10/14/2024
It is with profound sadness that I have to report the passing away of my good friend J Neil Strong. The Nomadic Aviation Group family is devastated by the news of losing one of our best and most loyal pilots. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family.
On a personal level, I am in shock and very sad. Neil and I have been good friends for over 20 years. We were both from Kentucky and referred to each other cousins. Having grown up in that same KY culture, we instantly trusted and respected each other from the get go. We flew many flights together, and had a drink or two in just about every corner of the earth. Some of the most memorable were to Baghdad during the war, Katmandu, Nepal and taking a plane ride around Mt Everest and visiting the Taj Mahal on a trip to India. We also trained together and obtained a few type ratings together.
Neil was one of the few pilots who had more type ratings and had traveled to more places than me. He was type rated and experienced on every thing we fly and would always be there to help me cover a trip…even when it would cost him money by calling in sick from his full time employer to do so. He was an incredibly loyal friend. I’m certain that I’ll hear his voice while I’m flying along, as his spirit will remain in the skies with me forever.
Neil was one of my few “inner circle” friends. We went through a lot of life’s rough roads together over the last 20 years. I am going to miss him greatly as a friend and Nomadic will miss him as one of our most experienced pilots.
As a tribute, I encourage those of you who flew with him, to post pics of your own adventures with him and share some memories.
FYI, Neil was the other pilot on the 777 shown on the last cockpit casual. We had to hide him, as we did on most trips, to avoid him getting into trouble with his airline employer! Neil was recently on some high profile trips like the Air India 747 ferry you all may have seen.