I love problems.
Edward Cole, then-president of General Motors

Termed “the Rebel Engineer” by
the New York Times, by 1977 Cole had
bought a controlling interest in the Checker Cab company, producers of the
classic-looking taxis that
roamed major American cities in the 20th
century and also the near-luxury Marathon sedans. Cole took over Checker amidst
the displacements of the American automotive industry by oil shocks and
competition from superior Japanese imports. His plan for Checker was to
introduce a new cab based on a stretched, expanded cab Volkswagen.
What revolution Cole might
have wrought in the 1970s at Checker – a lighter, roomier, more efficient cab –
will never be known. On May 2 1977, Edward Cole was
flying alone, operating under visual flight rules when his BEAGLE 206S2 flew
into adverse weather conditions approaching Kalamazoo. The 69-year-old Cole
than suffered spatial disorientation and crashed short of the airport in
Mendon, Michigan. The flight
that took his life was to Kalamazoo, where Checker was headquartered.
About the BEAGLE: British Executive and
General Aviation Limited (BEAGLE) was formed from Auster and F. G. Miles. Among the fixed-wing, twin-engine prop
aircraft produced included the Pup, the Bassett, the Bulldog, and the 206. The
206 was a low-wing, twin engine craft powered by two 340hp Continental engines.
The main buyer of 206s was the Royal Air Force. The 206 flown by Edward Cole was a 206 Series
2, a high-demand aircraft for commuter air services.