In the last few years I've been having regular email chats with Ben Sandilands, from Crikey.com's ‘PLANE TALKING’ blog (HERE).

Stricken with cancer, he refused to allow it be publicised:

"... my plan is to fade away when the time comes, and not make a big deal of it ...".

Don't worry, on your behalf —and on behalf of everyone in the industry— I let him know often that he was the most respected journo in the field, and that all of us were so grateful to have a journo who actually took the time to understand our business, and what makes pilots tick.

He lived in a small village in the southern highlands of NSW, took the train to Sydney for his cancer treatments, and received his snail mail care of his first name at the general store.

His wisdom and intellect, and inability to suffer dickheads; but more importantly, dig out the key point of a story; meant that I have a file of Ben Sandilands stories which I will treasure forever.

Now he has left us. And we are really stuffed.

Thanks to his family, for sharing him with us. We were so lucky that he chose us to write about.

My highest honour in aviation was received with the sign-off in his last email to me:

“Take care, we both need to prove persistent and irritating for some time yet."

Let that be his challenge to everyone who picks up a pen.



Oct 30th 2017

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Tags: Ben Sandilands