Andrew Coates obituary

"My father, Andrew Coates, who has died aged 86, had a professional life in three acts: as a technical illustrator in the aviation sector, as a technical adviser to lighthouse keepers and as a teacher. Andrew had been born completely deaf, and so each of those work paths had their challenges. But perhaps his greatest achievements were outside the workplace."

"In his 20s he became one of the first deaf people in Britain to fly a glider, and he spent countless happy hours on the airfield and in the sky, making 1,500 flights over the next six decades. He also wrote a book, Jane's World Sailplanes and Motor Gliders, which became a standard reference work in the field. Andrew was born in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, to Geoffrey, a shipping clerk, and Anne (nee Newlands), a nursery school worker."

Andrew Coates was born completely deaf in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, to Geoffrey and Anne Coates. Sent to a boarding school at five where staff refused to use sign language and frequently hit him, he later attended Tewin Water school for the deaf. He began an apprenticeship with De Havilland in 1955, producing hand-drawn 3D technical illustrations, and later worked for RAF Strike Command and Hawker Siddeley. He created aviation cartoons, posters and maps for magazines. In 1975 he joined Trinity House to produce maintenance manuals and instruction guides for lighthouse keepers, travelling to lighthouses across England. He became one of the first deaf glider pilots in Britain, made 1,500 flights over six decades, and authored Jane's World Sailplanes and Motor Gliders.

Read at www.theguardian.com