Today is a sad day for aviation, and to be honest, it’s a very sad day for me, too. It is with regret and a very heavy heart to report to you the original Prebuy Guy, Don Sebastian, my good friend and mentor, passed away peacefully in his sleep over the weekend after a long, yet tenaciously fought battle with cancer.

Don took me under his wing when I was a young A&P when I got out of the military. I’ll always remember the drive I made to meet him for the first time from Florida to North Carolina. My relationship with Don truly changed my life. He taught me just about everything I know about prebuy inspections, aircraft ownership, and even fixing and flying airplanes. In fact, he practically invented the word prebuy. Don was basically a walking and talking aviation encyclopedia, recognized by AOPA, EAA, and NBAA along with many other organizations for his innovation, knowledge, and willingness to share his passion with others. 

On a personal level, Don helped jumpstart my civilian career in aviation and as many of you long-time listeners already know, he was instrumental with the inception and production of this podcast. More importantly, however, I’ll always appreciate Don for treating me like an equal, despite our gap in both age and experience. I believe I owe a lot to Don, both professionally and personally. He always treated me with respect and was excited to watch me grow. He helped me make many important decisions throughout my career and encouraged me to keep going when things seemed uncertain or impossible.

Don truly loved aviation; it was undoubtedly his one true passion in life. I’ll always remember Don’s eyes light up and the upward inflection in his voice whenever we’d talk about airplanes or working together on a new aviation project.

Don’s absence will leave a hole in my heart and a permanent void in the aviation community… Don, you will be sorely missed by myself, our faithful podcast listeners, and the entire aviation community. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.

And now I ask everyone listening to join me in a moment of silence…

Thanks again everyone for joining me today and for your continued support. Normal podcast episodes with resume in the coming weeks.

Until then, please stay safe and take care.