Long-Distance Attempt Ends Tragically After Only Five Hours

[Jean Loup]

  looking west, after I received this Yahoo!Mail from aero-news.net:

Adventurer Had Hoped To Pilot A Microlight Airplane From England To Australia

British tree surgeon Martin Bromage, had hoped to fly his QuikR microlight airplane from London to Sydney, Australia as a fundraiser, went down on Monday just five hours into his planned eight-week 11,000 mile journey.



After encountering bad weather on his crossing of the English Channel to France, the Times of London reports that he made a series of radio calls to French aviation authorities, looking for an alternative to his planned arrival at Le Torquet airport. Unable to find a suitable alternative, he opted to return to England in the thick fog that had settled in over the Channel.

  Bormage's body was found about 20 miles off the coast of France by a Portuguese tugboat. The aircraft has not been found.

Media sources report that Bromage's aircraft was equipped with a life raft and survival gear, and that he was wearing a floatation device. He was attempting to raise nearly $250,000 for the charity "Help for Heroes," which assists former members of the military. According to the organizations' web site, "Help for Heroes (H4H)" was founded by Bryn and Emma Parry after a profoundly moving visit to Selly Oak Hospital in the summer of 2007. Bryn and Emma met some extraordinarily brave young people who had been badly wounded and they just wanted to do something to help."

Bromage is survived by his wife and two sons. "I have done a few adventurous trips in Europe in the microlight and I just thought to myself, why not push it that bit further?" he said shortly before his departure. "I've always had an appetite for adventure and I relish a challenge."

 

[G-man]

While I am sad for the loss to his family, I have no sympathy..

"why not push it that bit further?" he said shortly before his departure

Do they not have weather reports over there?

[Mike]

I am with G-Man on this.

Sat in KIAD for many hours yesterday waiting for my airliner to take me back to KLAS. The weather was just too bad to fly into Vegas (IFR with +RA, +TS, and such) , which rarely happens actually.

You should have seen all the passengers who were really upset !! 
Like it was the pilots or the airlines fault.

I wasn't happy that I didn't get home in time but I was glad to make it home safely even if it was many hours later.....

"why not push it that bit further?" is exactly the attitude I am always trying to drill OUT of my pilots heads (and my boss's, since the money-driven half of his brain sometimes gets the best of him...)

[Baradium]

When I was flying in AK the passengers had so much faith in pilots that if you didn't go somewhere they were positive that it was because you didn't want to.  They KNEW that no matter how bad the weather was you could do it if you really wanted to because you were just THAT good.


Now it's not that bad, but there are still  people like that.   I guess I should be flattered that people have so much faith in my abilities.   Maybe it would help if passengers understood that the pilots aren't getting paid while you're sitting there at the gate on a hold for weather or if the flight cancels.   And then it is also cutting into our rest time too.  We really don't relish sitting there when the weather is bad, and if we thought we could get you there safely we would.     Realistically though, what the passengers think about it isn't something I lose sleep over at night.   As the saying goes, I much prefer to be on the ground wishing I was in the air to being in the air wishing I was on the ground.


Speaking of IAD, I was there not too long ago.  I should really start trying to see if people are around on my longer layovers these days.  I was just in Montreal for 20 hours,  I don't remember any of the ones I have in February, although I do know I have one in Omaha towards the end of the month.   Anyone going to be around Omaha near the 22nd?

[Jean Loup]

I am with G-Man on this..."why not push it that bit further?" is exactly the attitude I am always trying to drill OUT of my pilots heads (and my boss's, since the money-driven half of his brain sometimes gets the best of him...)

  I am with you both: when racing in rally's, it was more important to finish IN ONE PIECE, than to have first place (or second, or third... ). Geting at the finish line was more important...and  excellent maintenance of the machine is ESSENTIAL. I do not understand in the age where weather reports can be in your cell phone, how come a pilot can make such bad decisions.  In an ultralight that from my point of view, can land almost anywhere...except clifs, forests, rocks and water if not float equiped.

In an ultralight like this, for two people (I was the back of the pilot seat) and with floats, we took off from Avándaro lake, and reached about 4,000 meters altitude; then the french pilot turned off the engine, and went gliding with other Delta sail-wings...we landed in about 4 or 5 lengths of the floats, did not even splater my sandals...on a sunny morning of spring, in the dry season! All instructors I had, they repeat when flying, allways have a landing spot at range...

Anyway, I feel sad about his bad judgement & decision making...