Will I be the sole dissenting voice, if I say that I find the sentence here to be excessive?
I came across RM in the early noughties at BPL but have had no contact with him since. As others have said, he also struck me as a generally good bloke.
Sure, he has broken the law, it has had consequences, and he thus deserves to be punished. But 3.5 years? That is more than some people get for serious assaults, where the harm to the victim is intentional and not merely negligent (or even wreckless).
Also there is part of this story that doesn't add up. He took these pax on his own aircraft, the performance of which he would have known very well. He was a v experienced pilot. This was a doomed flight from the outset. These are not actions motivated by greed - rather, desperation. I can only suppose he was in great financial distress.
Long and short is, I hope RM appeals his sentence (not conviction), and is successful in so doing. The punishment should fit the crime - and here, it does not.