Pilot No 2 dies in fund-raiser
An ill-fated microlight fundraising flight around the world this week claimed the life of a Durban man who had stepped in to replace a pilot who was killed three months ago. Durban businessman Martin Walker, 51, was killed near Belize in South America on Thursday afternoon while taking a tourist for a spin in his plane. His death comes just months after Allan Honeyborne plunged to his death in central China.
The ill-fated "Freedom Flight" took off in Cape Town in December 2003 with the original team of Honeyborne and Ricky de Agrela.
Their dream was to fly across 50 countries and six continents in 18 months to raise money for Cape Town's Red Cross Children's Hospital and to celebrate 10 years of democracy and 100 years of powered flight. However, Honeyborne, 34, was killed in May after a wing on his plane broke off in dense cloud above central China. Urged on by well-wishers worldwide, De Agrela decided to continue with the mission.
Walker, an ex-chairman of the Microlight Association of South Africa and a close friend of Honeyborne, left in mid-July to join De Agrela in San Francisco. "Flying was one of his passions, and this was an opportunity to live his dream," said Walker's sister, who did not want to be named. "He literally did step into 'dead man's shoes'" she said. The pilots flew together to the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-in, in Oshkosh, and then ventured south, following the Mississippi River. Walker's sister said his family in South Africa was able to monitor their progress on the internet because Walker had attached a satellite tracking device to his plane.
A posting on the expedition website
www.safreedomflight.com on Wednesday evening said they had stopped off on an island called Ambergris Cay, close to Belize, for a few days. "We have taken a chill pill for a few days. This is a fantastic little spot, so do not send out the rescue missions if you do not hear much from us because this laid-back life style could get the better of us," De Agrela wrote just hours before the fatal crash. Walker's sister said: "We are not entirely sure what happened; they were somewhere in the Belize vicinity where they had stopped for a couple of days to service their planes. "Someone expressed interest in going up, the weather turned bad, they experienced difficulty and the plane crashed late on Thursday afternoon."
Walker's sister said: "There should be a full inquiry, but, at this stage, we don't know any more." It is not known if Walker's passenger survived the accident. Adrienne Coetzee, director of the Children's Hospital Trust, which is responsible for fund-raising for the Red Cross Children's Hospital, heard the news of Walker's death with "utter disbelief". "I can't believe this has happened again." Walker is survived by his wife, Nikki, a 13-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son.