She assured the family that now and at the end of a myriad of evidence, Mr Ahern was “very real to us.”

Magistrate Jerram invited the family to speak about him at the end of the inquest.

Counsel assisting the coroner Peter Aitken said he was a man known for his ethics, kindness, reliability and safety.

He had been taken from his family after 23 years of marriage to Dr Catherine Brassill and just three weeks before his elder daughter, Elizabeth turned twenty-one. He was also the father of Jessica, who was 17 at the time.

Mr Ahern served in the Royal Australian Navy for 11 years, starting as a hydrographic (surveying) officer and rising to Sub Lieutenant, Dr Brassill told the Post.

He later worked for Qantas, training 747 pilots in a simulator.

His good friend Jen Kinsella met him when he was in his late teens. He had been flying since the age of sixteen and loved the sport.

“Andrew was a passionate aviator and was extremely safety conscious,” she said.

Dr Brassill added that he never took risks.

Gliders were also a big part of his life but after a break, he returned to the sport in 2010, the inquest heard.

Mr Ahern was undertaking a re-accreditation flight on the day he died. It was a mandatory requirement if a pilot had not flown in more than 90 days.