All,

as a reply on a private mail to Sancho, who many of you know I got a very sad message back from his wife Dora Maeder, that Sancho suddenly passed away on December 16. She asked me to let his friends know.

Most of you know Sancho from his famous flight reports and stories back in the C'serve GAMERS forum.

Sorry for the sad news with the begin of the new year,
Detlef

• RE: Very sad message,GaleThomas, 21:55z, 01-02-02
• RE: Very sad message,RayProudfoot, 22:32z, 01-02-02
• RE: Very sad message,Mike_Greenwood, 22:34z, 01-02-02
• RE: Very sad message,EdSheats, 23:19z, 01-02-02
• RE: Very sad message,alanpugh, 02:42z, 01-03-02
• RE: Very sad message,Ben Chiu, 06:14z, 01-03-02
  • RE: Very sad message,Detlef, 20:38z, 01-03-02
• RE: Very sad message,Vulcan, 22:15z, 01-03-02
• RE: Very sad message,andor, 00:18z, 01-04-02
• RE: Very sad message,vgbaron, 02:18z, 01-04-02
• RE: Very sad message,PL965Melo, 04:14z, 01-04-02
• RE: Very sad message,Dom_Hogan, 15:41z, 01-04-02
• RE: Very sad message,KaptainKit, 17:42z, 01-04-02
  • RE: Very sad message,PL965Melo, 21:40z, 01-05-02
    • RE: Very sad message,James, 01:05z, 01-06-02
      • RE: Very sad message,PL965Melo, 04:46z, 01-07-02
    • RE: Very sad message,KaptainKit, 16:29z, 01-07-02
      • RE: Very sad message,PL965Melo, 03:13z, 01-08-02
• RE: Very sad message,TD, 19:41z, 01-04-02
  • RE: Very sad message,Detlef, 21:14z, 01-04-02
• RE: Very sad message,andrewluck, 20:33z, 01-04-02
• RE: Very sad message,James, 23:22z, 01-04-02
• RE: Very sad message,jerryrosie, 16:59z, 01-05-02
  • RE: Very sad message,Tom Hayward, 17:15z, 01-05-02
• RE: Very sad message,Ray_Shields, 04:00z, 01-06-02
• RE: Very sad message,PaulCroft, 23:00z, 01-06-02
  • RE: Very sad message,Detlef, 19:58z, 01-07-02
• RE: Very sad message,AlanParkinson, 23:40z, 01-08-02
  • RE: Very sad message,Detlef, 20:10z, 01-11-02

Detlef,

What a shock! That's very sad news indeed. I enjoyed his friendship and reading his flight reports was always a pleasure. I will sure miss him and I know his absence will not go unoticed. He has a lot of friends in the flight sim community.

Gale

Hello Detlef,

This is sad news. Although I never got involved in fly-ins Sancho's reports were legendary for their humour and wit. He will be sadly missed by his FS colleagues.

Please pass my sympathies to his wife.

Regards,

Ray Proudfoot,
Cheshire, England

Hi Detlef,

Thank you for passing on this very distressing news. I am deeply saddened by this.

Please pass along my personal condolences to his wife and family.

My belief is that he is now on the greatest of all adventures, and there's some comfort in that.

Blue skies Sancho!

--Greenie
**6 miles SSE KSJC**

I too was a Sancho fan. I was involved in many rallies and I always looked forward to his stories. I shall miss that very very much.

Ed

Terrible news.

Sancho's reports were detailed, imaginative and
showed a love of flying that we all share.

May he fly on, in the next life.

Please pass along my condolences to his family
and thanks for letting us know.

Alan

Detlef:

Thanks for passing this note along.

I only first met Sancho here at the VPC. Aside from his very pleasant demeanor, I'll always remember him as being one of the first CiS folks to sign up for a Crew Membership. Please pass along to his wife that we'd like to refund his membership dues. (I'm trying to contact her via Sancho's email address.)

Checking back in the messages I noted that Sancho's last messages here advertised his online test flight here at the VPC. I'm honored to think that I flew with him on his last online flight.

Clear skies, Sancho.
Ben

Ben and all,

I will send your thoughts and wishes to Sancho's wife. I don't know her and the family. What Sancho had told me is that he had planned a trip to Neuseeland to visit his grand children. I assume he died suddenly and unexpectedly but I do not know the circumstances.

Regards,
Detlef

Detlef that news was a great shock.

Like others here from the old FBO I always enjoyed Sancho's rally reports.

In fact I remember his fisrt tentative steps in rallys but boy did he make up for it once he had flown 2 or 3 <G>

Please pass on my deepest sympathy to his wife and family, he will certainly be missed a lot around here.

'Vulcan'
8nm NE of EGCC

My condolances to Sancho,s wife and (family) I personally only knew him recently but already was looking forward to flying with him in the flight rooms.
Andy.

Detlef -

PLease pass my condolences to Sancho's family. I didn't know him other than to enjoy his flight reports. He will be missed.

Smooth flying Sancho,

Vic Baron

Hi Detlef,

>as a reply on a private mail to Sancho, who many of you
>know I got a very sad message back from his wife Dora
>Maeder, that Sancho suddenly passed away on December 16.
>She asked me to let his friends know.

Very sorry to hear this shocking news. Please let his wife know that our prayers are with her and all of Sancho's family.

I got a suprise phone call from him on the last weekend that the Gamers Forum was open. We had a wonderful chat.

Sancho will be sorely missed, may God bless him and watch over him.

Regards,
Melo

P.S. Next time you guys feel like flying in a different aircraft, take a flight in a Connie or Super Constellation in memory of our friend, Rene Maeder (Sancho).

Detlef, That is *very* sad news. I enjoyed Sancho's enthusiastic approach so much.

Cheers, Dom (YSSY)

Hello Detlef,

Melo emailed me to let me know you'd posted the sad news. I could hardly believe it. So sad, Sancho will be sorely missed. He was one of the most imaginitive of our little band of Ralliers, and I always looked forward to his reports.

Please add my name to the list if you can pass on our condolences.

To the Rally Comittee, (if there is one...)

How about making the first VPC Rally the Sancho Memorial Rally and make the destination somewhere in Switzerland, maybe to Sancho's home town if we know where it is?

If we can do it, I'll be flying a Connie, Super Connie or Starliner for sure.

Regards
Kit

>How about making the first VPC Rally the Sancho Memorial
>Rally and make the destination somewhere in Switzerland,
>maybe to Sancho's home town if we know where it is?

I second Kit's suggestion. Sancho would really appreciate it if we all flew in to wish him a fond farewell!

>If we can do it, I'll be flying a Connie, Super Connie or
>Starliner for sure.

I will also find a Connie or Super Connie to fly there in Sancho's honor.

Can one of those make the Atlantic crossing without refuelling?

Regards,
Melo

Hi Melo,

If you plan your route then I shouldn't foresee any problem

Regards,

James.

Hi James

>If you plan your route then I shouldn't foresee any
>problem

LOL! So I'm not supposed to fly due east from the atlantic seaboard and hope to make landfall before the fuel runs dry? <g>

Thanks for posting the Rally info, and for dedicating it to Sancho . I will check Flightsim.com and find a suitable aircraft.

Regards,
Melo

Hi Melo,

>I will also find a Connie or Super Connie to fly there in
>Sancho's honor.

>Can one of those make the Atlantic crossing without
>refuelling?

You want me to get that Lancaster tanker out of storage again? I'll have to find a spare crew to fly her if I'm in another Connie en route to Bern, but these things can be arranged you know....

Regards
Kit

Hi Kit

>You want me to get that Lancaster tanker out of storage
>again? I'll have to find a spare crew to fly her if I'm in
>another Connie en route to Bern, but these things can be
>arranged you know....

Thanks for the offer, but I should be able to find enough fuel stops along the way.

Don't even want to think about trying a mid-air refuelling in a big plane like that after flying my nimble little spitfire for so long.

What Connie version are you using? I downloaded a FS2K Eastern Airlines version last night. Getting a FS2K USA Oceanic Weather Observation version tonight. Will fly whichever one works out better in FS2K2.

This will be my first airliner flight for a Rally!

Regards,
Melo

<insert long, very detailed, very angry string of expletives capable of making three longshoremen blush, and a sailor whistle appreciatively>

Dammit... Detlet, Please add my name to the list offering their deepest condolences to the family. At the risk of dredging up sad memories, any explanation as to cause?

I would say two things:

a) I would endorse the first Adventures Fly-in as the Sancho Memorial too; and I will be there with the DC-3.

b) God must have really needed a good storyteller to have taken him this early. I am really going to miss his writing and his skill.

"TD - Virtual FAA investigators are on line 2, AGAIN!!!"

TD and all,

>Dammit... Detlet, Please add my name to the list offering
>their deepest condolences to the family. At the risk of
>dredging up sad memories, any explanation as to cause?
>

I have sent all the messages to Sanchos wife and have kindly asked about the circumstances. It is of course Mrs Maeders decision whether she feels like telling anything in those sad days..

Regards,
Detlef

Deeply shocked. What more can I say apart from that we have lost a good friend and comrade. He will be missed. My deepest sympathies to his family.

Andrew Luck
18 SW EGSH

Hi Detlef,

I've come into this very sad post late but please send my condolences to Sancho's Wife and Family my friend. I've just been reading through some of his flight reports. His last one Rally 50 was from Zuerich (LSZH) as he'd spell it <g>. We sure will miss his presence.

Sancho - Your flight plans been filed and you are cleared for take off my friend.

Regards,

James.

I missed logging on yesterday _ spent the whole day "tweeking" my wife's machine after she "fixed" it, but I can't express how shocked and sorry I am to hear the sad news.

Please add my condolences to those already expressed. Sancho was one of the most friendly, most helpful persons to grace the halls of FSFORUM and GAMERS. He will be sorely missed and I consider it a personal loss..

***Reality - the refuge of those who can't handle simulation***
Cheers, Jerry (N94)

Thank you for sharing the sad news, and I will add my sympathy to the list too.
I think the memorial flight sounds like a great idea. Though I have not known him as long as most of you, our prayers go out to him, and his family.

_________________
Thomas S. Hayward

Very sorry to hear this shocking news. Please let his wife and family know that my prayers are with her and all of Sancho's family. I had been chating with him a lot over the last few months in both gamers and simpilot. I will miss chating with him. He was a very nice person to chat with.

Ray Shields

Detlef

Please pass on my condolences along with all the others.

I have read Sancho's reports on many occasions. I wasn't a rallier but I always checked who was saying what in CS and whenever I saw a new rally report with his signature I knew I was in for a very entertaining few minutes.

He'll be sorely missed by all who read his delightful prose.

Paul Croft
10 miles south east of LHR

Paul,

>Please pass on my condolences along with all the others.

I will do that, only I do not want to send so many e-mails before I get a reply back from Mrs. Maeder. I have sent the whole message thread to her and will do so again after some time.

Thank you
Detlef

Hello Detlef,

I've only just joined this group - what a very sad way to start. When you feel it's a suitable time, would you please pass on my sympathy to Mrs Maeder and family.

I can't even attempt to match messages like TD's - all I can say is that Rene was a gentleman, a friend, and he'll be missed.

Alan

Hi all,
I am a little shaken now having received Mrs Dora Maeders e-mail. Here is her e-mail unchanged:

----------------
dear friends of the flight simulator forum thank you so much to all of you that cared after sanchos passing and
expressed their sympathy to me and our daughters.
sancho had heartbeat arrhythmia for over l0 years. the cardiologist checked him regularly and he had medication that he could increase or decrease depending on how he was feeling. lately he complained about lack of energy,
nonetheless he wouldnt slow down and was always very active. on saturday l5 he didnt feel too well, but wanted at any price to cut down an apple tree in the yard that didnt have enough space to grow. it was a strenous work
and afterwards he felt very cold. inside the house he recovered. in the afternoon he drove to the nearby lake with one of the students living with usand pulled a rowing boat out of the water before it would freeze. from
there on he didnt feel well. he was sweating and the freezing and couldnt get warm anymore. that happened from time to time and wasnt unusual. he didnt feel like having dinner and preferred to rest. he tried to reach his
doctor without success. but he had a chance to talk to a friend doctor who knows his health problems
as sancho didnt feel any pain the friend gave him instruction about medication and offered help if anything would happen at night . With the student he was on the flight simulator all evening and he seemed to have to
have calmed down. As it happened often during the night he took an aspirine and went back to sleep. in the morning he told me about pain in the breast during the night. the aspirine relieved the pain but he didnt feel to well. i offered to take our dog for a very short wald before
breakfast, but he insisted in going himself. Then he didnt some bakc and i found him unconscious at the front door. he was on his way back to the house, with the key in his hand. when it happened he fell backwards four steps down and also hit his head. The ambulance was here in no time and
five persons tried hard to bring him back to life, then took him to the nearby hospital. unfortunately there was nothing more they could do for him. The official time of his death was at 8.45 am on december l6. i refused an autopsy. The cardiologist assumes that an unknown coronary
artery blockage caused an infarct.
i believe that is was Gods will to take sancho home. his plans are not our plans and i try to accept His way. I just want to tell you how much sancho enjoyaed every flight on the simulator and how enthusiastic he was sharing flight experiences with all of you. Please keep him in good memory. He was an extraordinary person and we miss him deeply.
Thank you. Dora Maeder
----------------

My sympathy is with Dora, the family and friends,
Detlef