More detail on this person: James Donald
Coates, 58, a resident of Canby, Oregon, passed
away on May 13, 2011 surrounded by family and
friends. James Coates was born in Roswell, New
Mexico on November 21, 1952 to Vada H. and
William T. Coates. Jim graduated from Powell
County High School in Deer Lodge, Montana in
1970.
Jim's father, a pilot in the Air Force, inspired
him to pursue a career in aviation. Jim earned his
wings 38 years ago as a Warrant Officer /
helicopter pilot in the United States Army. He
then went on to serve in the 101st Airborne at Ft.
Campbell, KY flying UH-1 Huey. In 1973, Jim left
active duty and returned to Montana where he
joined the Air National Guard. He met Eileen M.
Kelly in 1976 when they were both attending the
University of Montana and they were married 33
years ago.
In 1979 Jim joined Columbia Helicopters and
became highly proficient flying every aircraft the
company owned. After 17 years of serving as a
command pilot in the field, he was promoted to
Chief Pilot. He was certified by the FAA as a
Certified Flight Instructor and Pilot Proficiency
Examiner. Jim was given the title of Designated
Pilot Examiner in the BV234, the largest FAA
certified helicopter in the world. Since 1996, he
was the only pilot in the world with this
designation.
Jim held many management positions at Columbia
Helicopters (CHI) which included Chief Pilot,
Director of Operations and, finally, Director of
Safety. During his career, he amassed nearly
20,000 flight hours working on 5 of the 7
continents which not only included North America
(Alaska, Canada and the majority of the 48 states)
but also the Arctic Circle, the deserts of Africa
and, the jungles of Peru, Ecuador and Papua New
Guinea. Jim is described by his colleagues as
dedicated, tenacious and committed to his career -
traits which stand as a testament to CHI and the
field of aviation.
He was well known for his wry sense of humor and
deep belly laugh. He took great pride in his 1947
V-tailed Bonanza airplane, his game of golf and
his writing skills. He was a dedicated reader and
you could always find him finishing the crossword
puzzle. Above all, he was an avid fisherman - one
of his favorite things to do was head down to the
Rouge River to catch a salmon or steelhead.
Survivors include his wife; father Major "USAF
RET." William T. Coates (Nevada); sisters Patricia
Goeppinger (Nevada), Shirley Mayfield
(California), and Mary Hart (Montana). He was
preceded in death by his mother, Vada H. Coates.
James' interment will be on June 17th at the
Willamette National Veterans Cemetery in Portland,
Oregon.
Burial information: Willamette National Veterans Cemetery Portland, OR
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 10/23/2024
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