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GaryGB
August 29th, 2013, 11:58
Bill Dick: Departed... But Not Forgotten



A reknowned contributor to the MS Flight Simulator Community, Richard William (Bill) Dick aged 78, of North Saanich B.C. passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family, on August 26 2013. http://forum.simflight.com/public/style_emoticons/default/icon_cry.gif

Bill was born in Melita Manitoba , graduated college in Winnipeg Manitoba, worked for many years in the auto body repair industry, and eventually established his own business, Bill's Motorcycle in Sidney B.C.

Known affectionately to some as "Willybee", Bill learned to fly GA "low and slow" prop aircraft at an early age on a small airfield near the US - Canadian border, and later in life, became an avid MS Flight Simulator enthusiast.


Bill was as adept with repainting aircraft as he was with repainting automobiles and motorcycles, and was also known to create custom liveries and the occasional instrument panel for aircraft which he shared with his friends during multi-player flghts online in MS Flight Simulator.


Bill traveled extensively in Canada and the USA, but was particularly fond of the Pacific Northwest, where he made his home in the wooded coastal area a few miles Northwest of Victoria International Airport in British Colombia, Canada.

During Bill's many travels in his early life, then with his beloved wife Martha, and soon after as a family with their several children, he acquired a great appreciation for the scenery in different places he had visited.

Bill's appreciation for- and recollection of- the unique features and ambiance that different environments have, was an asset which he generously shared with the FS Community when he began creating freeware add-on scenery for MS Flight Simulator.


Bill became legendary for his amazing speed, and innovative use of default and custom scenery objects when creating numerous sceneries of airfields and seaplane bases for GA flying, and was particularly noted for his work in the Pacific Northwest (aka "PNW") which provided an immersive, rustic 'look and feel' for virtual "Bush" pilots to enjoy in multiple versions of MS Flight Simulator.


Bill was revered for having created custom scenery for the many airfield waypoints visited during cross-country flights which he shared with his many friends during multi-player flghts online in MS Flight Simulator.

Bill's most recent custom scenery for cross-country airfield waypoints was for a multi-player "Emma Field to Plum Island Flight" conducted in stages over several sequential weekends a few years ago, and coordinated his efforts with those of Ed Wells (aka "falcon409") who also created a number of waypoint airfields for the scenery used during that flight.


Bill contributed numerous scenery packages (sometimes as part of a development 'team') for the Misty Fiords and Tongass Fiords area of the PNW in MS FS2004 (aka "FS9"), which are available via the "Misty Moorings" web site at:
http://www.mistymoorings.com/office/index.php


One such scenery add-on package created by Bill and several other noted FS developers (aka "The Amigos"), became very popular with PNW "bush flyers" for its innovative and immersive setting in the challenging and rugged areas of glaciers in southwest Alaska.


Stikene Icefield Research Project (aka "S.I.R.P.") is also available via the "Misty Moorings" web site at:
http://www.mistymoorings.com/tongass/

Information helpful for new and existing users of the S.I.R.P." scenery package is available at:
http://edtruthan.com/sirp/sirpmanual.htm
http://www.edtruthan.com/sirpfixes/



Other add-on scenery packages for multiple versions of MS Flight Simulator contributed by Bill Dick are available at AVSIM:
http://library.avsim.net/search.php?CatID=root&SearchTerm=bill+dick&Sort=Added&ScanMode=1&Go=Change+View



Bill also appreciated the work of other MS Flight Simulator developers, and was involved in beta-testing of various add-on products.


Bill had an especially great appreciation for the LAGO Emma Field add-on scenery package that became a best-seller for its innovative features, storyline, and appeal to PNW bush flyers in the early days of FS2002 and FS2004.


Emma Field (aka "KEWL") eventually spawned a FS forum community for the thousands who acquired that scenery package, and inspired a legendary legacy of adventure, mischief, and creative add-on contributions which, IMHO, was- and will continue to be- an asset to the FS Community.


Bill enjoyed an active participation in the MS Flight Simulator online forum community, and his many forum posts on a mix of topics with helpful insights (some featuring his penchant for 'down-to-earth' humor) are still to be found at various FS web sites.


Many of Bill's simFlight forums posts (including those in the Emma Field Flying Club forum aka "EFFC") are found at:
http://forum.simflight.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&section=search&do=search&fromsearch=1




Bill (often with Phil Cayton aka "Snowman") made a number of custom add-on scenery packages for Lago's Emma Field FS2002 and FS2004 in the immediate and extended aerodrome area.


Some of the features of those add-on scenery packages reflected Bill's lively sense of humor as he mischievously 'flew in the face' of fictional NOTAMS issued by the founding fathers of Emma Field, by expanding the "KEWL" experience through release of add-ons that provided night lights, runways for large aircraft, and hangars in violation of the long-term design concept envisioned for the future of the aerodrome. http://forum.simflight.com/public/style_emoticons/default/icon_razz.gif


Several of Bill's original freeware add-on scenery packages for Emma Field which were no longer available for download (due to a FS web site going off-line) may again be made freely available for download to interested individuals in the near future via a public secure web server.


These "classic" freeware add-on scenery packages for Emma Field by Bill Dick et al may include (as a minimum): http://forum.simflight.com/public/style_emoticons/default/icon_wink.gif


'Night' Lights for KEWL RWYs and Taxiways
Private Hangars East of the KEWL grass RWY
East-West RWY and 'Private' Aerodrome extension East of the KEWL grass RWY
The 'infamous' utility corridor Jet-compatible RWY Northwest of KEWL RWY 36/18


Bill also teamed up with Phil Cayton and Chris Brisland (aka "Eagleskinner" aka "CBris") to produce the FSX-compatible add-on scenery package "Bushflight Northwest", featuring landclass texture and other airport enhancements for the Olympic Peninsula and which preceded release of the (incompatible) OrbX FTX NA Blue "PNW" demo and full region payware add-on scenery package.




Bill's personable style of communication, his humor, his attention to detail, and his many generous freeware contributions to the MS Flight Simulator Community will always be remembered and appreciated by those who had the good fortune of making his acquaintance. http://forum.simflight.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png


I believe many of us here may prefer to think of Bill as still with us in Spirit, ...flying the friendly skies above. http://forum.simflight.com/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif



An E-Mail message sent by his wife of 56 years, Martha, to those who knew Bill more closely, said:
"In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Victoria Hospice."
http://www.victoriahospice.org/



With sincere condolences to Bill's family and friends,

GaryGB

Francois
August 29th, 2013, 12:29
Tell me it is not true !!!!!!!!!!!!! :icon_eek::icon_eek:

This morning I heard I lost my best friend yesterday......... and now this !

Francois
August 29th, 2013, 12:42
Nina and I stayed in Abbotsford with friends once ...... and visited Vancouver Island from there. We drove up to Bill and Martha's cottage, and they took us to Victoria and showed us the sights.

I met Bill through the Bush Flying on FS....... and when we met in real life, it was as if we'd always known each other.

Bill was such an affable man........ All FS communities will dearly miss him :isadizzy:

Our condolences to dear Martha..... our thoughts are with you !


Nina and Francois

MCDesigns
August 29th, 2013, 13:14
My condolences to his family! I never interacted with him personally, but knew who he was and saw his name pop up often in the bush flying communities like Misty Moorings, BFU and the VAs I used to interact with. R.I.P. Bill!

Little Chacha
August 29th, 2013, 13:44
So sorry to hear this people 78 years old is still young I think I heard others lived to be a 100 and beyond I pray for his family and friends waves from Hannah

roger-wilco-66
August 29th, 2013, 13:49
Really sorry to read that, my sincere condolences.


Mark

Anneke
August 29th, 2013, 13:52
My sincere condolences, Fly well Dick!

mike_cyul
August 29th, 2013, 14:03
That is sad news indeed. Sincerest condolences to his family and friends.


Mike

ViperPilot2
August 29th, 2013, 14:30
Very sad news to hear, and my condolences go out to his family and friends, also.

GaryGB -- thank you so much for posting the link to Misty Moorings! I have always wanted to integrate this Scenery into my FS 9 install, but never knew where to get it! I would be honored to put some of Bill's Scenery work into the Inside Passage and liven 'my Alaska' up a bit!

If it's OK, I'd like to post the Notice over at Alaskan Winds VA, too...

Alan :salute: 92535

beana51
August 29th, 2013, 15:26
Very sad news to hear, and my condolences go to his family and friends..any loss in our world here is a great one..If we celebrate his work and memory? he will be with us...So sorry!

Daveroo
August 29th, 2013, 15:46
im sorry to hear of this.my thoughts and prayers to his family

GaryGB
August 29th, 2013, 18:51
GaryGB -- thank you so much for posting the link to Misty Moorings! I have always wanted to integrate this Scenery into my FS 9 install, but never knew where to get it! I would be honored to put some of Bill's Scenery work into the Inside Passage and liven 'my Alaska' up a bit!

If it's OK, I'd like to post the Notice over at Alaskan Winds VA, too...

Alan :salute: 92535

I'm sure Bill would be glad to see another FS enthusiast enjoy the Misty Moorings scenery ! ;)


PS: Please feel free to post a copy of- or link to- my above "Tribute to Bill Dick" at Alaskan Winds VA, and at any other FS websites which may wish to make folks aware of Bill's generous contributions to the FS Community over the years. :engel016:


GaryGB

falcon409
August 29th, 2013, 19:04
That's sad news indeed Gary. Only knowing Bill through our work on the "Emma Field to Plum Island" extravaganza, he was extremely knowledgeable and a real treat to work with. We did some nice waypoint airport sceneries for that Multiplayer session and I learned quite a bit from him. My condolences to his wife Martha and their family. Such a loss. R.I.P. Bill!!:icon29:

CBris
August 30th, 2013, 08:04
This is sad news indeed. I never met him in real life, but we were Skype friends during the FSX years and Bill taught me more than just a few scenery tricks. I spent many a comfortable hour during years gone by, just chatting with him over Skype while we messed around with some new scenery technique or other.

He will be remembered by many.

Bill dicks daughter
October 26th, 2013, 06:25
It has been two months since my father passed away. Yesterday would have been dads 79th birthday. I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for all your beautiful words. We were all so touched. We knew dad was very involved in flight sim, but none of us knew as to what extent. Reading all your tributes made us realize just how amazing he was, but then that was dad, he always gave a 110 % in everything he did. We miss him terribly, we miss the constant "hum" coming from his room, as he spent many many of his last days with all of you, flying the skies. All of you should know, that he spoke of you, and your excursions together, and how much he enjoyed your virtual company. It meant the world to him. Some of your tributes were read at dad's service, and we printed off the pages for all to read. So from myself, my wonderful Mother, 4 Brothers, 11 Grandchildren, and 2 Grandchildren. Thank you all from the bottoms of our hearts.

falcon409
October 26th, 2013, 06:45
It has been two months since my father passed away. Yesterday would have been dads 79th birthday. I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for all your beautiful words. We were all so touched. We knew dad was very involved in flight sim, but none of us knew as to what extent. Reading all your tributes made us realize just how amazing he was, but then that was dad, he always gave a 110 % in everything he did. We miss him terribly, we miss the constant "hum" coming from his room, as he spent many many of his last days with all of you, flying the skies. All of you should know, that he spoke of you, and your excursions together, and how much he enjoyed your virtual company. It meant the world to him. Some of your tributes were read at dad's service, and we printed off the pages for all to read. So from myself, my wonderful Mother, 4 Brothers, 11 Grandchildren, and 2 Grandchildren. Thank you all from the bottoms of our hearts.

Sometimes when I try to explain to people what I do and all the amazing people I meet online or in this forum they give me that "Look". Some see it as a waste of time, some just say "Oh". . .or "that's nice", lol. It is a very special place though and your Dad was a big part of it. There's so much more to this "Game" than most people realize and your Dad saw it for everything it could be and he would freely give out his expertise when asked. I know your family misses him, but I would imagine he has left all of you with a lot of great memories and for that, we are very thankful.

trucker17
October 26th, 2013, 07:34
our sincerest condolences, he'll be greatly missed.....