It is with sorrow and regret that I communicate the news of James' passing. To anyone who had attended Jetmeets in South Africa or World Jet Masters, James would have been remembered as my helper, caller, mechanic and fellow SA Team member.

First meeting him thirty odd years ago - at a flying field - he became a staunch friend, always ready to help as we worked through R/C Aerobatics, Pylon Racing, Scale and eventually into Ducted Fan jets.

Although he did fly, he was always happier in a support role and the technicalities of Turbine aircraft appealed greatly to his mechanical mindset. In the Jet scene we did our apprenticeship on BVM D/Fs, JPX propane-fuelled turbines, then onto manual-start kero fuelled motors and, eventually, the full Autostart / user-friendly turbines taken for granted today.

A very sociable person, especially with a J&B or two inside him, James made many friends here in SA, and at the seven Jet World Masters we attended, with him as Team Manager for several of them.

Heart surgery about five years ago, though successful, affected his health and he determined to gradually take a back seat in the Jet competition scene, with Dayton to be his last Masters. His failing health made this a tiring competition, not helped by being caught in the tornado that soaked us when the Model Storage tent blew away.

Over the last year or so, James withdrew from R/C flying almost totally and spent a lot of time renovating his home in Durban North. This kept his interest, with him doing the planning and contractors carrying out the work. This was finalised back in February of this year when he had a slap-up 70th birthday party there, with his relatives visiting from overseas.

His failing health, and the onset of a lung infection, resulted in his being taken into hospital where he passed away on Monday, May 27th 2013.

James, you will be greatly missed.

Mark Savage