Jack Hirsch 1947-2007

The BPPP family lost our close friend Jack Hirsch, who suffered a heart attack and passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday evening, June 13, 2007.

Jack was born in Ohio and spent his teenage years growing up in New Jersey. He attended MIT as an undergraduate, and earned his PhD in Physics from Harvard.

Jack spent much of his professional career working as a physicist for the Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company in Houston, Texas. In recent years Jack lead teams investigating unconventional resources--figuring out useful things like how to get bio fuel out of the stalks as well as the kernels. Jack holds a variety of work-related patents including a method of breaking down PCB soil contaminates in place.

Always an aviation enthusiast, Jack has been a core part of the BPPP program for more than two decades. He developed significant parts of the curriculum including the excellent multi-engine course for Dukes, Barons and Travel-Airs. The spiritual leader of BPPP, Jack has guided the program to tremendous success in recent years. Jack took his role as an accident prevention counselor seriously and has been a strong force for aviation safety.

A mentor to many of us in the ABS/BPPP family, Jack’s insights on topics from making good decisions while flying to the price of oil were held in great esteem. Jack supported his daughter Rachael’s equestrian interests, where he learned that some hobbies are even more expensive than flying!

Jack was the skipper of a flying club based at Sugarland that offered no less than an A-36.

Jack and his wife Marilyn have lived a charmed life together for the past twelve years. They traveled to Australia in 2007 where both taught in the Australian BPPP program. While widely traveled in the oil business--to places as remote as the Aleutians by chopper on a dark winter night--surprisingly this was his first trip to the southern hemisphere.

Jack had a wide range of interests, including passions for trains and Ercoupes. You might not know that during college, Jack hacked around Boston in a Checker cab powered by none other than a six-cylinder Continental engine. Jack: “Don’t take a chance, take a Checkah!” Or that during his misspent youth he once appeared in Aida at the Metropolitan Opera as a supernumerary – an Ethiopian slave!

Jack is survived by his wife Marilyn, his three children, two step children, his mother, two brothers, one sister, nieces and nephews, his ABS and BPPP family, and numerous friends around the world. He is sorely missed.

The Present and Future

Marilyn continues to teach the BPPP Companion course at nearly every clinic we offer throughout the year. An integral part of the BPPP family, we are very happy to have Marilyn fully involved with the program. Jack's nephew R.B. Hirsch also continues to fly as a CFI with the BPPP. Be sure to say hi to each of them next time you attend a BPPP.

Remembering Jack

If you have something you'd like to share with the community about Jack, whether they be general thoughts, rememberances, stories, or anecdotes, please email them to and we'll post them to the web site.