Successful dditching off Scilly Isles
 

Well done to those on board - esp considering they may have considered themselves a bit old to start learning new tricks :)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/3163840.stm
Three men have been rescued after their aircraft crashed into the sea near the Isles of Scilly. The Cessna light aeroplane ditched five to six miles south of the island of St Martin's on Saturday morning after it suffered failure of its main engine.
All three men on board, one in his late 70s and two in their 80s, got out before the aircraft sank.
[...more]

Fantastic. They did really well. Gives the lie to the idea that high wing aircraft can't be ditched successfully.

QDM

Just heard a report that they were ex wartime Fleet Air Arm pilots on their way to a service reunion though I reckon a ditching might have been a little too much like the old days.

Glad they are all OK. Fishing boat skipper says the Cessna made hardly a splash when it touched down.

"Main Engine" ??? Should have just started up the spare one then ;)

Well done chaps. :ok:

Smoketoomuch...Ex-Fleet Air Arm pilots and still flying? People like that don't think they're too old for anything, probably don't even think they're old; they just do what they've always done and the same way they've always done it.

From Ceefax, they were 83, 81 and 79 years old respectively.

Assuming that they started flying in their early 20's, that's at least
183 years combined flying experience - an awsome thought.

Respect is due gentlemen. :ok:

Whirly - I realise that, though the ex-mil aspect hadn't been reported at the time of my post. Still, my remarks were firmly tongue in cheek... never stop learning and all that.
As I posted before [but accidentally deleted] I have enormous admiration for anyone who successfully ditches at this time of year in what is essentially the N Atlantic - whatever their age, though BBC now reports that they were actually former SAR pilots - which seems a bit like cheating if you ask me [tongue firmly in cheek again].

I suspect they're the toast of the reunion tonight - although they'll be getting a lot of ribbing.

>whatever their age, though BBC now reports that they were >actually former SAR pilots - which seems a bit like cheating if >you ask me [tongue firmly in cheek again].

If I'd realised that their idea of a reunion meant that they were after a ride in a SAR helicopter, I'd have thought twice before lending them my aeroplane :-(

Just glad they got out ok though.

Graham

Bravo that man for being able to show humour in the face of such a loss!!

Never mind though eh!! Look on the bright side.... it probably needed a good internal wash! :O