Pip Borrman R.I.P.

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

Those Aussies who have marvelled at the aerobatic genius of Pip Borman (Hope I got the spelling right) will be saddened to here that he was killed at Sheparton yesterday, while practising for the Avalon Airshow.
He was a regular performer in the Castrol Edge 540, it had to be seen to be believed, the things he could do with that aircraft.....the laws of physics generally turned a blind eye when he was in the air.
Last I heard, it was thought to be a mechanical fault during a low level practice session

[Keith Webb]

Yes, Pip Borrman was certainly famous for his routine in the Edge. I used to bump into him at various airshows and interviewed him for the Tyabb DVD at some length in his hangar. He was a real gentleman and one of the best pilots I've ever known.
His death makes three I have known either through interviewing and working with in the very recent past. Tom Moon who was killed at Temora was a good friend.
Evidently he was being photographed or filmed at the time. I'm grateful I wasn't there behind the camera to witness it.
My sympathies go out to the friends and families of these three men.

[Lang]

Bev and I spent two weeks back in 98 with both Pip and Tom Moon (killed at Temora recently) on the Federal funded Australian Bicentenial Air Show which brought a full world class airshow to 10 Queensland outback towns in a travelling circus style of event. Hundreds of thousands of people travelled thousands of kilometres to see the shows.

I was in the more sedate program with a 1937 Beechcraft Staggerwing doing a few very limited manouvres for the crowd.

Tom Moon, ever the gentleman, did a very neat precise aerobatic routine. On the other hand Pip did an equally good display but with the showman's touch - fancy flying suit etc and talking on the radio through the loadspeakers describing each manouvre as he did them. Despite his spectacular "on-stage" performances you could not meet a nicer, down to earth fellow. Unlike many display pilots, Pip's routine was designed for business reasons not around an ego.

It's just part of the game and I have been to an average of one funeral a year for the last 40 years of military, display or working (crop duster, mustering, helicopters etc) aircraft pilots whom I knew personally. If you want to fly and don't mind the boring sector of aviation to gaurantee a long life fly airlines!

Lang