West, David

WEST, David Paul

David Paul "Dave" West, a former resident of Roswell and Fayette County, Georgia, completed his final flight on July 22, 2021, after a short illness. Dave was born on November 13, 1938 in Ironwood, Michigan, the third child and only son of Holger Franz West and Helen Heczko West. A 1956 graduate of Luther L. Wright High School in Ironwood, Dave received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, graduating in June 1961. Aspiring from a young age to become an aviator, Dave chose naval aviation as his duty assignment and was assigned to NAS Pensacola, where he received his Navy wings on December 7, 1962, joining the fabled Tophatters of VF-14. He flew F-4's in Vietnam off the USS Franklin Roosevelt. His awards included the Air Medal with four Gold Stars; the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V"; Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Star; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device; the National Defense Service Medal; and the Expert Rifle Medal. Later he served as a Navy flight instructor, compiling thousands of hours of flight time in a variety of Navy fixed-wing aircraft. In 1968 Dave left active duty to pursue a career in civilian aviation but remained in the Navy Reserves until his retirement, attaining the rank of Commander. He attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, graduating in December 1971. Dave served as a test pilot for Northrop Aviation, where he led the certification of the F-5E Tiger II. After Northrop, Dave became a test pilot for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In 1982 he was appointed Chief of Flight Test for the Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office (ACO), a position he held until his retirement from the FAA in January 1997. His area of responsibility included the Southeastern U.S., the Caribbean, and South America. During his tenure in Atlanta, he was responsible for numerous certification projects, including the Embraer 120 and the Gulfstream G-IV. Dave also served as the certification pilot for the 1992 U.S. - Chinese joint aviation venture in China, instructing Chinese pilots on U.S. certification procedures and flying the Y-12, an early Chinese aircraft. He was also a member of the FAA team that created TCAS II, a ground proximity warning system used in commercial aircraft. Following his service with the FAA, Dave continued his career in aviation by becoming a Designated Engineering Representative (DER), performing certification projects on behalf of the FAA. He formed his own consulting company, TopHatter Aviation, Inc., in 1997. His final project was as a certification test pilot on the HondaJet. At the time of his retirement in 2008, Dave held the following pilot certificates: Airline Transport Pilot, Multiengine Land: B-727,B-757, B-767, BE-300, CE-500, CV-A340, CV-A440, DC-9, EMB-120, G-1159, G-IV, and N-265. His commercial privileges included Airplane Single Engine Land, Glider Aero Tow, and L-T33. Left to cherish his memory are his beloved wife, Rebecca; daughters, Shannon DelVecchio (Gary) and Erin Hart; sons, David Paul West, II (Kristina); Travis Todd West (Gwendolyn); and Harvey James Sellers, IV (Mara Friddle); grandchildren, Hannah DelVecchio and Tobin DelVecchio, Thomas Hart and Ryan Hart, Stephanie West and David Paul West, III, Jess West and George West, and Jupiter Nyberg; and a number of nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at Mowell Funeral Home, Fayetteville, at 2:00 PM on Saturday, August 21, 2021. A reception and Celebration of Life will follow at The Train Depot adjacent to the funeral home. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to Fayette Samaritans, P. O. Box 1071, Fayetteville, GA 30214, or to the Navy Seal Foundation, https://www.navysealfoundation.org.

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Funeral Home Information

Mowell Funeral Home & Cremation Service

180 N Jeff Davis Dr.

Fayetteville, GA