VATSIM Friend Don (FH) Fiveash Passes

[Jeff Turner]

 

Don (FH) Fiveash p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ed away over the weekend. His contribution to VATUSA's Los Angeles ARTCC in the areas of pilot training, controller training, and VFR awareness was monumental. At a time when most pilots and controllers had their sights set on working big towers, approach and center, Don chose to staff the tower of one of his old stomping grounds, Santa Monica (KSMO), a small field just a few miles northwest of Los Angeles.

 

Night after night, he plugged in for hours at a time, providing wonderful, friendly service to the one or two pilots that would show up. Word quickly spread that on any given night, a fun little field was being worked by a knowledgeable controller who would bend over backwards to help people out with the basics of flight, be it pattern work, phraseology, or just how to fly the plane.

 

Don quickly developed a following of pilots, and later, other student controllers who elected to work Santa Monica in his absence, rather than KLAX. The VFR movement at ZLA quickly gathered steam, and simply wouldn’t have happened if Don hadn’t picked up the torch.

 

Don was also an avid mentor to our student controllers, working countless hours showing students the basics, and then later, the finer points of running a tower properly and efficiently.

 

Everyone at the Los Angeles ARTCC who knew Don is deeply saddened by his loss, and extend our sincere condolences to his family. We hope they can take some strength from knowing his was loved by such a large community that extended well beyond the borders of any single nation.

 

A link to forum topic announcing his p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ing, with subsequent messages from ZLA personnel has been forwarded to his family. Anyone who wishes to relay a message to his family is invited to post their thoughts in that thread, available here:

http://www.tristesse.com/zla/viewtopic.php?t=5614.

Edited May 22, 2006 at 01:16 PM by Guest

[Matthew Horan 901577]

Truly sad news -- my sincerest condolences to his family in this time of sorrow

[Nicholas Bartolotta 912967]

Didn't know him, but from what I read, he sounds like a remarkable guy. RIP...

[Jason Herman 911755]

Although I did not know Don personally, it sounds like he will be a deeply missed [Mod - Happy Thoughts]et to VATIM, VATUSA, and vZLA. My deepest condolences to Don's family and all that knew him.

 

Jason

[Tanner Litowsky 877756]

He was a great guy, he will be missed.

 

Your flying even higher now buddy.

[Brad Littlejohn]

While a lot more is mentioned in JT's post, I'll give a short summary of the work that FH did for ZLA and for VATSIM.

 

As JT mentioned, his stomping ground was Santa Monica. He lived and breathed that airport. While he knew of the mentor and training programs that VATUSA has, and knew bloody well that he could climb the ladder to be one of the best controllers VATUSA could have, he opted to sit behind the ranks, help the new students pilots and controllers who were just starting out. On top of that, he would do this at a rather unused field hiding in the shadow of LAX. Don welcomed allcomers, but loved VFR flights. That is what made his stamp on ZLA and VATUSA. Every night he was on, he staffed SMO to the point where LAX started to see less traffic, and SMO more. So many small planes in the pattern made the area light up and seem so realistic.

 

AVSIM caught wind of this and did a rather lengthy article on him and his work at SMO (it should still be in the archives). It just goes to show you that the work that he did, the small work at a Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] D field, can carry so much and go so far.

 

FH will be missed, but never forgotten.

 

BL.

[Keith Smith]

Brad,

 

You're quite right, I intended to include that in the original post. In addition, other controllers started working other nearby small fields. I recall one night where we had 3 Deltas open, the pilots went bananas. It wouldn't have happened without FH.

 

Keith

[Chris McGee]

I have no idea what kind of man FH was, but he has left a huge impact on the ZLA guys and my condolences go out to everyone that was deeply affected by this very sad event. It’s all ways hard to lose someone close to you, and you can only know there in a peaceful eternal rest.

[Ethan Klapper 884347]

From my brief stay at ZLA, I remember FH being one of the best mentors I had there. What a truly sad day for ZLA, VATUSA, and VATSIM as a whole.

[Benjamin Caldwell 857129]

Truely a sad moment, not only for ZLA, but for VATSIM. You are missed, but never forgotten. RIP.

[Rey Lopez 883899]

I feel, not knowing him very well though, that he was the type of person who could take you back to times of simple aviation and he had so much knowledge over aviation. It is no wonder students did well being mentored by him. Unfortuneatly I never was mentored by him but I have flown under his radar in Vegas and flown in SMO. You could tell he knew what he was doing and loved every minute of it. We'll all miss yah Don thanks a bunch for the great times, your patience with the newer guys, and sharing your extreme wealth of experience and knowledge of aviation as well as your love and p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ion for it. RIP you are in my prayers.

 

 

BTW Jeff thank you for posting this here.

[Chad Black]

I worked along side Don while at Executive Fleet Services. He was a remarkable man and will be missed. So long old friend

[Paul Heaney 879309]

Really sorry to hear, I saw Don online frequently, over at SMO. He will be missed.

[Mark Lee 855721]

A very sad loss. Don helped me out a lot during the few weeks that I was with ZLA. He was a wealth of information, dedicated mentor and an all round great guy.

 

Take care, my friend.

[David Lloyd 967083]

Being new to VATSIM I never have spoken or had the oppertunity to meet Don. However, I will say that with the amount of posts that I have seen for this great man I can honestly say he must have been a great man and a awesome friend. Sounds like he was the type of person that a new flight simmer would want too land at his airport, just for some help.

 

Don RIP. I best wishes to his family.

[Harv Stein]

Second star to the left and straight on 'til morning my friend. Blue skies forever Don. Harv.

[Cesar Managad 884510]

Although we never exchanged words, Don must have been the kind of person, I think all of us strive to be. Someone who must have realized a long time ago that to get all you ever want, you gotta to be willing to give all that you've got. Those who've met him, are the lucky ones.

 

Jan, my heart felt condolences to you and your family.

 

Show your smile, for Don has surely earned his wings.

[JOEL SHAR]

Very sad, I've had a lot of touchdowns in SMO, Don was always kind to me.

 

My deepest condolences....

 

Joel Shar, ISRAEL.

[Josh Hjemvick 811983]

I'll miss Don. He was a real inspiration, and a very nice guy.

 

He will surely be missed. RIP

[Jason Miller 969582]

I never knew him. From what I have been reading though, it seems Don was the man who I would have loved to have been taken under his wing.

 

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,

I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew -

And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untressp[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

 

Destination-(Author unknown)

 

I hope there's a place way up in the sky,

Where airmen can go when they die.

A place where a guy can buy a cold beer,

For a friend and a comrade, whose memory is dear.

A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread,

Nor a management type would ere be caught dead.

Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke,

Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke.

The kind of a place where a lady could go,

And feel safe and protected by the men she would know.

There must be a place where old airmen go,

When their paining is finished, and their airspeed gets low.

Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young,

And songs about flying and dying are sung.

Where you'd see all the fellows who'd flown west before,

And they'd call out your name, as you came through the door.

Who would buy you a drink, if your thirst should be bad,

And relate to others, "He was quite a good lad."

And then through the mist, you'd spot an old guy,

You had not seen in years, though he taught you to fly.

He'd nod his old head, and grin ear to ear,

And say, "Welcome, my son, I'm pleased that you're here,

For this is the place where true flyers come,

When their journey is over, and the war has been won.

They've come here at last to be safe and alone,

From the government clerk, and the management clone,

Politicians and lawyers, the Feds and the noise,

Where all hours are happy, and these good ole boys,

Can relax with a cool one, and well deserved rest,

This is heaven my son..... You've p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ed your last test!"

 

Rest in peace Don, for you are now in the place where the sjy's are always blue, the air is peaceful, and where the flying is always good. You were a man who knew respect and who's heart was as big as heaven. Amen

 

For Don's family, my condolences.

[Mark Plumley 814838]

Blue skies my friend

[Dan Orovio 869093]

may he rest in peace...i used to go to SMO at night just to do pattern work and talk to Don, truly a great controller and a great person

[Josh Clement 960168]

My Sincere condolences to his family...