As you can surely tell by all the images, and by the lead picture, this story is only about airplanes in the sense that it covers one of the most productive people in light aviation. I refer to my longtime associate, Videoman Dave, as I enjoyed calling him. At the end of October 2023, his daughter Nicole emailed me to say that Dave passed peacefully in his sleep following a two-year battle with plasma cell leukemia, a very rare form of cancer with limited treatment options. Many of you have asked about him at airshows this year and I reported what I knew. Dave was not one to complain about his situation so when we spoke, we mostly kept our conversation on airplanes. Nonetheless, the facts became increasingly obvious. All you had to do was check his YouTube channel. At the end, more than 11 months passed since his last entry.
Dave Loveman: Pilot, Videographer, Engine Expert, and Aviation Leader… One Unique Individual
In a newer rig and standing in position where I often rode along with Dave is Chris Collins of the Midwest LSA Expo. Dave fabricated the “Dan trailer.”
A Champion of Affordable Aviation
Dave was a consistent and unrelenting champion of light aviation and recreational flying. He was as energetic and highly motivated as anyone I ever met in this business. Indeed, when we worked at shows, the pace was furious. In a week at Oshkosh or Sun 'n Fun we would shoot 30 or 40 videos. You can think about that effort on-site, but what you don't know is that Dave would return to Canada and spend weeks on end making our interviews and raw footage into finished videos that pilots loved.Among Dave’s many accomplishments was creating and manufacturing the L’il Buzzard. One marvels that he found time to do all this. (Click the image to go to his YouTube channel, where you can explore all his work.)
Friendly Curmudgeon
The thousands who met Dave came to know him as extremely knowledgeable, but he loved to put on a kind of curmudgeon act. He could sound like a rough-and-tumble character until you saw him around somebody's grandchild. Young sons and daughters warmed up to Dave quickly and he became a big ole teddy bear, an ocean apart from his rough-hewn side.While he didn't like having his picture taken, Dave was always happy to give a ride to someone in need.
Dave goes aloft with AirCam creator Phil Lockwood to catch some aerial photos for his video productions.
Story Telling… "Dave the Expert"
One of my favorite stories about Dave occurred when we were video recording in Germany at the Aero Friedrichshafen airshow. We visited the Rotax booth where they had a semi-circular ring of all of their aircraft engines. Dave thought it would be an educational idea to have Rotax Aircraft Engines Manager, Marc Becker, give us a few words about each engine. Then, we'd pause briefly, move to the next engine, repeat, and so on, covering the entire Rotax line.Dave seemed amazed when a couple fellows insisted on taking photos with him at Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany. He developed a worldwide following. Many recognized his voice because in the early days he asked questions from behind the camera.
Dave's equipment changed at almost every show. He always sought better production quality and enjoyed using the latest gear.
A Man for All Airplanes
The Rotax story is one of many. A version of the above interaction happened at stop after stop after stop. Dave was incredibly knowledgeable about aircraft and engines in the affordable aviation space. Expert after expert came to realize that Dave knew what he was talking about. The man was a walking encyclopedia of all things in light aircraft.Amy Mednick (then Saunders) posed with Dave and Dan in front of an Evolution Trikes Revo at the Copperstate event in Arizona.
Dave is survived by his wife Debra, whom Dave met when she was 17 going through nursing school; they remained together until his death. They have two children, Nicole Loveman (Peter Malloy) and David Loveman (Alison Loveman). As Nicole described, "Dave had four grand children that he loved more than anything in this world" — Paige Malloy and Paityn Malloy (Nicole & Peter), plus Dylan Loveman and Devyn Loveman (David and Alison)