OBITUARY: Air Vice-Marshal Ron Dick 1931–2008

Early on the morning of 25 March, 2008, Air-Vice Marshal Ron Dick CB FRAeS RAF (Retd) made his final touchdown at his home in Fredericksburg, Virginia after more than a year living with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife, Paul, son, Gary, daughter, Peta, and three grandchildren.

As a boy, Ron saw the dog fights in the skies over London during the Battle of Britain. The great air battle overhead sparked a desire to become a fighter pilot and, in 1946, he became a cadet in the Air Training Corps. In 1949, he was selected to participate in an inaugural exchange visit of cadets between the RAF and the United States Air Force (USAF); it was the beginning of a lifelong association with the USAF.

AVM Dick began his unusually varied 38-year career in the RAF as a cadet at the RAF College, Cranwell in January, 1950. He became a member of the aerobatic display team representing the RAF for the 1953/54 seasons and won the Clarkson Aerobatic trophy in 1955 and the Wright Jubilee Aerobatic Trophy in 1956. Over the years he became a fighter pilot, a flying instructor, an examiner, an exchange flight commander with the USAF, a flight commander on a nuclear strike squadron, and a squadron commander in Cyprus. In 1978–80 he commanded a low-level strike wing at RAF Honington, and led RAF detachments taking part in the Red Flag and Maple Flag exercises in Nevada and Alberta. His headquarters appointments included three years on the staff of General Alexander Haig at SHAPE, Belgium. During 1980–83 he was the Air Attaché at the British Embassy in Washington DC, a period which included the Falklands War. In 1984 he returned to Washington as the Head of the British Defence Staffs in the USA, a position he held until he retired from the RAF in August 1988. Upon his retirement he was appointed a Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Bath by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

During the 1980s he flew a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan, P-40 Warhawk and P-51 Mustang with the Confederate Air Force in Texas. In 1983, as Air Attaché, Ron helped acquire a restored Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress and then flew it from California to England, where it may be seen on display at the RAF Museum.

Ron Dick flew more than 5,000 hours in more than 60 types of aircraft and was recognised as an exceptionally skilful pilot in both fighters and bombers.

After his retirement, Air Vice-Marshal Dick lived in Virginia and wrote and lectured generally on famous historical figures, military and aviation history. In 1989 he advised on the aerial sequences for the film Memphis Belle. He was named a Smithsonian International Fellow [at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, until 1991. He was also a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and a visiting lecturer at the USAF Air University at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Ron Dick had a long association with the International Association of Eagles, which produced the annual Gathering of Eagles graduation seminars for the Air University at Maxwell AFB. In addition, Ron led annual Smithsonian tours to the UK and Europe, and was frequently a favourite lecturer on board cruise ships worldwide. In 2006, he was the Smithsonian lecturer for the Starquest “Round the World by Private Jet” journey. Despite his illness, Ron recently travelled as guest lecturer on the Cunard and Princess Lines, entertaining passengers on the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Pacific Princess.

Ron Dick also followed his career in the RAF with a new venture, the writing and creation of books about the rich history of aviation. He partnered Dan Patterson, an American photographer, to produce a dozen books and collaborated on three further books with Canadian author Donald Nijboer and Patterson. Dick and Patterson were chosen to create the USAF's 50th Anniversary book, American Eagles, published in 1997. They followed that well-received project with the Aviation Century series, a new landmark five-volume history of aviation, published by Boston Mills Press. Their most recent publications were a review of the USAF's 60th Anniversary, Heritage to Horizons and 50 Aircraft that Changed the World, released in the autumn of 2007.

Photo: Dan Patterson



Ron Dick: a personal note, by DAN PATTERSON.

When Ron and I gave a lecture together, something we did every now and then and enjoyed immensely, our carefully planned series of images and timed for just under an hour presentation was soon off the track as Ron the master storyteller, regaled the audience with fantastic tales of aviation, usually with himself as one of the protagonists. At about the 45-minute point, my wife Cheryl would start waving her watch at us, and Ron would wave his hand and say “All right, all right, we'll hurry”, and someone in the crowd would say “We aren't leavin . . . please go on”.

The foil and the jokes were not exactly planned but did make for lots of laughs. That is what will take a long time to fill . . . the great void in our lives now is that laugh; Ron's booming laugh that was often at his own expense.

I told Cheryl tonight that I feel a huge hole in the fabric of my life right now. The best friend and partner one could ever have, is gone.

We started with a handshake and off we went, 15 years of nearly daily contact in our efforts to create a new history of aviation. Our partnership was based on a simple factor: mutual respect for each other and our ability to solve the questions before us at the moment; as well as the larger question of two guys creating a series of books that include 500,000 words, thousands of new photographs and an equal number of archival images. We often smiled when asked how large our research and support staffs were. I must state right now, as he is looking over my shoulder, that our support always started with his wife Paul and my Cheryl. They have endured more than most would and comforted us when the chips were down.

I must also note that our editor at Boston Mills Press, Kathy Fraser, deserves much credit. She was the interface between us and the process that takes place to make a book a reality. In an undertaking such as this, there are often very strong opinions which are headed in several directions at the same time. The fact that the series is completed speaks volumes about her abilities.

Just ten days ago, I saw Ron for the last time, and we had the chance not to leave anything unsaid. We parted just as we had begun, with a resolute look into each other's eyes and a handshake.

Dan Patterson, March 26, 2008