Fair winds Inspector

[262crew]

As some of you know the Inspector was my dad Bill. I received a phone call this morning from the police informing me that my dad has passed. I know he rubbed some of you the wrong way and he wasn't always easy to read. But if you knew him in person you would have liked him very much! He was very quick with whit and very funny! He had a life long passion for aviation! He was fortunate to get to know some of you in person and spoke to me about you. He was also an avid car guy! I would ask him the most obscure question about any classic car and he always had the answer. To all of you who took the time to know my dad I thank you. It only made his life richer to have common minded people in his life.

[Pat]

I'm sorry for your loss, I enjoyed reading his posts.
-Pat

[DH82EH]

My deepest condolences for the loss of your dad.

His in depth, fountain of knowledge will truly be missed here. His expertise was broad and deep!

Blue skies and tail winds aviator!

Andy Scott

[Al Moore]

My condolences to you and your family. I enjoyed your fathers posts here on WIX.

[Mark Allen M]

OH NO!!!! .... I am so sad and so sorry to hear this terrible news. Your father and I spoke a few times on the phone and several times via PM here on WIX. He was one of the true class people who always stuck with me when I had my own problems with thin skin on this site. He was able to convince me that an internet forum is nothing to lose one's self over and to know it's just for fun so "don't sweat the small stuff". His friendship and advice is probably the reason I never sh*t canned this website long ago after several sh*tty lessons on how to understand the internet forum world. I have him to thank for being able to turn myself around to becoming (at least what I hope) is a positive contributor around here. To say he even had a hand in me becoming a better person? ... yah! I'll give em that too.

He was a good man, a decent man and an honorable man. His consistant contributions to my threads alone has proven that even a fool like me can have a bit of old airplane knowledge stored in the ole head. Anyone here can like it or not, or admit it or not, but your dad knew is stuff and knew it well. He was always a joy to read, whether I could understand what he was saying or not. He will be dearly missed, not only by me, but so many others here as well.

Your dad was a class act and someone I'm very proud to call a friend. I've never met your father in person but I would have very much liked to have met him. I sincerely hope with all my heart that your father is at peace in a peaceful place. I know without a doubt he will be looking down on you with pride that your the son he always envisioned.

I'm in a bit of shock over this right now and to truly express my sense of sorrow would require much more time and devotion with a clearer head. It's just enough to type this much without the reality of shaking hands.

Please know that even though this is a terrible time, that all you have to do is reach out with a PM if there is anything I can do for you or your family. Your father earned that from me long ago.

I'll miss you Bill and thanks for your friendship.

Mark A. Mansfield

[Dan K]

Terribly sorry to hear of your loss.

I also enjoyed your dad's posts. The WIX community will be the poorer for his passing.

[Michel Lemieux]

Dearest sympathies to you and your family.....

He could write a good story for sure!

Sincerely.

[Sasquatch]

I would echo the comments of the posters above regarding ol' Bill, especially Mark's. Bill reminded me of so many of the skilled and elder dudes I worked with in hangars over the years. You never had to agree with them, but they were always worthy of listening to and considering. While Bill and I were on the same page 95% of the time, we also agreed to disagree about some subjects. I had hoped to meet him sometime up at the relocated Bellingham, WA museum, now at Bayview Airport, and had encouraged him to volunteer there when he mentioned several ways he thought the new place could be improved for access for the physically restricted, a thing we both shared in different degrees.

Thanks for letting us know, 262crew, and my sincerest condolences on the loss of your father. He was a great guy and an interesting correspondent, as well as a GREAT contributor to this site. I will truly miss him.

RIP and Blue Skies, Bill...and save a place in the hangar for me. We'll talk again.

-Tom

[phil65]

I must admit he left me scratching my head after reading some of his post, but I always felt a little smarter.

Blue skies,
Phil

[Randy Wilson]

Allow me to add my sympathies for the loss of your father. As others have said, he was a wealth of information and a class act. He will be missed by many, including myself.

Randy

[mustanglover]

WOW, condolences on your (and our) loss.

He was fun to converse with concerning the old R/STOL days as we have owned those STCs for the last 30 years or so.

[daviemax]

Please accept my most sincere sympathy. I always paid attention to his posts and he will be missed. The Inspector indeed!

[Mike]

Sorry for your loss. His posts were never boring, and this place will be the poorer for his passing.

[Tulio]

My sincerest condolences for OUR loss.

I exchanged mostly PMs with your dad, most recently within the last week. We touched on the subjects of Soccer, sports, aviation, Boeing P-26s, all of them, salted with his wit and kindness.

Telling things the way you see them, rubs some people the wrong way. But it shows that you are authentic and true to yourself. For that, your father was a true and authentic man.

I enjoyed reading about his aviation experiences, a lot.

Please receive my sincerest condolences.

Sincerely,


Tulio Soto

[Larry Kraus]

I am very sorry to hear of your loss.I always found The Inspector's insights to be very informative and always interesting as well as frequently amusing.I will miss him.My dad also passed suddenly and without warning several years ago and I still miss him every day.