Richard with Jocky Sanderson at the 2011 North South Cup
Richard Westgate: 1969-2012
Few had it as bad as Richard.
It only took a sniff of a good forecast and he’d be off, gunning from his base in Wiltshire to the Long Mountain, the South Downs, Scotland… wherever it was on.
Richard was the UK’s most enthusiastic cross country pilot, by far. He was one of those people who was always looking right over the horizons of possibilities, and he pulled a lot of us along in his wake.
He inspired Mike Cavanagh and others to keep digging away at the unmined gold of Scotland and spring – and only now do we understand the country’s huge potential.
Richard was a numbers man – and his accolades include the Tandem World Distance Record (356.2 km), several XC League wins, the UK triangle record and of course his name at the top of the UK’s ’100 club’.
His latest plan was to free-fly across the Channel. By thermalling up inside a huge towering cumulus over Kent, he hoped a strong north-westerly would see him over the sea to France.
I flew closely with Richard many times since we both joined the Nationals in 1994, and our last close XC together was in 2008. Richard flew his tandem like a sailplane – pushing deep cross-wind, carving huge circles, and never stopping for anything less than a 3-up. I tried to keep up with him at last year’s North South Cup – no chance.
We’re a tiny little club of nutty free flyers here on our ‘mud island’, as Helen Gant puts it, but that in no way reduces the appreciation many of us feel to Richard for showing us how it’s done – always with a grin on his face.
Thanks for leading out, Richard.
Hugh Miller
Richard lines up for a speed flying race at the 2011 North South Cup
Footnote: Richard, an airline pilot for British Airways, suffered acutely in the last 18 months from ‘Aerotoxic Syndrome‘. This is a little known condition brought about from toxic fumes from jet engines bleeding into the plane’s cabin. The Independent write about it here.
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This is a total shock.
Richard was a sky god. He was also always willing to help us lesser pilots–even across the paraglider to hang glider divide–and he shared my wacky hangie sense of humor.
I still cannot really believe he is gone.
I just can’t believe it, lost for words. I am so sad you are no longer with us. Life if so unfair. It always takes the good people. Absolutely devastated! I first met Richard in 1996 when I started Marshalling for the British Championships. Richard was such a nice bloke and always took time out to say hello whenever I saw him. He had so much time for the marshals and was always quick to come forward with his thanks to us at the beginning, middle and end of every comp. You will be sorely missed mate, you touched so many people. See you amongst the clouds. Your spirit will soar with us forever.
I just got the news about Richard’s untimely death. What a loss to UK paragliding. I haven’t seen him for ages, but whenever I wanted to fly anywhere in Dorset, it was Richard who I’d call. His knowledge of the weather conditions and XC potential was a gold mine that he’d happily let you tap into. And he was brave too.
At the British Nationals in St Andre he showed real courage in flying the highly unpredictable Cult for the entire week in very challenging conditions, even though he’d had to throw his reserve on the second day. Other pilots, including me, abandoned the wing after similar experiences, but Richard hung in and saw the competition through to the end – impressive!
Hugh Miller will remember this as he won the competition that year.
That Richard went on to greater achievements didn’t surprise me, he was a great competitor and a talented pilot. My thoughts and condolences go to his friends and family.
Google Leonard Lawrence pilot.
Google Leonard Lawrence pilot.
Aerotoxic Association
11th March 2013:
The Earth Needs Rebels Radio Show ft. an interview with Len Lawrence (Ex-BAe Pilot) regarding Aerotoxic Syndrome (first aired on 8th March 2013 on Orion Talk Radio)
The Abuse of Psychiatry in the Family Courts aided by Alistair Pitbaldo Official Solicitor to the Senior Courts and May Maughan Deputy Official Solicitor.
Lord Chief Justice, The Lord Chancellor and Admiral Sir John Brigstocke Royal Navy Rtd
It is not understood why the report by Admiral Sir John Brigstocke KCB Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman on Leonard Lawrence did not inform the Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor of the following, detailed below, when following a request for help by Leonard Lawrence Richard Anelay QC Deputy High Court Family Judge, Richard Anelay took only a few days to establish that Leonard Lawrence had been a patient subject to Court of Protection.
What is occurring
1). Individuals are being certified in legal proceedings, like Leonard Lawrence, Lee Gilliland and Michelle Goldberg as lacking mental capacity to manage their property and affairs by unscrupulous General Practitioners and Psychiatrists without medicals, following applications by solicitors or barristers to District Judges in County Courts.
2). The individual is then placed by the County Court under the jurisdiction of the Official Solicitor to the Senior Courts, presently Alistair Pitbaldo and the Deputy Official Solicitor May Maughan.
3). Medical certificates of mental incapacity have no serial numbers and are ready obtainable from various sources, accordingly when issued they cannot be readily tracked. In the Leonard Lawrence case their existence was denied by Helen Clift from the Official Solicitors office to Slough County Court until after Leonard Lawrence signature was, on the instructions of Helen Clift, gained on public funding forms by Sarah Benfield Ratcliffe, Duce & Gammer Solicitors, thus avoiding an application to the Court of Protection. Legal Aid was issued by the legal department, Legal Services Commission, knowing that Leonard Lawrence was a patient subject to the Court of Protection and was ineligible to public funding by more than Three Hundred Thousand Pounds.
4). The Official Solicitor does not notify the protected parties’ status to the Department of Work and Pensions, or to the Department of Health, so no record appears on the patients National Insurance Number or National Health Service records. There is no requirement to notify the Land Registry of a persons protected status thus allowing the easy disposal of any property that a protected party may have an interest in. As demonstrated by Dominic Brazil 1 Kings Bench Walk.
5). By not notifying the Office of the Public Guardian and the Court of Protection Alistair Pitbaldo Official Solicitor and May Maughan Deputy Official Solicitor can then make the medical and financial decision, substantially reducing the number of applications to the Court of Protection and achieving an expeditious turnaround of cases in the County Courts.
6). His Honour Judge Simon Oliver in April 2012 considered the Court of Protection as simply a rubber stamping process who’s authority is routinely exercised by non-authorized District Judges. Dominic Brazil 1 Kings Bench Walk having identified that Leonard Lawrence was a patient and subject to the Court of Protection submitted that financial decision is what the Official Solicior undertakes, not the Court of Protection. Official Solicitors files do not support Mr. Brazil view.
7). HHJ Simon Oliver has available to him a transcript where Ratcliff Duce & Gammer Solicitors alerted District Judge Susanna Jones that she did not have jurisdiction over Leonard Lawrence and that it was necessary to invoke the authority of the Court of Protection. District Judge Jones disregarded this warning and continued to act. District Judge Jones subsequently wrote to the Circuit Judges at Reading County Court denying having conducted any hearings in the Leonard Lawrence case following her disqualification from the case. A search by Her Honour Judge Ann Campbell at Slough County Court established five court hearings District Judge Jones conducted after her disqualification from the case. Both HHJ Campbell and HHJ Elly subsequently made orders disqualifying District Judge Jones.
8). His Honour Judge Simon Oliver stated in April 2012 that he did not know whether he had jurisdiction in the Leonard Lawrence case. The Court of Protection promptly identified that HHJ Simon Oliver does not hold a Court of Protection authority. The Official Solicitors files identifies the appropriate orders were never sought from the Court of Protection.
9). Simpson Millar LLP Solicitors refused to disclose Leonard Lawrence medical files to the Court of Protection, defying the instructions of Senior District Judge Waller, Principle Registry of the Family Division. Following an open email to Simpson Millar LLP in December 2012, copied to detectives from four police forces, Simpson Millar LLP immediately disclosed eight medical files on Leonard Lawrence including Court of Protection Medical Certificates CP3’s
10). The power to remove Alistair Pitbaldo Official Solicitor and May Maughan Deputy Official Solicitor from their office on account of misbehavior, or on account of inability to perform the duties of their office, may be excised by the Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling, with the concurrence of the Lord Chief Justice.