Last month, the live touring community received the shocking news that Fly By Nite’s David Coumbe had sadly passed away. Having established the company in 1989, Coumbe grew Fly By Nite into one of the world’s largest music production and logistics businesses, supplying specialised vehicles and dedicated drivers across the music, entertainment and exhibition industries. Coumbe led the company to achieve Favourite Trucking Company and Favourite Rehearsal Studios at the TPi Awards on many occasions and will be greatly missed by the entire industry. Matt Jackson, Fly By Nite’s Sales Manager, spoke to TPi about David’s legacy.
“What can I say about the great man… He was a legendary figure and a mainstay of FBN and the wider touring/events industry. David was a genius with an extraordinary ability to map things out in his head and retain an incredible amount of information, despite the fact that FBN had grown to its mammoth size by the time of his death. He had an incredible passion for the industry and an outstanding work ethic to match. He dedicated his life to building a successful business that started from nothing and drove its success personally. He set the highest of standards for others by the commitment he displayed on a daily basis.
“He was a man who was calm under pressure and always confident a solution could be found despite the circumstances. His knowledge and expertise of European logistics was unrivalled and he always remembered the best routes to take and borders to use, passing on that knowledge and expertise to those around him – including myself. I was incredibly fortunate to spend over a decade sharing an office with him. I tried my best to get him to embrace technology but to no avail. He didn’t save any numbers in his phone, always relying on a folded up piece of A4 paper with numbers printed or written on. It was comical and at times you would scratch your head with him but at the same time, he could blow you away with an incredible piece of skill or knowledge.
“I recall most recently at an insurance renewal meeting at the end of last year, our Transport Manager Richard had stated the number of trucks now on the fleet following the latest batch of new vehicles being added. David was adamant that the number he had in his head was different but Richard seemed very confident in his figures. He left the room to check his records and while he was gone, Dave continued the meeting with the brokers based on his figures. ‘I know my figure is right as I remember signing the deals/finance for them’. Richard returned to the room and acknowledged the figures David had suggested were indeed correct. Richard is a very thorough person and keeps detailed records of everything but he had been upstaged by the brain of a genius, which was certainly no disgrace. For the rest of the meeting, the rest of the room were just in awe of the man and as such we struck a deal on favourable terms.
“David took the time to know his staff on a personal level. He loved the industry for the people it brought him into contact with – both staff and clients. He went out of his way to help others. He was a good man with a good heart.
“During COVID, we were still working in the office managing the general haulage work but it wasn’t as time consuming as our regular touring event work. So, to keep us occupied we set up table tennis in the warehouse and we had some epic encounters. We were both ultra-competitive; Dave was a much better player than me but I had a deliberate tactic being almost 30 years his junior – I knew I would have a stamina advantage so I would keep him in a rally until he would get frustrated and try something risky and make a mistake. On the odd occasion he got the better of me, we wouldn’t hear the end of it for weeks on end.
“Dave was the boss, but he never made his presence known in an authoritative way. He liked others to have their say and I always found he would support our decisions and choices. He led by example, commanding respect from people with his personal and dedicated approach. I feel lucky to have known Dave so closely and to have learned so much from him. He was a mentor and inspiration, a big influence on my life and career. It’s difficult adjusting to life without him around and I still expect him to wander into my office for a chat about business or football. I will miss him dearly.
“Thanks for everything, boss. You were never one for accepting praise, but I hope you knew just how much you were loved and respected by your staff and the wider industry. You deserved every bit of success you had. It’s tragic you didn’t get to retire and relax after all your hard work, but I’m not sure that was your style anyway! We will keep the FBN flag flying high for you and build on your incredible legacy!
“Thank you to the entire industry for the love and support all of us at FBN have received. There have been some touching tributes and it has helped us all through this incredibly sad and difficult period.”
