you all:

The texts, posts-on-this-forum, the voice mails and so on have left me ........humble. Thank you. For the last couple of months I have read or told DD of all the care, love, messages of support, hang-in-there, "we're here", "do you remember........", "you were wrong", "you-were right", "it's your round.........." etc etc (it could go on!) but I just want to say that DD would just be SO........................ Well, So "DD like".

Thank you to you all.

Anyone need further info-please feel free to get in touch.


My very best to you all.


Jonathan.

soggyboxers

David old colleague, so much has been said about you here, and all true. The world of rotary aviation has lost a great pilot and good bloke, but at least I'm happy that his your final passing was peaceful. RIP.

My sincere condolences to all of David's family and friends.

Jonathan, thank you for putting me i touch with him again; I'm very happy to have been given the opportunity for no-matter how brief a time to have been able to have a last talk with him after so many years.

uncle ian

Sadly I picked up this thread too late to speak to DD. Just like to add my name to the long list of those who admired, respected and counted DD a friend.

Ian Evans

Dick Sanford

God Bless you David, thanks for talking me into becoming an instructor. Many years ago at LHR on our way to the HAI DD and I made a pact "life was short so we would drink more Champagne from there on in". To this day whenever I have a glass of fizz, I think of that pact. A few months later I got the first call from S, DD's wife to say that he had just sufferd the stroke. Take note; "life is short, drink more Champagne"

JR Please let me know the time and date.

My best wishes to you all.

Dick Sanford

[email protected]

JCR

Thanks all.


JR.


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UPDATE:


The funeral is on Wednesday, May 21st, at the Catholic church in A. I believe it starts at 1100 but I am not yet sure of the time-will post more details when I know them.

I am saying this on this forum further to various requests to me about the date and time as John (DD's brother) [my other uncle] has said that ALL are welcome. Please feel free to turn up and celebrate with us the best bloke in the world.

Just to repeat that-ALL ARE WELCOME.

____________________________________________________________ _____



Dennis Kenyon can you please ring me ASAP.


____________________________________________________________ _____


Thanks again all.

JR

gldixon

Hello All,

I am Georgie, David's middle daughter.

I would just like to say on behalf of his three daughters, myself, Charlotte, Claudia and our Mother Sarah that we are all so grateful for the lovely messages and posts that you have all been leaving.

Its so nice to see the amount of people that Dad has touched over the years...it just proves what an amazing person he really was.....and the best Dad anyone could ask for!!

gldixon

Sorry i forgot to mention that when it comes to the funeral could all you men pull out the brightest bow ties you have in memory of Dad-as i am sure you are aware that Dad was renowned for his bow-tie wearing antics in the aviation industry!!!

timprice

Sorry to hear about DD passing away, he taught me to fly at Trent helicopters in 1980 it was hard flying with him, but he was a very good instructor, didnt know him socially, RIP

best wishes to his family at this sad time

Tim Price