Roger Victor Joseph Hivert 
October 18, 1933 - January 3, 2023
Roger was born in Grez-en-Bouere, France where as a young boy he watched U.S. bombers flying over his little town at 100 miles from Omaha Beach, on D-Day. Later, in his later teen years he rode his bicycle for hours to a small airport near the north coast for a 3 minute glider flight with a winch. As a Cadet he joined the French Air Force and was selected for the Mutual Defense Training Program and spent 20 months in the U.S. Air Force learning to fly. He flew T-6, T-33, and F-84 at Big Springs, Webb and various other Air Force Bases around Texas and Arizona.
After his U.S. training, he returned to France and to the French Air Force where he flew Fouga Magister as instructor, and later many civilian aircraft such as Fieseler Storch and Tiger Moth. He worked for the DGAC, the French equivalent of the FAA and flew many dignitaries around France.
Roger was one of the original pilots for Air Inter which was the domestic side of Air France and flew Captain on the Fokker F-27 while raising his family. He loved and continued flying gliders, and owned a two place Janus.
He loved the U.S. and upon retirement came back to fly gliders. He heard about the fantastic soaring conditions at Soar Minden and went to work as instructor for High Country Soaring. Upon being offered a Captain position flying the DC-8 for a charter airline around the world, he left Minden for 3 years.
When he returned to Minden, there was no serious flight training operation, so he established Hivert, Inc. and later with Linda Mae Draper created NIFTI, Nevada International Flight & Transportation Industries. They married in the Cessna 310 and operated NIFTI for 15 years, successfully training many students from France and several other countries. Roger was well known for his instructional technique and success. He was awarded the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.
Upon retiring NIFTI, he and Linda Mae traveled to Antarctica, the Panama Canal, around the U.S. and returned to France to visit annually. At a cruise on the Columbia River in 2022 they celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary. He was hoping to return to France to live, but the world- wide pandemic caused a substantial delay. He returned to France at the end of 2022 where he passed away early 2023, in his beloved Angers on the Loire River.
Roger loved joining Ninety-Nines, International Organization of Women Pilots, activities as a 49 ½. He was especially proud of his airline pilot Granddaughter, Amandine Hivert who is the current Governor of the French Section.
Roger actively helped many people in their professional aviation and recreational flying careers. The first woman Captain at Air France was one of his students and he inspired many other professional pilots.
He is survived by a son, Captain Christophe Hivert, a daughter, Anne-Laure Planque-Bonini, 3 sisters, Liliane Hivert, Jocelyne Keromnes, and Nicole Mouquet, 7 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren, all living in France.
In his loving family of 33 years in the Carson Valley, he is survived by his wife of 25 years, Linda Mae, step-daughter, Dori Draper, and step granddaughter, Chloe Draper.
A Celebration of Life will be held sometime later this Spring at the Minden-Tahoe Airport.