Ms Hodge moved to Port Macquarie in 1991 working first as a real estate agent and then as a pilot, flying instructor and business owner.

Her business Port Macquarie Seaplanes allowed people to experience the thrill of taking-off and landing on water during scenic tours of Port Macquarie and the Mid-North Coast.

Her flying mentor Bill Lane described Judy's achievements in aviation as "exceptional".

"Judy achieved her commercial pilot's licence, seaplane and flying instructor rating as a mature age student" Mr Lane said.

"That is an exceptional achievement.

"She sold her unit to buy a seaplane and establish her business, rapidly achieving an extraordinary level in the industry, that is also exceptional."

Mel Haverfield from the Hastings Business Women's Network remembered Judy as "warm and vibrant".

"Judy's passion was aviation and she achieved her dream to be a pilot with passion, determination and resilience," said Ms Haverfield.

"She was a generous mentor with a great sense of fun, Judy will be sadly missed."

Pilot Tim Hitchins described her as a "wonderful friend and mentor".

"She helped me make some key decision in my flying training, a phone call with her one night while I was at uni in Sydney made a world of difference," Mr Hitchins said.

"She took me for my first ever flight in a plane that landed on water...

"Judy could put up a tough exterior, but she was one of the most genuine and kind people I knew."

A tribute on Facebook by the 10,000 fans of Port Macquarie group has received almost 500 likes so far and 156 comments with members of the public sharing fondly their memories of Judy.

Belinda Truelove wrote she would remember Judy's "kindness welcoming me to Port Macquarie".

Jenny Batters reminisced about Judy's smile, sense of humor and caring personality.

"She was so very courageous and in more ways than one," Ms Batters wrote.

Judy Hodge was born in a remote mission hospital in South Africa.

When she was asked what she wanted to be when ( or in her words "if") she grew up, she would say "a gypsy or a sailor".

A 19 she was given the opportunity to take flying lessons by her dad.

The experience sparked a lifelong passion.

Life circumstances took her down other paths and she ended up years later moving to Australia to set up Ad Mobile in Melbourne in the late 80s which was the first A-Frame mobile billboard business in Australia.

In 1991 she moved to Port Macquarie and became a real estate agent but she never forgot her passion for flying.

A quarter of a century later the flying fever struck again and this time Judy was determined to hold on to her passion.

She skimped and saved to perfect her skills, using commission from houses for flying lessons.

She earned her private pilot's licence in 2004 and her commercial licence in 2011 at the age of 54, established a solid career with her seaplane business.

She was the only female floatplane (a type of seaplane) operator in Australia.

Her daughter 27-year-old Ruth Hodge said she has been blown away by the tributes to her mother.

"At first I thought but mum is such a private person how did this happen but then I remember that she had been in many ways a local legend for twenty or so years," Ruth Hodge said.

"She was not just our mum she was a lot things to a lot of people.

"There were people sharing about how she welcomed them to Port Macquarie and sold them their first family home...how she waved at others walking past the seaplane operation every day and showed genuine interest in them ....and their dogs.

Ruth remembers her mother as "wonderfully stubborn, infinitely childlike, cheeky, fun-loving and a little bit crazy".

"The memory of her coming home from selling a house one day and my brother and I encouraging her to get in the pool with us keeps playing over and over in my mind," Ruth Hodge said.

"She accepted our offer: threw her work badge onto the ground beside the pool and jumped in fully clothed.

"She made everything as delightful as possible, but she also lived a very real and honest life."

She said her mum taught her many things, perhaps the most important to look in the mirror to "see something special".

"I think I can speak for my brother and I that we were totally secure in who we were because from day one she affirmed us.

"She also taught us to love fiercely, to do everything with fullness of effort and to go above and beyond for others.

Ruth said her mother's primary motivation was to serve others.

"She put others before herself at all costs and she loved her kids."

She believes her mother was passionate about flying because she got to share something with people that brought them happiness.

"As I was scrolling through photos in her phone the other night there were barely any photos of herself but an endless amount of all the pilots ...the photos of people following their first landing of a float plane on the water with the most gigantic beaming smile on their faces.

"These photos were trophies to her - reminders that what she was doing was what she was made for; to bless others."

The funeral for Judy Hodge will be held on Saturday 1^st June at 3.30pm at Lighthouse Beach below the lighthouse.

The public is welcome to attend and pay their respects.

Members of the aviation industry are encouraged to wear their epaulettes or something that denotes their membership to that community.