Not flying, health issues. For decades he had the biggest private hangar at KPIH, by far. Flew a Pitts S2B, (and had it recovered 27 years since new, by the same guy in Afton who did it the first time), a helicopter (Schweizer, instructed also), and a Duke (making a dead stick landing at one point in the desert, successfully), about every rating out there, plus he was my neighbor.

We didn't hang with the same crowd, he didn't do off airport, more of a go fast kind of pilot, but when I'd see him walking his dog while I was driving home, I'd stop and we'd BS flying, and we were both in the local construction scene here for a long time so know a lot of the same people.

Not a close friend really, but I had a lot of respect for him, and it crossed my mind to overfly the cemetary during the burial. But I immediately nixed the thought, "wouldn't be prudent". I didn't want to mar the occasion and make it about me...... So, I didn't, but I did make it to the wake party later in the day. Rode my bike there, he didn't have a strip at his property. The first person I saw was his only (adult) son, and he IMMEDIATELY says he had almost called me, as they were hoping I'd 'buzz" (his words not mine, ovderfly sounds better) the cemetary. Later, when I found his widow in the huge crowd, the first thing she said, was the same. Then another half dozen or so people who knew him well and me slightly, said the same. Days later I was still running into people who said they thought it would have been great if I would have over flown. I was feeling proud of myself for making such a mature and responsible decision, until then, still do really, but if I had it to do over again Rural area BTW, not in town. Maybe 3 or 4 mintues flight time from my strip

Hard to know whats appropriate in that situation...I'd probably do the same.

That being said, I'd (posthumously) welcome any and all flyby's...the lower the better