All of us at Kopter are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Richard Trueman.
Richard’s contributions as MSH/Kopter chief test pilot for several years have been absolutely key in the development of the SH09 program. We owe him a great deal.
He joined the company in 2015 and was extremely proud to claim that he was “the only pilot to have flown all SH09 prototypes: P1, P2 and P3; a feat that is unlikely to be repeated…. And one, perhaps one best left to the Kopter history book…”
Richard left Kopter earlier this year to focus on another mission but he was expected to come back to the team once our Pre-Series aircraft (PS05) is in the flight line.
We will miss Richard very much; his professionalism, honesty and loyalty made him a valued member of the Kopter team. We will never forget all the hours spent together with him. Richard was always eager to stand up for what he believed in, with conviction, passion and also his renowned sense of humor. And always with the same goal in mind: to make our SH09 the best single-engine helicopter ever built.
Aviators say that a pilot never dies, he only flies higher. We would like to remember Richard this way.
