Warbird Information Exchange

...we have lost another warbird elder...maybe he instructed you, or was your warbird PE...

...received from a WB7 e-mail...

"David E. Frawley, 85, of Mattapoisett, a long time Federal Aviation Administra tion pilot examiner and flight instructor whose career spanned more than six decades, died suddenly at home on Friday, December 16, 2005. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1920, he was the son of the late David and Theresa (Hughes) Frawley, he had lived in Mattapoisett since 1960.


Mr. Frawley's love affair with flying began when he was barely school age. One day while at the Seekonk Airport with both his father and uncle, he raced onto the airfield, offering several pilots a dollar if they would give him a ride. A few minutes later he was on his first flight in a Kitty Hawk biplane.

He financed his early flight career by working at Continental Screw. His mother gave him two dollars each week for flying lessons at the Cape Cod Airlines at the Rochester Airport in Rochester, MA. He would take 15 minutes of flight training at a time and then do odd jobs around the airport to buy additional time.

In 1941 the Army Air Corps selected him for pilot training. They sent him to Tufts University and then to Northeastern University to study navigation and engineering. Part of his training included advanced instruction in WACO biplanes and celestial navigation. He graduated in the top three of a class of 400. While in the service he also obtained his flight instructor rating.

Throughout the war, he worked as a flight instructor with the Air Corps until 1944. He continued training pilots and flying aircraft after leaving the Army.

In a career of more than 60 years, Mr. Frawley flew numerous assignments including flying for Basil Brewer, the publisher of the Standard Times, Northeast Airlines and the Boston Red Sox. He was the co-founder and lead flight instructor of MassAir in 1944 which conducted runs from New Bedford, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Boston and also the co-founder of Southeast Air in 1975. He has taught over 3000 pilots to fly.

He worked for New England Telephone for 41 years.

Up to the time of his death, he was actively engaged in testing pilots in the United States and Europe every year. He often traveled to London, Calais, France, Milan, Italy and Eidenhoven in the Netherlands giving test flights in C-47's, B-25's, PBY's among other aircraft. These aircraft were formerly flown by the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II. Afterwards, they were the favorites in air shows around the world. Mr. Frawley also traveled to Spokane, Washington to give flight tests in "water bombers,"
and across the United States to give flight tests in CV-LB30's (B-24), C-47's, B-25's, B-17's, TBM's and L-18's (Lockheed Lodestar). In addition, he traveled to Lake Mead giving flight tests for the Albatross Flying Boats. Many pilots would also come into New Bedford Airport to be "checked out" on the plane they flew in.

Mr. Frawley was a member of the Aeroclub of New England, the second oldest flight club in the world. He received numerous honors and awards. His love of flying was contagious. He generously shared that love with a wide group of friends from many walks of life.

Survivors include a nephew, James M. Buckley of Claymont, Delaware; his cousin, Teresa Buckley of Dartmouth and Teresa's children, Kate Fuhst of Mattapoisett, Eileen Buckley of Dartmouth, Joseph Buckley of Dartmouth and Ann Miller of Mission Viejo, CA.

Funeral from the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett, Wednesday, December 21st at 9 AM. Funeral Mass at St. Anthony's Church at 10 AM.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend.

Visiting hours Tuesday, December 20th from 4-7 PM.

Interment St. Mary's Cemetery.

Saunders-Dwyer Funeral Home
50 County Road, Route 6
Mattapoisett, MA USA 02739
508-758-2292

This story has taken an interesting twist...

Police say man stole from pilot who died in fall
Death of flier, 85, is being probed
By Ralph Ranalli, Globe Staff | December 24, 2005

A Mattapoisett man was charged yesterday with stealing more than $6,000 from a well-known test pilot and aviator who was found dead last week of a broken neck at the bottom of the stairs in his home, police and prosecutors said.

First Assistant Plymouth District Attorney Frank Middleton said yesterday that the Dec. 16 death of 85-year-old David Frawley is being probed by State Police investigators, but has not yet been ruled suspicious.

''The investigation is still ongoing," Middleton said. ''We are not going to comment on whether it is suspicious or not suspicious until the facts are in."

Frawley, who recently received a citation from the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission commending his 65 years of accident-free flying, was initially believed to have died accidentally from a fall, police said. While still in good shape, the aviator recently had knee-replacement surgery and had been using canes or a walker to get around, a friend said.

Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons told a television reporter that investigators are looking into a possible connection between Frawley's death and 31-year-old Michael Picewick, who now faces charges of larceny, forgery, and passing false checks.

''There is some concern that Mr. Picewick could be involved," Lyons told WBZ television in an interview broadcast yesterday.

At a hearing in Wareham District Court, Picewick pleaded not guilty to four counts of uttering a false check, three counts of forgery, and four counts of larceny from a person over 65 years old, police said. Police and prosecutors charge that Picewick befriended Frawley and did some odd jobs for him, but then took the checks that Frawley had given him and altered them to increase the amounts.

A few days before his death, Frawley had also reported to police that some checks from his account had been stolen.

Prosecutors asked that Picewick be held on $10,000 bail, but Wareham District Court Judge Brian F. Gilligan set bail in the case at $2,500 cash, which Picewick posted, Middleton said.

Richard Porter, a friend and aviation journalist, said Frawley was smart, sometimes abrasive, and a near-legend in the world of pilots and aircraft.

''Dave was a very brilliant, crusty old man," said Porter, the owner of Atlantic Flyer, a monthly print and online newspaper that bills itself as the oldest aviation newspaper on the East Coast. ''If he liked you, he loved you. If he didn't like you, you knew it."

Porter said Frawley took his first flight for $1 at Seekonk Airport as a boy and was hooked. By his early 20s, he was a flight instructor for the US Army Air Corps during World War II. During a long career as a test pilot and teacher, Frawley became rated as an instructor in 50 different aircraft types, a number that may be a record, Porter said.

A specialist at flying older aircraft with radial engines, Frawley was, at various points in his career, the only instructor in the world who could legally certify a new pilot on some rare types of aircraft, Porter said.

''Dave was the instructor of the instructors," Porter said.

Found it here....
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... d_in_fall/

This is unbelievable,

At the award ceremony on the Saturday prior to his death.
Dave looked pretty darn good, other than a little trouble walking.
A question was asked, "What are we going to do for your 90th David?"
I was saddened to hear that he died 6 days later.
Then I heard this story from a MAC member today.
Now I am just shocked!

_________________
"Hindsight is usually 20% off!"

This is terrible. Its like flashbacks of Marion Carl's horrible death. If that cat did indeed kill this gentleman, the Hel1 ain't hot enough for him! So sad by any measure.
Robbie

_________________
Fly Fast Make Noise!

Heres another news article on this rediculous story:

New England News

Former police officer charged with stealing checks from 85-year-old man

12/24/2005

Former police officer charged with stealing checks from 85-year-old man

WAREHAM (AP) -- A former Mattapoisett police officer is charged with stealing thousands of dollars from an 85-year-old aviator who was found dead at his home earlier this month.

David Frawley died December 16th, three days after he called the police to report that he believed four of his checks had been stolen.

The state Medical Examiner has ruled that Frawley's death was accidental, caused by a broken neck he suffered after falling down stairs at his home.

But Police Chief Mary Lyons says the department is still investigating the death.

Police arrested 31-year-old Michael Picewick on charges of stealing more than nine-thousand dollars from Frawley through forged and fraudulent checks.

Picewick was hired by Mattapoisett police in the summer of 2001 but fired in 2002.

Frawley trained more than 3,000 pilots in his lifetime and was still flying and testing pilots up until the time of his death.

_________________
"Hindsight is usually 20% off!"