Dear UKVirtual members,
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our longest serving member at UK Virtual, Paul Hockney. Paul was here from the start, even before Daz and Si created UK Virtual, providing valuable support, wisdom, involvement and regular donations to get UK Virtual off the ground.
Paul was very well known for his love of the DC3, hopping not only around the United Kingdom, but to some of the most unusual and exciting destinations around the world. Despite the fact that Paul suffered from a disability and reduced mobility, he always made extra effort to attend our real-world meetups and socials. His impediment did not stop him enjoying the hobby we all share together, and he even flew a specially adapted plane himself from his local airfield at Liverpool. We will sorely miss his enduring positive attitude and special sense of humour in spite of all the adversity he faced.
Because of his work at UK Virtual, Paul was made a lifetime member in September 2017 as a thank you and acknowledgement of his dedication and work.
In the 6 and a half years Paul has flown for UK Virtual, he managed to complete 1256 flights with us (amounting to 1418 hours) with the majority being in the DC3! Paul’s last flight with us was Liverpool to the Isle of Man in the DC3. With that in mind we would like to invite all members, old and new, to a flight in his honour on Sunday 25th February at 15:00 hours. We will be releasing the event details, along with a free aircraft to use for the flight in the coming days.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time, and all of us at UK Virtual appreciate how lucky we were to have known and flown with Paul as a member and friend. He is a true inspiration to us all.
Daz, Si, Kieran, Ryan, Mike, Tony and Rob.