Best of legacy — Geoff Painter
A few days before July 4th, 2019, an AW139 owned by coal tycoon Chris Cline departed the coast of Florida and flew several family members and friends to Cline’s private island estate on Grand Cay in the Bahamas to celebrate the holiday weekend.
In the evening hours of July 3rd, Geoff Painter and David Jude, crewing the AW139 that night, were asked to fly to Grand Cay to pick up Cline, his daughter (who had fallen ill), and her three friends to return them back to Fort Lauderdale International so the daughter could be taken to the hospital.
The IFR flight from Florida to Grand Cay was uneventful. At approximately 2 a.m., just a couple minutes after departure from the island on the return flight towards Fort Lauderdale, the flight went down in the ocean where both pilots and all five passengers were killed. One witness indicated that shortly after departure, he saw the aircraft lights rotate several times before going down in the ocean. The accident is still under investigation by the FAA.
Geoff, 52 at the time of his passing, was originally from England and served as an officer in the Royal Air Force stationed at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire, England. Upon departing the Air Force, Painter had a 10-year stint as a business owner before eventually transplanting to Florida in 2003 to become a helicopter pilot. In 2005, Painter and business partner Jude started Cloud 9 Helicopters, a popular training academy in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Painter was well-known in South Florida helicopter markets, and appreciated by his students and staff who helped him build his business. “He was always generous with his time and energy, and encouraged and facilitated the dreams of others, helping them realize their full potential. Geoff will be greatly missed by all that knew him,” said Richard Whybrew, who got his first job as a new helicopter flight instructor from Painter.
Virginia Sinicki, a local radio personality and friend said of Painter, “He loved helicopters.
In this 2014 video titled Chopper Jockeys, Geoff Painter gives a detailed description of Cloud 9 Helicopters services.
He loved to fly — he breathed it. It brought him so much joy,”
According to one writer, “Geoff was a friend to everyone he met and a mentor to many.”
Geoff Painter – husband, helicopter business owner, and teacher of pilots – is survived by his wife Debbie, son Mark,
mother Janet Painter of Little Weighton, England, and cousin Alison Wells of London.
Blue skies and tailwinds, Geoff.
rotorcraftpro.com
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