Remembering Harry Scott

Trish Stephens remembering Harry Scott. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

Harry Scott was the chief flying instructor at Tauranga Aero Club for 25 years and left the club with a reputation among pilots that survives to this day.

The Tauranga Aero Club member died on February 10, leaving a lasting legacy with the club.

While Harry is remembered for his on-the-ground personality, pilot and club secretary Trish Stephens says in the air he was a different person.

'When you went up flying with him he was fantastic. He could be a scary person on the ground but he was wonderful in the air.”

Harry taught Trish aerobatic flying and formation flying. Trish was inspired by Harry's wife Barbara, who was also an aerobatic flyer. 'I aspire to be like her because I do aerobatics as well. She was kind of fearless and she loved doing them. She used to do it in a harder aeroplane than I was doing it in.”

The North Shore Trophy, which is the ‘best aero club' flying trophy, has the TAC named engraved on it 13 times. Tauranga currently hold the trophy. Canterbury has won it about six times and North Shore about four times.

In the year 2000 when the TAC won the North Shore Trophy at Invercargill it was with 13 other cups that had to be couriered to Tauranga, because the cups and their cases were too heavy to go in the aircraft.

Trish says the club has achieved such success due to Harry's flying instruction.

'He was instrumental in us being one of the strongest competition groups in the whole country, one of the strongest aero clubs,” says Trish.

'He set a pretty high standard too. For years we used to be almost unbeatable.

'Now all the other aero clubs are catching up and it's a lot harder now to win.

'It used to be that the Tauranga aeroclub competitors would always win because they were well taught. He was pretty strict.”

Harry is one of the few recipients of the Paul Tissandier Diploma. Established by the World Air Sports Federation or FAI in 1952, it's named after Mr Paul Tissandier, Secretary General of FAI from 1919 to 1945.

And it's awarded to those who have served the cause of aviation in general and sporting aviation in particular, by their work, initiative, devotion or in other ways.

Qualifications is anyone active in aviation who has made outstanding contributions to aeronautics and astronautics, especially in the field of sporting aviation.

While Harry is remembered for his on-the-ground personality, Trish says in the air he was a different person.

'When you went up flying with him he was fantastic. He could be a scary person on the ground but he was wonderful in the air.”

Harry taught Trish aerobatic flying and formation flying. Trish was inspired by Harry's wife Barbara, who was also an aerobatic flyer.

'I aspire to be like her because I do aerobatics as well. She was kind of fearless and she loved doing them. She used to do it in a harder aeroplane than I was doing it in.”

Barbara flew her aerobatics in the Cessna 152 Aerobat. Trish flies the RV6A, a popular home built low wing monoplane. There's about nine of them based at Tauranga she believes.

But unfortunately disaster struck Harry and Barbara about a year after Harry's retirement when a van collided with the Scott's vehicle as they were driving to Stratford for Christmas.

Barbara suffered two broken ankles. Harry was lying down at the time of the crash and was seriously injured and remained disabled afterwards.

They moved to Kawerau to be closer to family and later moved into a unit at the Julia Wallace Retirement Village in Palmerston North.

Barbara died a few years ago and after that Harry was moved into the medical ward, where he passed away last Wednesday.

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