Dick Dillon, R.I.P.: Remembering Sky Rover, veteran Denver radio eye in the sky

Sad news: Dick Dillon -- a.k.a. Sky Rover, one of the signature radio helicopter pilots in local broadcasting -- passed away yesterday. He was in his late seventies. He worked at many stations in the area between 1972 and 1997, including KIMN during its glory days and KYGO, and influenced...

By Michael Roberts

July 8, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Sad news: Dick Dillon -- a.k.a. Sky Rover, one of the signature radio helicopter pilots in local broadcasting -- passed away yesterday. He was in his late seventies. He worked at many stations in the area between 1972 and 1997, including KIMN during its glory days and KYGO, and influenced a generation of talent, including Nia Bender, who remembers him fondly.

"He is a huge part of Denver broadcasting history," Bender writes via Facebook message. "A good portion of the stations he worked at were great stations at one time. As far as a human being goes... he was the tops. He never had the 'ego' that a lot of the people in the radio world seem to develop."

Bender first worked with Dillon as a young traffic reporter, and she notes that "he was so incredibly good to me and everybody else for that matter! Oh... He was a great pilot, too!"

Indeed, Dillon covered the Big Thompson Flood of 1976, the Christmas Eve blizzard of 1982 and plenty of other noteworthy happenings over his 24 year career, as detailed at DenverRadio.net.

Keep flying, Sky Rover.

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: 111180895657427

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo