I'm shocked and saddened. Don joined supercub.org in 2003 and since that time has made the equivalent of a post every other day. It's a great loss for his family, for aviation, and for supercub.org.
sj
I'm shocked and saddened. Don joined supercub.org in 2003 and since that time has made the equivalent of a post every other day. It's a great loss for his family, for aviation, and for supercub.org.
sj
"Often Mistaken, but Never in Doubt"
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Such sad news! I, like many of you have never met Don but at the same time felt I knew him a little through his posts on this site. Rest in peace fellow aviator.
The other comment I have is that it takes a death of someone we know with to wake us up to reality. Just yesterday I was all wound up due to the political and economic climate we, as a country are in. The passing of someone we would all call a friend has a way of making a person take a step back and realize there is more to life than angst and worry. Life is short, say hi to your fellow man and enjoy the time we have with them.
Rest in peace Don, my prayers go out to your family in this time of sorrow.
Oh no! Always such a helpful person and such great posts. Thank-you for all your contributions -- you will be greatly missed even by people who never met you.
Tailwinds My friend, I always looked forward to chatting with Don when ever I got to AK. We will miss him ....wow ........... Prayers to Mrs. Torch and the family.
Wup
My Spot Page
Sad news indeed. Watched for his comments on FAA matters and hunting stories. Great contributor here that will be missed.
Just recently retired too. So sad -----Condolences to his family and friends---God Bless---
God Speed Don, just not right when you hang up the tower Mic to enjoy life and this happens.
Sheesh!!! I couldn't comment 'til now.
What a great guy!! I love that photo of him standing on the Torch float.
..hope his family are okay.
Very Sad. My wife and I met up with Don at Valdez one year. He was busy helping folks and having fun. Thoughts and prayers to his family.
Gary
GDrean
This is very sad. I met Don at Valdez a few years ago and we made it a point to get together and visit every year. He was a very positive and gentle man. There are lots of smart people, a lot of well to do people, but never enough good people. Don was the latter. God speed Torch.
Don will surely be missed. I really learned a lot from his wealth of aviation knowledge and enjoyed reading his posts. Can anyone share where he came up with the name "Torch". There has to be story behind it.
CloudDancer....be........SAD. Ah am so grateful Ah got to spend at least a liddle bit of time with Torch las' summer. As so many others have already said; a tremendous loss for the Alaskan aviation community. He will be long remembered...and sorely missed. May God grant his family peace and comfort.
Tailwinds Don.
CloudDancer
A SUPERIOR pilot, uses his or her SUPERIOR judgement, to stay out of situations which may require the use of their SUPERIOR skills.
Always enjoyed Torch's photos from his secret fishing spots.
RIP Torch
Piper J-5A C-90 N40877
J-5 Project Pictures
Wow, just get back home to find out my float pond neighbor has passed due to a heart attack! Sad news indeed. I'll miss our B/S sessions or talking cub stuffs. Thoughts and prayers to his family. Blue sky's and tight lines forever!!
RIP Don, prayers to the family.
Sorry to hear this, wow. A great guy, always willing to help someone out on this forum. RIP and godspeed Don.
=========
PA-12 fan
He will be missed . . .
Wow, that is terrible! He was one of the first members to help me out when I first joined and had questions. Sure wish I would have been able to meet him! RIP Don and prayers to his family!
Seems like just the other day we were visiting up in OTZ FSS after I would get back from my days flights up the river. He was always super helpful at OTZ Radio, and an all around good guy. He will be missed.
Torch is going to get lonely down at the pond! Tail winds west, Don.
Tim
RIP Torch and condolences to his family and friends.
Alex
Damn, Sure sorry to hear this, he owed me a Shee fishing trip. Maybe in a few years I will be able to remind him of this.
Just a Not so Gentile reminder that we are just here for a while.
Condolences to his family
Really enjoyed his fishing pictures. Made a lot of great posts. Met him once with Christina some years back in Kotzebue. Really sorry to hear this news.
Rest in Peace Don.
Greg
"The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom". Psalm 111:10
Torch, you have touched many lives, and will be missed by many more. Fare winds and blue skies my friend.
Jay Pratt
Paul Revere, Borrowed Horse, & Shooter
Man, sad news.... he will be missed. I was looking forward to meeting in person after I missed meeting last summer. Blue skies!!!
http://spaincub.wordpress.com
Condolences to family and friends. Those who touch us are never lost, we carry them with us all the days of our lives.
Wow, I am just reading this now.... it is horrible and unexpected! Torch was a wonderful friend and always gave helpful advice when passing through Fairbanks and Kotzebue - I will really miss him. Blue skies, tailwinds, big fish and moose my friend!
I am slow at posting, but I must comment about how much Torch meant to me.
I met Torch at Valdez on at least three occasions. When planning my departure from Valdez in 2010, he was giving weather briefings. He discussed the pros and cons of my return trip to the "Lower 48" via the Trench or the coastal route. I had always been hesitant...no, just plain scared of "flying the coast." Because of his confident demeanor and weather advice of a three day window of "high pressure," I embarked on the most magnificent trip of my life! Since that first trip, I have flown the coast two more times. Breaching whales, large pods of sea lions, glaciers calving and the most magnificent array of wildlife has made each trip thrilling.
Like the rest of you, I always looked forward to his posts and pictures. He had a way of keeping me in touch with my Dream Land of Alaska from far away Kansas. He will truly be missed!
Ed Doyle
I just opened this post for the first time and was shocked and saddened to hear of Don's passing he will be missed.
Donald Dale West, 60, died peacefully in his sleep March 2, 2013, in Fairbanks.
He was born June 23, 1952, in Wichita, Kan., and lived in Alaska for 31 years.
Donald served his country in the United States Air Force as a technician and later as a command and control superintendant. He retired after 20 years of service.
After completing an outstanding career with the Air Force, Donald joined the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic controller. Fairbanks, Nome and Kotzebue were among the places he worked in the FAA. He retired from the FAA in September 2012, after 20 years of service.
He then became a flight instructor with ProFlite Alaska. He very much enjoyed teaching the art of flight to his student pilots. He also enjoyed working part time at the Fort Wainwright Commissary.
Donald married his best friend, Debra, in 1973 at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, Okla. They were married for 39 years. Throughout the years, Donald and Debra were devoted to and cherished one another. They were as "one." Donald loved and was deeply proud of his two children, Allison and Guy.
Donald's passion in life was to fly his Super Cub, the "Torch." His flights to Dune Lake for trout fishing and his trips to moose camp with his buddy, Pat, were events in Don's life that gave him great pleasure, meaning and purpose.
Donald was a good, kind and gentle man. He will be missed, but never forgotten.
Donald is survived by his wife, Debra West, of Fairbanks; daughter, Allison Vlaun, of Seattle; and son, Guy West, of Fairbanks.
He was preceded in death by his father, Neal West.
A Mass of Resurrection will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, 2013, at Immaculate Conception Church. The Rev. Frederick Bayler will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Special Olympics of Alaska, in memory of Donald West.
Arrangements were entrusted to Chapel of Chimes Funeral Home.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/new...27#fbLoggedOut
Thank You,
Mike
That retirement thing just doesn't work for some people. It really gets to me when I see this happen to people that actually work all there lives and don't get an enjoyable retirement. RIP Don
It seems to me that his "work" at Pro-Flight was his retirement... just not long enough.
I don't know where you've been me lad, but I see you won first Prize!
RIP Don. Very sad!
Here is a great picture of the the Torch from the screen saver.
Donald_West-1.jpg
"Often Mistaken, but Never in Doubt"
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Thank you for posting that Steve.
Blue Skies Don! Thanks for keeping us all safe for so long!
Dang, that makes two pilots I knew who have gone west,,, this month alone..
Donald Dale West, 60, died peacefully in his sleep March 2, 2013, in Fairbanks.
He was born June 23, 1952, in Wichita, Kan., and lived in Alaska for 31 years.
Donald served his country in the United States Air Force as a technician and later as a command and control superintendant. He retired after 20 years of service.
After completing an outstanding career with the Air Force, Donald joined the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic controller. Fairbanks, Nome and Kotzebue were among the places he worked in the FAA. He retired from the FAA in September 2012, after 20 years of service.
He then became a flight instructor with ProFlite Alaska. He very much enjoyed teaching the art of flight to his student pilots. He also enjoyed working part time at the Fort Wainwright Commissary.
Donald married his best friend, Debra, in 1973 at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, Okla. They were married for 39 years. Throughout the years, Donald and Debra were devoted to and cherished one another. They were as "one." Donald loved and was deeply proud of his two children, Allison and Guy.
Donald's passion in life was to fly his Super Cub, the "Torch." His flights to Dune Lake for trout fishing and his trips to moose camp with his buddy, Pat, were events in Don's life that gave him great pleasure, meaning and purpose.
Donald was a good, kind and gentle man. He will be missed, but never forgotten.
Donald is survived by his wife, Debra West, of Fairbanks; daughter, Allison Vlaun, of Seattle; and son, Guy West, of Fairbanks.
He was preceded in death by his father, Neal West.
A Mass of Resurrection will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, 2013, at Immaculate Conception Church. The Rev. Frederick Bayler will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Special Olympics of Alaska, in memory of Donald West.
Very sad to hear this, thoughts and prayers to his family..
Rest easy Don,
I really enjoyed your photos and stories.. my best to your family and friends ..
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