Peter Skea - Squadron Leader Engineer RAF (Retired).

Peter was David’s best friend for over 40 years with a similar technical experience and background to David, particularly in aircraft airworthiness.

“David’s crusade to right wrongs and ensure fairness was a crusade of truth. He was dogged in his determination to put the record straight and he abhorred technical incompetence. His legacy are his books, “Chinook ZD576”, “The Inconvenient Truth”, "Their Greatest Disgrace”, “Red 5”, ”A Noble Anger”, "Shoreham", “Citadel of Waste” and Breaking the Military Covenant”.

“These should become standard reads in the Management and Training schools and Staff Colleges of the Military and Ministry of Defence establishments. I treasure David's friendship.

It was he who provided the technical expertise in exposing the wrongs associated with the Chinook ZD576 crash; in recognition of this and his other work he should be awarded an O.B.E.”

Susan Phoenix - Widow of Detective Superintendent Ian Phoenix who was killed on ZD576.

Susan Phoenix, a close friend for the last three decades who has campaigned tirelessly with David since the findings of gross negligence against the pilots were made, said:

“David stood with the families from the very earliest days, when it was hardest to challenge the official story and when few were prepared to listen. 

“From the flawed RAF Board of Inquiry and the Scottish Fatal Accident Inquiry onwards, to his work just in the last two months helping to pose 335 unanswered questions about the crash, he brought clarity, courage and extraordinary technical insight to a case that has been clouded by lies, secrecy and a distinct lack of candour.

“David was not only a colleague but a true friend. His invaluable work has helped to give our families a voice when they were being ignored, and his determination ensured that the truth could not simply be buried. We cannot believe that we have lost him now when we are at our closest point to justice in 31 years, thanks to him.”

Niven Phoenix - son of Detective Superintendent Ian Phoenix who was killed on ZD576.

Niven Phoenix, whose father Ian was killed in the crash and who worked closely with David on the technical case against MoD lies, said:

""David’s contribution cannot be overstated. He understood the Chinook Mark 2 systems in forensic detail and was meticulous in analysing evidence that others either overlooked or chose not to interrogate.

“He demonstrated, repeatedly and rigorously, that the aircraft’s airworthiness, software integration and system certification raised serious and unresolved questions. He is a massive loss to the campaign, and we are all devastated by his death. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his wife, his daughter Jo, to his family and friends.”

“David stood with the families from the very earliest days, when it was hardest to challenge the official story and when few were prepared to listen. 

“From the flawed RAF Board of Inquiry and the Scottish Fatal Accident Inquiry onwards, to his work just in the last two months helping to pose 335 unanswered questions about the crash, he brought clarity, courage and extraordinary technical insight to a case that has been clouded by lies, secrecy and a distinct lack of candour.

“David was not only a colleague but a true friend. His invaluable work has helped to give our families a voice when they were being ignored, and his determination ensured that the truth could not simply be buried. We cannot believe that we have lost him now when we are at our closest point to justice in 31 years, thanks to him.”

Chris Cook - brother of pilot Rick Cook, who was killed on ZD576.

Chris Cook, whose brother Rick was one of the pilots killed in the crash and later cleared of blame, said:

“For our family, David’s work was absolutely fundamental. The evidence he helped uncover and explain - alongside others - thankfully demonstrated that my brother Rick was not to blame and should never have been blamed.

“After years of pain, doubt and injustice, David’s determination helped restore Rick’s professional reputation and gave our family something we had been denied for far too long: truth, dignity and peace. I cannot overstate my admiration for his professionalism as an engineer, but also his determination, resilience and bravery in ensuring the truth was told.”

Former Squadron Leader and unit test pilot, Robert Burke.

Former Squadron Leader and test pilot, Robert Burke, who worked at RAF Odiham and who revealed that the doomed flight was a “show flight” said:

“David approached every piece of evidence with integrity, determination and courage. He spent more than 30 years trying to establish the truth, not just with the Chinook crash but with multiple other crashes where lack of airworthiness was to blame.

“I had the greatest regard for Dave, who was in every sense of the phrase ‘one of the truly good guys’.”

Chris Seal

“What a truly brilliant and honourable man was Big Dee! A big bloke (with an impressive golf swing), but also a man with a big brain and a big heart. In truth, words (mine or anyone else’s) cannot really do justice to the integrity and the impassioned nature of such a man.

What a loss to the world of reason and right! What a loss….full stop!

I believe myself very privileged to have known Dave and I consider his efforts to further aviation and military safety as beyond compare. From a pilot's point of view, he was the epitome of those few dedicated engineers

that I always hoped were making aircraft safe for idiots like me to fly. David literally wrote the manual on Attaining Airworthiness (a Defence Standard) for others to follow.

I’m sure a large part of his motivation for latter endeavours was his absolute horror when he discovered that people (who pertained to be airworthiness engineers) had often torn up those standards and sent crews and their passengers to their death.

Like many others, he could not understand how flight safety had been sacrificed on the altar of cost. David was driven to rectify that and we must carry on the fight.

Simply, Big Dee was a ‘pilots’ engineer’ because he was one of the few engineers who understood the risks to the operators if the regulators allowed poor airworthiness design practice and management to become the norm. His insight into that world was truly exceptional and accurate to the last degree and many families of deceased crew and passengers owe him a very large debt for lifting the veil on MoD malpractice as he saw it.

I sincerely doubt that I will, ever again, meet someone who was such a force of intellect and understanding of such a complex subject. Nor will I ever again meet an engineer who so clearly appreciated the risks taken by the operators and their passengers in aircraft for which he was responsible.

Quite simply, the late, great, Dave Hill is irreplaceable and will be sorely missed.

Heartfelt sympathy to his family and loved ones… Heaven has reclaimed one of their own.”

John Blakeley

“I realised from my last conversation with David that he did not expect to recover this time, but he is still a great loss to both his family and his friends (even those who like me never met him in person) and of course to the Chinook Justice Campaign.

Although I would like to think that in my career, I was also a “pilot’s engineer” who looked to David for sound advice and shared his values in terms of understanding airworthiness requirements and standards – not just in terms of the theory but in the practical sense of always ensuring that they were applied even in the inherently more “risky” business of military aviation.

Given that over so many years we almost always were in total agreement I would also like to think that we were very good friends despite the geographical distance, and we certainly agreed on the need to take on the “self-healing” Establishment!

I am not sure my comments really do sufficient justice to David’s outstanding character and devoted work for the truth.

My heartfelt condolences to all of David’s family.”

Robin Cane

“We have lost a great and caring man, a friend to all aircrew and a foe to those who betrayed them and their passengers.

His moral courage shone throughout the PPRuNe airworthiness threads, in confronting the great and the powerful, and in the pages of his books.

His passing will bring no relief to those who sacrificed safety for financial savings, the campaign to reform UK Military Airworthiness and Air Accident Investigation will continue.

His integrity, knowledge, and unique experience, shone through everything he did, wrote, and said.

Rest in Peace, dear David.

We truly are the poorer today.”

Tim Reid, who handles media relations for the Chinook Justice Campaign

Former BBC political correspondent, Tim Reid, who worked with David over the last 20 years while reporting on the Chinook campaigns and other air crashes, and who now handles media relations for the Chinook Justice Campaign, said:

“David had one of the most forensic minds I’ve ever known and a memory to match. 

“He was the expert source on a series of stories I covered as a reporter – trusting me in 2011 with the now infamous CHART Report into the lack of airworthiness of the Chinook Mark 2, a moment that proved pivotal not just for the campaign to clear the pilots of blame but also the current campaign to establish the truth.

“Above all, David believed in evidence, integrity and persistence. He never sought attention for himself; he cared only that institutional wrongs were properly examined and the truth made public.”

Nicola Rawcliffe, whose brother Chris was killed in the crash

Nicola acted as the daily liaison between the campaign and its technical advisor.

She said: “David was utterly dependable. Day in, day out, even after his cancer diagnosis he responded to questions, checked facts, reviewed drafts and ensured that everything we put forward was technically sound and defensible.”

Andy Tobias, whose father John was killed in the crash

“Without David, the campaign would not have reached the point it has today. His technical work was fundamental to securing the agreement to meet Defence Ministers in December.

 “The families owe David a massive debt of lifelong gratitude. He gave us evidence, credibility and the confidence to keep going when the system seemed determined to shut us out. A fitting tribute to his work would be for our case to be the test case for the new Hillsborough Law - which the government must not water down - for all the files to be released and a judge led public inquiry.”