I was saddened to learn about the passing of Ilan Papini, the creator of many different sims over the years that revolved around planes and boats.
Those of you that have been around for quite some time will remember him from Hangsim, Virtual Sailor and Vehicle Simulator amongst other titles.
I have exchanged multiple emails with Ilan over the years and was always impressed by the way he listened to customer feedback and tried to incorporate it in next revisions.

Ilan passed away doing with he loved the most - flying a small plane.
A bird strike with an eagle unfortunately ended this flight forever.
 

The pilot Ilan Pepini was killed in a light plane crash • His funeral will be held today (Sunday 11/2/24) - Chai Poh - The News Corporation of Haifa and the surrounding area
Bird strike Accident AeroAndina/ICP MXP-740 Savannah 4X-HPR, (aviation-safety.net)

Thank you for posting the sad news here. Those into maritime simulation must be forever thankful to him for creating the only open world nautical sim. But I knew that he was coming from an aviation background. A very likable man who was generous and always there to help. RIP Ilan. 

I met Ilan in 1997. Very sorry to hear this.

Wow. I was just searching to see what was going on with the software. So sad.

 

Oh that is certainly sad news to hear!  I had multiple email exchanges with IIan regarding Vehicle Simulator, and he always made himself available to listen to ideas and implement updates based on user feedback. RIP IIan.

- flyndive