Ultralight helicopter crash victim ‘a good guy’

The man killed in an ultralight helicopter crash southeast of Calgary on Sunday has been identified as John Uptigrove.

Uptigrove, 54, was flying a Mosquito XE285 when it crashed on the shoreline of the Sheep River.

His business partner, Dwight Junkin, said the engineer designed the original Mosquito Air helicopter. Junkin, of Florida-based Composite FX, and Uptigrove through his company Innovator Technologies, began collaborating on other helicopter models in 2000.

“In the spirit of flight for which John had such an abundance of passion, we will be focusing in the coming days and weeks on a transition plan to keep the Mosquito aloft,” a post on the Composite FX Facebook site stated.

Junkin said his first reaction to the news was disbelief. But the biggest concern now is for Uptigrove’s family, he said.

“We’re doing whatever we can as a community,” Junkin said. “We’re basically coming together and just trying to protect them and support them any way we can for now, and then we’ll figure the rest out later.”

Junkin said Uptigrove was a big proponent of flying and described him as a good and honest man. “He was just a good guy,” he said. According to an obituary, Uptigrove leaves behind a wife and two children. He grew up in Three Hills, about 130 km northeast of Calgary, and obtained a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary in 1987.

“John pursued his passion for helicopters by establishing his business, Innovator Technologies, designing and manufacturing ultralight helicopters,” the obituary states. “He was constantly part of new and upcoming innovative programs to launch technology to the furthest.”