Captain Paul Naylor, BALPAs Executive President, died on Monday 21st August. His passing, surrounded by his family and loving wife Sharon, was unexpected and exceptionally untimely. It has left a massive void at BALPA By Sam Walkinshaw, BALPA Interim Executive President any of you will know Paul personally, either as CC chair at easyJet or as a member of the NEC and, in the past few years, as BALPAs Executive President (EP). What many will not realise is just how committed Paul was, not only to aviation, but also to all BALPA members, from all airlines, rotary groups, and individual members. He intensely disliked personal agendas and always focused on the bigger picture. Pauls aviation career began as an air traffic controller at LACC, in the early 1990s, before he became a flying instructor. His first commercial job was flying the SAAB 340 (the mighty SAAB as we liked to refer to it) for Business Air in 1997-98. He quickly moved on to Jersey European, flying the F-27 as a first officer and then the 146 as a captain; at the time, the youngest captain, at the age of 27. In 2001, Paul moved to MyTravel as an SFO on the A320/321, before going to easyJet in 2004 as a direct entry captain at Gatwick. Paul transferred onto the Boeing fleet purely for a base move back to his hometown of Belfast and, I suspect, to be home with Sharon, who was to become his wife. I know Sharon was the love that enticed him back because Paul had no passion for the Boeing, often referring to it as a tractor Im sure that debate will go on forever, but some will definitely understand where Paul was coming from. Flight path It was at easyJet that Paul became involved with BALPA, in 2005, and he became chair in 2012. He joined the NEC in 2011, became executive vicepresident (EVP) in 2014 and EP in 2019. Paul focused his union work at HQ level in 2014 and worked extremely closely with the Flight Safety Team on FTL campaigns, as well as many other campaigns throughout his tenure. He had not long been in post as President when Covid hit and brought aviation to a standstill. The decisions that Paul had to make through that time were always for the longevity and in the interests of BALPA as an association and with regard to its members. He was a leader that could see through all confusion, focus on the required outcomes, and strategise on how to achieve them. I cannot state strongly enough that I was always amazed that Paul managed to find time for everyone. He did that a lot. At Pauls funeral, a member wanted me to know that, when he lost his job during Covid, Paul spent hours on the phone with him, offering no false promises, but practical guidance on surviving. The member wanted to express how grateful he was for Pauls advice. Paul was deeply respected by our colleagues at the ECA and IFALPA he would regularly have to travel great distances to ensure our voice was heard on an international level and that we had the opportunity to learn from other associations. He liaised with many regulatory bodies and government ministers to raise the various issues within our industry. The Travel Day of Action in June 2021 saw members, led by Paul, join forces with other stakeholders across aviation to head to London and literally corner MPs. Although I have known Paul for 15 years, it was when I joined the NEC in 2020, as his EVP, that we truly began working together. I couldnt have been luckier to have Paul as my mentor; he taught me patience and set an example for what the President of BALPA should be: focused on all members, politically aware, and approachable to members and staff. It is not an easy job, one that is often underestimated in the commitment required and the constant pulls in different directions. Paul did all of it with a sense of humour and decorum. He was immensely proud of BALPA, its members and the reps who also dedicate their time to protecting our industry. Life loves Paul somehow found many hours in his day. In addition to his job and his union commitments, he found time to fly his beloved Condor plane. But before any interest, Sharon his wife of 18 years and partner of 25 years took priority. They loved spending time together in Florida and on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Paul also enjoyed watching the rugby and Liverpool football team, and loved playing guitar. I deeply miss my friend his sense of humour, his advice that usually, annoyingly, turned out to be spot on, and chatting to him about anything and everything, including the stray cats he was secretly feeding out the back of his house when Sharon wasnt watching. He always had my back, and I will always be grateful to be able to say that Paul Naylor was my friend. O B ITUARY Remembering