Tommy Little posts moving tribute to Mount Martha crash pilot Stephen Gale
TV star Tommy Little has posted a heartfelt tribute to Stephen Gale, saying the pilot who lost his life in a crash off the coast of Mount Martha was a “real life Tony Stark but with a flying suit”.
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Comedian and TV star Tommy Little has paid tribute to his “mentor” and “sidekick in the sky”, Stephen Gale, who lost his life in the tragic plane crash off Mount Martha.
Little was among the cast in the documentary Any Fool Can Fly that Gale was working on when the devastating accident happened on Sunday.
The crash claimed pilot Gale’s life and that of cameraman James Rose.
“This week I lost one of my closest mates, my mentor and my sidekick in the sky. To put it bluntly Stephen Gale is the most intelligent man I’ve ever met in my life and our relationship was the perfect example of when opposites attract,” Little posted on Instagram on Wednesday night.
“An inventor, an adventurer and a heart of gold. He was a real life Tony Stark but with a flying suit instead of an iron one.
“His love for aviation was unparalleled. From his early years serving for our country in the Air Force to decades of flying and performing in air shows to just a couple of weeks ago being employed by the Philippine air force to test the capability of both their planes and pilots. He did it all.”
Little expressed his heartfelt sympathy to Gale’s partner Tori and their son.
“To Tori, I know you know this, but that man loved and admired you like nothing else,” he said.
“No one made him happy like you. Both you and your beautiful little man were the best things that ever happened to him.
“To Little Tommy, losing your dad before your first birthday is something that shouldn’t happen to any baby, but I promise to be the best godfather ever and constantly remind you of the tour de force that was your dad. Plus, your mum happens to Wonder Woman so you’ll be more than fine. We got you.”
He also extended condolences to the family of James Rose.
“I can’t imagine the pain you’re going through and I’m sending you all the love and condolences,” Little wrote.
“Steve and I spoke almost every day and if I was ever flat he’d say ‘it sounds like we need to go flying’ and then half an hour later life’s problems would melt away as we looked down over our beautiful city.
“But now the person that could make this problem melt away, even just for a second, is the one person that isn’t here to do it with me.
“I love ya Cap. I’ll see you in the sky.”
Jet crash pilot, cameraman found in wreckage as tributes flow
Police have found the remains of a pilot and cameraman whose plane crashed in Port Phillip Bay on Sunday afternoon.
The grim discovery was made sometime on Wednesday after police and port authorities scoured the bay for their bodies of Stephen Gale and James Rose and wreckage from the plane for more than three days.
Investigators found the bulk of the fighter jet carrying the two men near Mornington on Tuesday.
The pair were believed to be flying alongside another ex-military jet for the production of a documentary called Any Fool Can Fly.
Mr Gale owned the aircrafts used for Sunday’s flight as part of his company called Jetworks Aviation, during which his and Mr Rose’s plane collided with a second jet mid-air.
That second plane arrived safely back at its hangar at Essendon Airport with Qantas pilot Joanne Mein on board.
The investigation into the exact cause of the crash is ongoing and is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Pilot Stephen Gale has been remembered as a generous man who also had a passion for motorcycles.
Mr Gale’s friend Michael Catchpole told the Herald Sun the pilot’s thrillseeking adventures included an avid interest in electric motorcycles.
Mr Catchpole, who owns motorcycle shop Mid Life Cycles in Cremorne, said the pair met about six years ago when Mr Gale purchased his own motorcycle.
He said they had remained friends since, describing Mr Gale as a “generous” man whose work as an engineer made him knowledgeable about bikes.
Mr Catchpole said Mr Gale was a friendly man who once introduced him to fellow bike enthusiast, British actor Charley Boorman.
“That was fairly typical of Steve. He was very generous in sharing his friendships with people,” he said.
“His sense of adventure was also clearly shown with his flying and the fact that he operated ex-military trainer jets.
“He had electric motorcycles himself, and he was working with a major importer of a new brand of electric motorcycles.
“We had talked a lot about electric motorcycles and the technology behind those.”
Mr Catchpole said Mr Gale was a “very friendly and polite” man whose death alongside Mr Rose had shocked many other people.
“Part of his passion was to share the experience of flying,” he said.
“That’s also part of this sadness, that a very gifted camera operator in James, sadly, was lost along with Steve.”
Australian actor and author Michael Veitch has also paid tribute online to his “dear friend’ Stephen Gale and expressed his deepest sympathy to Mr Gale’s partner Tori and toddler son.
“Devastated at the sudden tragic loss of pilot, inventor, instructor, humanitarian and my dear friend, Stephen Gale, along with photographer James Rose,” Mr Veitch posted to social media. “Steven was a truly wonderful human being whose friendship will stay with me the remainder of my days.
The pilots were also heard on radios discussing an “inverted manoeuvre” in the lead-up to the crash.
Peter Ritchie, a Mornington Peninsula pilot, was in the air over Moorabbin on Sunday afternoon and saw the jets just minutes they collided.
“Both planes were a few hundred feet higher, heading to their flying area,” he said.
“All aircraft were aware of each other’s locations.
“We listened to them on the radio for a bit. They were discussing doing an inverted manoeuvre.”
Mr Ritchie, who was a passenger in a Cessna 182 returning to Tyabb Airfield from a trip to Riddells Creek, snapped a picture of the fighter jets as they passed above.
Just minutes later he was listening to a mayday call.
“We were over Mornington by then, it would have only been five to seven minutes since we saw the planes,” he said.
“The remaining pilot making the mayday call sounded like he was in disbelief.
“He reported (his plane) had damage to the leading edge of the wing.
“There wasn’t anything we could do.
“It was a very sombre moment for us.”
The comments come as footage from 2019 emerged showing just how close Jetworks planes are when flying in formation.
The vision from inside the cockpit of an earlier mock mission shows only a wingspan separates the jets.
On Tuesday, more wreckage from the tragic plane crash was found.
Water Police, Air Wing and Uniform officers carried out extensive searches across Port Phillip Bay as part of a multi-agency operation.
Emergency services were called to reports two small planes collided over the bay about 1.45pm on Sunday.
One plane, believed to be carrying cameraman James Rose and flown by pilot Stephen Gale, crashed into the water while the other safely landed at Essendon Airport.
After searching the water, a large part of the body of the plane was found near the shore in Mornington.
Police have been working to remove the fuselage of the plane from the water before they search it.
Investigators are working to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.
Mr Gale and Mr Rose were in the air filming a five part documentary series that aimed to teach people with no experience how to fly.
A trailer for the series, initial titled Any Fool Can Fly, featured Mr Gale explaining the show’s premise: “What would happen if you took a group of highly skilled individuals who barely even thought of flying before, taught them to fly, but didn’t stop there,?” he asked.
“Could they master aerobatics? Or formation? Or even fly a military jet?.”
The trailer also featured three student pilots including comedian and The Project panellist Tommy Little, engineer Jillian Kenny and maxillofacial surgeon Mehrnoosh Dastaran.
Adventurer Charley Boorman signed on late to the project.
Mr Gale created his company Jetworks Aviation, which offered 25-minute joy rides for $2750 and a two-jet formation flight experience for $7750, specifically to create the show.
Thrill seekers signing up for one of the flights were warned of the risks from the outset.
A statement on the Jetworks website explained that the S211 aircraft used were ex-military and not required to meet any safety standards recognised by CASA.
“CASA does not require this aircraft to be operated to the same degree of safety as an aircraft on a commercial passenger flight,” the warning reads.
“The passenger flies in the aircraft at his or her own risk.”
Jetworks held a CASA 141 training approval certificate which allowed the business to teach ab-initio, formation, and aerobatic skills and to issue of initial S211 endorsement training.
Investigators believe both planes involved in the collision would have been visible from Mount Martha between 1pm and 2pm on Sunday.
Police are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident, or anyone with vision of the planes.
It’s understood the collision between the two planes occurred quite far from shore and conditions were hazy.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, with footage, or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.
