1940 - 26 July 1940 / Ian Mackintosh / Born

1958 - 1962 Britannia Royal Naval College (18 - 22 yr.)

1962 - 1976 Royal Navy (22 to 36 years old)

1973 - 1977 The Warship / Co-creator / Writer BBC TV-Drama / Navy / 33 yr

1976 - A Slaying in September / Novel / 36 yr

1978 - Alliance Creator / Writer ITV TV Detective-Mystery Series / 38 yr

1978 / 1980 The Sandbaggers Creator / Writer / ITV TV / Espionage / 38 yr

1979 - Thundercloud Creator / Executive Producer / ITV TV WWII Navy / 38 yr

1979 - 7 July 1979 / Died? / Airplane Crash? / 38 yr

1st question.

Ian Mackintosh was / is a white hat.

2nd question.

If Ian Mackintosh were still alive he would be 81 years old, so it is certainly possible.

Below timestamped links to Episode 5 Season 2 of The Sandbaggers. Before Mackintosh disappeared in July of 1979 he had already written the scripts for Season 2 and the first three scripts for Season 3 (broadcast in the spring (S2) and summer (S3) of 1980.

This episode aired 7 months after Mackintosh disappeared. Not much of a stretch to assume his personal analysis is reflected in the dialog.

It Couldn't Happen Here / 25 February 1980

https://youtu.be/tV7QMAE8FgY?t=43 (timestamp / start 00:43 to 04:24)

https://youtu.be/tV7QMAE8FgY?t=675 (timestamp / start 11:14 to 13:02)

What I personally find interesting and intriguing is how this extremely prolific creator / producer / writer of Naval Operations (current and WWII), Espionage and Detective Mysteries...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Mackintosh disappears off the face of the earth in the summer of 1979

and then 35000 miles away and 5 years later (1984) this insurance salesman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Clancy writes this book
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunt_for_Red_October about submarines, warships, aircraft carriers, naval intelligence, satellite ocean surveillance, the SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System), espionage and the defection of high ranking Russian Naval officers.

Insurance salesman - Blockbuster Navy, Espionage, Spy, Action Thriller
Insurance salesman - Blockbuster Navy, Espionage, Spy, Action Thriller
Insurance salesman - Blockbuster Navy, Espionage, Spy, Action Thriller

One more time...

Insurance salesman - Blockbuster Navy, Espionage, Spy, Action Thriller

Then, in 1991, this guy, after writing two more books...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Games (1987) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_and_Present_Danger (1989)

writes a fourth book, in the researching of he was hosted in Israel by its Intelligence Services and provided assistance in his research... writes this book
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sum_of_All_Fears (1991)

with the following dedication:

"For Mike and Peggy Rogers, a sailor and his lady--- and all the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, because the noblest of ideas have always been protected by warriors"

Now that Mike Rogers is this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_S._Rogers

It is unclear exactly when Rogers and Clancy become acquainted..

Was it before or after Roger's 1986 Naval Officer Designator changed from Surface Warfare Officer / Unrestricted Line to Special Duty Officer /Cryptology 1610 / Restricted Line.

1978 1979 1984 1986 1987 1989 1991

Anybody out there got a degree in comparative linguistics and want to take a stab at comparing Mackintosh's writing stylistics and Clancy's writing stylistics.

Just sayin...

As long as we're sitting around watching a movie... may as well write one of our own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7gc7oHPfs0

Additional research links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warship_(1973 BBC TV Series)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandbaggers (1979 / 1980 ITV TV Series)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilde_Alliance (1978 ITV TV Series)

https://www.memorabletv.com/tv/thundercloud-itv-1979-derek-waring-sarah-douglas/ (1979 ITV TV Series)

https://irp.fas.org/program/collect/sosus.htm