In a final farewell and fitting tribute, the ashes of late Royal Newcastle Aero Club member Victor Boyce will be scattered over Nobby’s Beach from a Tiger Moth.
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Mr Boyce was a local lad whose passion for aviation took him to the other side of the world.
He passed away in April at his home in Florida aged 87.
It was Mr Boyce’s wish for his brother Ron to scatter his remains over the ocean at Nobby’s where he once served as a surf lifesaver. His other brother Colin and Mr Boyce’s daughters Tracy Boyce and Karen Bickley will watch from the beach. It is planned to scatter the ashes on Sunday, weather permitting. Another brother Neville will be unable to attend due to poor health.
Born in Eagleton near Raymond Terrace in 1929, Mr Boyce had his first flying lesson at age 20. His instructor was a WWI bomber pilot. After only six hours he went solo in an AVRO 643 biplane and went on to fly almost every type of aircraft throughout his life.
Certified as a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer with the Royal Newcastle Aero Club in 1958, Mr Boyce’s career as an aviation engineer was off to a flying start. In 1962 he received the coveted Ryan Award as Top Engineer of the Year.
In search of greater challenges, Mr Boyce moved his family to Toronto, Canada in 1967 for 10 years before immigrating to the US where he lived for 40 years. He worked in Canada for a number of firms but eventually took the position of chief maintenance engineer for a corporate Sabreliner jet. He also ran Boyce Air Aviation out of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport along with his wife Patricia.
In the US Mr Boyce worked on corporate jets as well as assisting the Federal Aviation Administration in accident investigations. The recipient of numerous awards, Mr Boyce was still active in aviation until his death despite recovering from several serious illnesses. He made arrangements to donate his body to science and was a champion advocate of education and grateful to the technology that kept him alive for many of his final years.
He is survived by his wife Patricia, his daughters and five grandchildren.