By Lachlan Abbott
Family and friends have paid tribute to the pilot and cameraman on board a former military jet that crashed into Port Phillip Bay near Mount Martha on Sunday afternoon after human remains were found in the body of the plane.
Victoria Police said on Wednesday morning they had discovered bodies inside the wreckage found off the shore of Mornington on Monday evening.
Cameraman James Rose (left) and pilot Stephen Gale (right) were on board the plane that crashed on Sunday.
“They are believed to be the missing occupants of the plane, a 56-year-old Brunswick man and a 30-year-old Surrey Hills man,” the statement said.
Stephen Gale, a pilot, engineer, inventor and aspiring filmmaker, and James Rose, a talented cameraman and drone operator, were reported missing after two light S-211 Marchetti planes collided mid-air about 12 kilometres west of Mount Martha, in Melbourne’s south-east.
The other plane involved in the collision that sparked a mayday call at 1.45pm on Sunday landed safely at Essendon Airport. Police said they had interviewed the pilot of that plane.
Gale and Rose were filming for a documentary series that planned to teach people with no experience how to fly.
Gale, who had served in the RAAF and was the owner of the two jets, was the brains behind the proposed documentary series called Jet School.
Novice pilots involved in the series included engineer Dr Jillian Kennedy, maxillofacial surgeon Dr Nu Dastaran and The Project panellist Tommy Little.
Little paid tribute to the pilot and offered his condolences to Gale’s widow and young son in a social media post on Wednesday night, saying he had lost one his closest mates, his mentor and “sidekick in the sky”.
Little said Gale was “an inventor, an adventurer and [had] a heart of gold”.
“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,” the post read.
Little also offered his condolences to the family of James Rose.
Rose’s father, David, told The Age his son’s death had been “truly devastating” to his family and the entire TV industry. James was one of the best drone pilots in the country, he said.
“I know that his story will soon pass and become old news like so many other stories, but I would like the world to know what a wonderful young man he was,” he said.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) will examine the aviation company’s regulation compliance and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau will investigate the crash.
Ex-military planes, such as the former Singapore Air Force S-211 Marchetti that Gale flew, are not required to meet typical civil aviation standards or fly with the same degree of safety as other aircraft.
The Australian Warbirds Association regulates adventure flight aircraft.
CASA says those aboard the ex-military aircraft must sign a pre-flight form accepting risks such as that the airworthiness of a plane “does not need to meet any standard we recognise”.
Anyone who witnessed the incident, with footage, or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto www.crimestoppers.com.au.
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