By Brooke Jenner
More than 1,000 people from the Coromandel and around the country gathered today to celebrate the life of well-respected Whitianga local Jim Evans.
Mr Evans died in a plane crash in the Kakatarahae area of the Coromandel on June 14
The 1200 strong crowd gathered inside the Mercury Bay Aero Club hangar in Whitianga to pay their respects.
A full crew from the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust flew in for the service, followed by a steady stream of fellow aviators landing in light aircraft.
Friends and family remembered Mr Evans for his dedication to the aviation industry, his "near enough is not good enough" attitude, his love for practical jokes and his commitment to sharing decades’ worth of engineering knowledge with younger generations.
In 2012, Mr Evans founded the Mercury Bay Area School Aircraft Project that has students assembling kitset Vans two-seater RV 12 airplanes under the guidance of mentors from the local community.
The school’s principal, John Wright, told the service Mr Evans had changed the lives of many who worked on the programme, stating at least three students had gone on to pursue careers in aviation and engineering.
He said Mr Evans had inspired those who had passed through the programme to "think a bit remarkably".
An engineering teacher at the school and the chairman of the Mercury Bay Student Aviation Trust, George Fletcher, told 1 NEWS the programme has been inundated with support in the wake of Mr Evans’ death.
A fellow mentor and friend, Tony Turner, told 1 NEWS the programme will continue in Mr Evans' name and would continue to encourage students to follow in his footsteps into careers in aviation.
In a mark of respect from his fellow aviators, three of the planes Mr Evans certified through the programme performed a flyover as students performed a guard of honour and a haka on the ground as the hearse departed.
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