Blinded pilot guided to safe landing by RAF

Antaletriangle · 11-07-2008, 10:46 PM

A pilot who was blinded by a suspected stroke whilst flying solo at 15,000ft has said he owes his life to the RAF after it scrambled an aircraft to guide him down to safety.
Jim O'Neill, 65, made seven aborted attempts at emergency landings before he finally touched down in his Cessna thanks to the RAF pilot who flew alongside him, giving constant instructions and reassurance over his radio.

Mr O'Neill, who is now being treated in hospital, said: "I should not be alive. I owe my life, and those of dozens of people I could have crash-landed on, to the RAF.

"It was terrifying. Suddenly I couldn't see the dials in front of me. It was just a blur. I was helpless."

Wing Commander Paul Gerrard, the pilot who acted as Mr O'Neill's "eyes" as he flew beside him, described how the businessman kept apologising for his failed attempts to land.

As Mr Gerrard, 42, asked his fellow pilot if he could see the runway below, Mr O'Neill replied: "I'm sorry sir, I just can't see."

Mr Gerrard, a former Tornado display pilot, was already in the air carrying out a training sortie in his Tucano T1 turboprop aircraft when air traffic controllers asked him to respond to Mr O'Neill's mayday call.

He said: "Landing an aircraft literally blind needs somebody to be there to say 'left a bit, right a bit, down a bit, stop, down.

"On the crucial final approach when even with radar assistance you need to take over visually, that's when having a fellow pilot there was so important.

"For me, I was just glad to help a fellow aviator in distress. I was part of a team."

The drama unfolded on Friday last week when Mr O'Neill was 40 minutes into a flight from Prestwick, Glasgow, to Earls Colne, near Colchester, Essex, as he returned home from a family visit.

When his vision suddenly failed, he initially thought he had been dazzled by the sun, but as he began to pass over North Yorkshire he alerted air traffic controllers, who in turn contacted RAF Linton-on-Ouse, near York.

The station's controllers talked to Mr O'Neill over the radio and he told them he had a problem and "would like to get down".

Mr Gerrard intercepted Mr O'Neill's Cessna 152 Skylane within minutes, flying just 500ft away so he could give the stricken pilot precise instructions on what to do.

It was a further 45 minutes before Mr O'Neill finally touched down at his eighth attempt, bouncing twice before coming to a halt at the very end of the runway, where an ambulance was waiting.
Doctors believe he went blind because blood from a burst vessel put pressure on his optic nerve, and after an angioplasma procedure was carried out to clear the blockage Mr O’Neill has been told his sight should improve further once the swelling goes down.

cont.on link below.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...ng-by-RAF.html

11-07-2008, 10:46 PM	#1
Antaletriangle Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.K. Posts: 3,380	Blinded pilot guided to safe landing by RAF A pilot who was blinded by a suspected stroke whilst flying solo at 15,000ft has said he owes his life to the RAF after it scrambled an aircraft to guide him down to safety. Jim O'Neill, 65, made seven aborted attempts at emergency landings before he finally touched down in his Cessna thanks to the RAF pilot who flew alongside him, giving constant instructions and reassurance over his radio. Mr O'Neill, who is now being treated in hospital, said: "I should not be alive. I owe my life, and those of dozens of people I could have crash-landed on, to the RAF. "It was terrifying. Suddenly I couldn't see the dials in front of me. It was just a blur. I was helpless." Wing Commander Paul Gerrard, the pilot who acted as Mr O'Neill's "eyes" as he flew beside him, described how the businessman kept apologising for his failed attempts to land. As Mr Gerrard, 42, asked his fellow pilot if he could see the runway below, Mr O'Neill replied: "I'm sorry sir, I just can't see." Mr Gerrard, a former Tornado display pilot, was already in the air carrying out a training sortie in his Tucano T1 turboprop aircraft when air traffic controllers asked him to respond to Mr O'Neill's mayday call. He said: "Landing an aircraft literally blind needs somebody to be there to say 'left a bit, right a bit, down a bit, stop, down. "On the crucial final approach when even with radar assistance you need to take over visually, that's when having a fellow pilot there was so important. "For me, I was just glad to help a fellow aviator in distress. I was part of a team." The drama unfolded on Friday last week when Mr O'Neill was 40 minutes into a flight from Prestwick, Glasgow, to Earls Colne, near Colchester, Essex, as he returned home from a family visit. When his vision suddenly failed, he initially thought he had been dazzled by the sun, but as he began to pass over North Yorkshire he alerted air traffic controllers, who in turn contacted RAF Linton-on-Ouse, near York. The station's controllers talked to Mr O'Neill over the radio and he told them he had a problem and "would like to get down". Mr Gerrard intercepted Mr O'Neill's Cessna 152 Skylane within minutes, flying just 500ft away so he could give the stricken pilot precise instructions on what to do. It was a further 45 minutes before Mr O'Neill finally touched down at his eighth attempt, bouncing twice before coming to a halt at the very end of the runway, where an ambulance was waiting. Doctors believe he went blind because blood from a burst vessel put pressure on his optic nerve, and after an angioplasma procedure was carried out to clear the blockage Mr O’Neill has been told his sight should improve further once the swelling goes down. cont.on link below. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...ng-by-RAF.html