We've lost another FS legend!

[Wobbie 938]

I was sad & surprised this morning, when I saw Tom's post. It was just Friday past that I last communicated with Garry.

Garry, with Ed Moore, had the most innovative site, The Ford Tri-Motor Project. http://www.ford-tri-motor.net/frontpage.htm
Here you can find Garry's own catalogue of paints, the repository of Mike Stone's planes, Milton's planes, as well as the Ford Project.

Garry's work included an awesome range of paints, scenery, planes, and various projects, such as the Blackhawk project, India, Fordlandia, Manchukuo, & a whole bunch of scenery add-ons to compliment the various projects. One of his latest scenery add-ons included ramps. I have been a beta tester for Garry for the last few months, & we were testing things such as banked circular & oval tracks & runways, as well as a Death Star project.

Thanks to Garry, some time ago, for giving me back my simming mojo. I was getting very bored with the usual point to point flying, when I came across his site.
So, I went back to my simming roots, installed another instance of FS2004, & installed ALL of the add-ons I could find on the site.
I dropped Garry a line to thank him, & we became e-mail friends, as well as a beta tester. Garry was always open to new ideas, & the banked tracks & Death Star came about.

He always said that flight simming must be a bit of Fact, Fiction & Fun, & for me, this is what it has become.

Garry once told me an interesting story about himself....
'At the time Australia had military conscription in full swing for 18+ (to pump up troop numbers for the Vietnam war) and I though I would beat the system and try to join the RAAF for 3 years and avoid the conscript which was for 2 years in the Army with a guaranteed tour of Vietnam.

I was fortunate in being selected for the RAAF - only a very few got through the selection process as many other lads had the same idea :-) - the RAAF could afford to be very selective and for some reason I was one of the lucky ones.

I got married in my first year in the RAAF - and like an idiot volunteered for a Tour of Vietnam - only a 3 month stint - was better than a 12 month run by the Army lads. But as luck would have it - in the second week in country, whilst doing a Huey run over the jungle, had our chopper shot out of the sky by a Gunner in a USAF Huey who was shot by ground fire and died on the trigger of his machine gun and swept through our aircraft. I and one of our gunners survived the crash however I was pretty seriously wounded. After a scary night in the jungle we were picked up by a Chinook and ultimately full medivac back to Australia. Nearly a year of multiple surgeries and hospital to recover.


Over the last two years I have undergone several major surgery runs to correct some of the problems that were becoming disabling in regards to the war wounds over 40 years go. Was fortunate that the Senior Professor of Surgery (top Dog) here in Newcastle was invited in by my scheduled surgeon to consult on the issues. After discussing the circumstances and the difficulties expected he told my surgeon that he would take on the task and my surgeon could assist. Brilliant surgeon - sliced me from ribs to crutch and hip to hip and resolved most things in the first surgery run of 8 hours (3 surgeons working on me). Second run - two surgeons and 6 keyhole surgeries (5 hours) - removed remainder problems and then removed all scar tissue from my war wound and the recent surgery. Sewed everything up from the inside - not a stitch mark or scar on my stomach now. Unfortunately, all of the shuffling around inside encouraged a hernia to pop - so another surgery run - again three surgeons but only 4 hours of surgery - again no scars. Still recovering from the overall effects of the surgeries and still on pain meds etc - told it will take around 2 years for everything to settle down to normal - but life is a hell of a lot better than it was early last year. I am not supposed to be working for long hours anymore - but - how do you turn off having fun on the computer ?

Garry, L. Smith, yet another great guy that we have lost, our hobby will be far less without you, but your add-ons will live on, all over the world.

Blue Skys!!

[N400QW 205]

Great story and great guy. Gary touched every repainters life in some way..

[Skywatcher 133]

Very sad to read.

[John_Tavendale 453]

Very sad. RIP Garry.

[edetroit 933]

Wow, wow ,wow! An FS Legend indeed. Blue skies Gary. :p0503:

[Wobbie 938]

Sorry, it should read Garry J. Smith.

(my apologies, finger problems) 

[Paul Golding 92]

Sad to hear.  Thanks for sharing that story of Garry's past Wobbie.

[sascha 314]

I had some email conversations with Garry on a number of topics. You couldn't meet a nicer guy or more enthusiastic and sharing simmer!

[N400QW 205]

Same here. A true gentleman in our exchanges

[Appliance 51]

Godspeed Gary. 

The simming community is much diminished by your passing.

Thank you.

[navtech 13]

Sad new ...

Lost of a great community contributor

It's not a vacant place as nobody can replace him

RIP

[kiwiflyer45 123]

When you really think about it, the flight sim community has attracted some truly amazing people from all over the world. Our lives have been enriched not only by the talent so many share with others so we can have a hobby that is constantly evolving but also by the friendships that we have made with people all over the world. Thank you Garry for your contributions to the hobby and to people's lives... R.I.P.

[Wobbie 938]

Yes, he was a prolific painter. Not only did he fill & maintain his site, he also did a lot of paints for others as well.

I had only corresponded with him for a few years, but we chatted a lot, & when I heard the news, I felt that I had lost my best friend.

[Steve Crewdog 0]

I've been involved with flight simming all the way back to the days of TRS-80s and Jet, and several years ago while I was grounded with a knee injury I made the acquaintance of Garry over the internet. In 2009 that led to us becoming involved in a project for the Heritage Flight Museum in Bellingham and, eventually, the Historic Flight Foundation at Paine. Together we recreated both Bellingham Airport and Paine Field as they were during WWII, and repainted flight sim models in the livery of the museum aircraft.

http://seareybuild.blogspot.com/2013_08_23_archive.html

Garry was opinionated, cantankerous, generous, an artist, and a good man. I'll miss him.