James Miller Hurdle, 73

The world has lost a fine and incredible man. For 88 months, Jim fought a valiant battle against this debilitating disease before succumbing to his illness Aug. 30, 2024, surrounded by his wife, Ping, and friends. He fought hard, traveling as much as he could with Ping. Many fond memories were made as they traveled across the country in their motor home. Jim affected many people's lives — hundreds of aviation careers were spurred on by the knowledge he shared.

James M. Hurdle was born in North Carolina on Nov. 21, 1950. He grew up alongside his parents’ grass-field airstrip, Hurdle Airport, in Mebane, N.C. He and his brother, Joe, spent all their time building and flying model airplanes, then working on and around aircraft until they were finally allowed to fly.   

Jim resided on the outskirts of Coeur d’Alene with his wife, Ping, since 2012. He battled a long, difficult illness and passed away peacefully Aug. 30. He spent the last week of his life surrounded by his wife and friends.

Jim graduated from Eastern Almanac High School in 1969 as a standout football player. He received his Aerospace Engineering degree from North Carolina State University in 1974. He quickly put it to work at General Dynamics, where he was selected for and served on the team that developed the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the early proposal for the F-22. Jim was known as Mr. Fix It by his colleagues. He would jump in and help find the solution if they were having problems on a project. He later worked for Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, for over 11 years. His department was responsible for modifying helicopters, including powerplant and drive system alterations. As was typical fashion, Jim affected many young engineers while at Bell. He shaped their careers by providing sound engineering wisdom based on real-world, hands-on experience. Many engineers at Bell speak of Jim fondly. They routinely express their appreciation for how Jim contributed to their technical foundation and growth. By then, Jim was an accomplished pilot when he decided to round out his resume by earning his airframe and powerplant mechanic endorsements via Tarrant County Community College (TCC). TCC wisely hired Jim as an adjunct instructor as soon as he graduated. For the next 17 years, Jim maintained his engineering career by day and taught aircraft mechanics in evening courses. This was fortuitous for many students in Texas and, as it turned out, also in North Idaho. 

Jim was an avid aviation enthusiast. He built and flew his own airplanes and enjoyed flying anything that would leave the ground under power, including remote-controlled airplanes, helicopters and drones. He also enjoyed hiking and camping in the backcountry, rock climbing, snow skiing and boating.

The one thing Jim wasn’t good at was retiring. Upon leaving it all behind in Texas and moving to Coeur d’Alene, it wasn’t long before he learned of North Idaho College’s grant-funded ambition to start an aircraft maintenance program. Jim joined NIC’s effort in 2013 and became the program’s greatest asset. He contributed to the herculean effort of equipping labs, writing curriculum and navigating the FAA approval process. He also provided the college with an approved airframe maintenance program that took on students in 2015. In 2017, Jim was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer, which led to his 2018 resignation. In 2021 he was diagnosed with anal cancer and finally succumbed to the myeloma.

Jim’s wishes were to keep things as simple as possible. A small celebration of life will be held at the family home in Coeur d'Alene on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m. Donations in his name go to the American Cancer Society.