A Tragic tale

[malpensa26]

IT was a life of adventure which would be the envy of many - flying across the globe, building luxury yachts and even helping behind the scenes of a James Bond film.

But family was always the most important thing in Mick Newman's life, and last night his sons paid tribute to him for the first time since he was killed in a plane crash in Turkey.

Describing him as their “hero and best friend”, George and Will Newman spoke of their pride that their 53-year-old father, from Benhall, pursued his dreams - and said they hoped to live their lives as he had done.

George, 22, said: “We cannot express how upset we are. Our family was the closest family I have known - Mick made a thing out of having dinner together every night when we were all at home.


Sons George and Will Newman
“He was a hero to Will and myself, and our best friend. We referred to him as Mick, not dad, as he was our friend.”

Mick died with his close friend, Pakistani national Zaka Ulab Bhamgoo , when his light aircraft crashed in a mountainous area in northern Turkey on Sunday May 13.

The pair had set off from Trabzon airport and were heading to Iran en route to Pakistan when horrendous weather conditions closed in.

They were both experienced pilots with thousands of flying hours between them - for Mick it was a hobby he took seriously while 53-year-old Zaka, a brigadier, was a helicopter pilot in the Pakistani army.

They had planned for the “trip of a lifetime” for around three years and for Mick it was particularly important.

He gained his microlight licence ten years ago, built a Shadow microlight from a kit at home, converted a barn into a hangar and flew from a field at the back of his house to places all over the country, as well taking great pleasure in being able to nip to France for lunch.

He had met Zaka after travelling to Pakistan to supply a special undercarriage for the Shadow. He designed and built it himself - going through rigorous testing with the Civil Aviation Authority.

It was the start of a close friendship between the two families, with Mick taking many trips to Pakistan with his wife Wiss and falling in love with the country.

It was then the plan for the adventure was hatched and Mick bought a Sky Arrow 650T, gaining his licence and flying it across Suffolk as well as from Norwich International Airport.

George said: “It was the trip of a lifetime. He said to me, if I do not do this I have got to sell the Sky Arrow and re-evaluate my life as I am not living it in the way I want to.”

The trip, which was open-ended but was expected to take around three weeks, was originally planned for last year but had to be put on hold when Spirit Yachts, the yacht-building business Mick co-owned, was asked to supply one of its luxury boats for the latest James Bond film, Casino Royale.

The filming saw Wiss doubling for Bond girl Eva Green as she sailed the yacht along the Grand Canal, which had been closed to outside traffic for 350 years.

But on April 28 this year, Zaka and Mick finally set off on their adventure. They had already flown from Parham across France and Italy, into Turkey when the crash happened.

Perhaps a combination of the fact that they were heading to Iran, because they were British and Pakistani citizens and a slight disbelief that people would and could just fly to Pakistan from England in a light aircraft, fuelled intrigue into what they were doing.

Accusations surfaced that the pair were intelligence agents and that they were trying to import nuclear material into Iran for a weapons programme.

They have been strongly rejected by all who know Mick and Zaka, while George said he was called by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office yesterday, which also discredited the claims.

George said: “If Mick was here to hear those allegations he probably would have revelled in people thinking he was a spy. He probably would have started to introduce himself as Newman, Mick Newman.”

Will, 20, added: “For people who knew Mick and what he was like they knew it was laughable and could almost see the funny side. But it was another thing to deal with that just wasn't needed and it was hurtful.”

Born in Hertfordshire, Mick came to Suffolk at the age of 18 and settled in the county. He met Wiss when he was 24 and she was 19 and they married in the county soon after.

George said: “My mum and dad were as much in love as the day they got married. It never ran thin.”

But it is clear their father has also been a guiding influence in their lives.

George has pursued his love of sailing, which saw Mick buy his first yacht in his 20s and restore it from a wreck.

An “immensely skilful” sailor, he set up Spirit Yachts with business partner Sean McMillan 15 years ago from a cowshed at the back of the farm. The business has since moved to Ipswich and George, who has returned to Suffolk from his job sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, is to take over his father's business share.

Meanwhile, Will is training in New Zealand for his commercial helicopter pilot's licence.

George said: “Mick was very much an adventurer but the people he admired most were those with simple lives - those who were happily married and had close families - and he loved country life.

“He was a family man through and through. Family would come first in everything. Business was always second.”

nMick Newman's funeral will take place on Friday at Benhall Church at 1.30pm. Family flowers only.

http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news ... 3A00%3A170

[malpensa26]

"Casino Royale" yacht sailor and Bond double dies in plane crash

He loved adventure, sailed one of his yachts to the Bahamas to be used in the latest James Bond film, and was fulfilling the ambition of a lifetime flying his light aircraft from Britain to Pakistan - reports The Telegraph.




http://www.mi6.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=5026

[malpensa26]

Spirit Yachts is deeply saddened to confirm the tragic death of Michael Newman, one of the co-founders and directors of the company, who lost his life in a light aircraft accident Sunday 13th May 2007.

Mick Newman, who had been flying private planes for many years, recently set off from his home in Suffolk England to Pakistan on an adventure of a lifetime; a flying adventure both he and his close friend Zaka Bhamgoo had been meticulously planning for the last three years.

Zaka Bhamgoo, a retired Pakistani Army General and pilot with over 6,500 flying hours, met Mick several years ago during an air show raising money for a Pakistani village. Through a shared passion for flying and after spending several flying holidays together, they developed the idea of a flight trip between their two countries.

They set off from the UK on Saturday 28th April in Mick's Sky-Arrow 650T plane and flew as planned across Europe and over the Bosphoros to Turkey. After being delayed by bad weather, on Sunday 13th May they then took off from Trabzon on the Black Sea coast on a flight path to Tabriz in Iran. Later that day, the Iranian authorities reported the planes failure to arrive as scheduled, a search and rescue operation was then launched by the Turkish Authorities around their last known position some 100km south east of Trabzon.

On Tuesday 15th April we received the worst of all possible news that the plane had been found, having crashed in remote woodland mountains of eastern Turkey.

Mick leaves his wife, Wissie and two sons George and Will to whom the company extend their deepest sympathy and affection. We would also like to express our heartfelt condolences to the friends and family of Zaka in Pakistan.

Spirit Yachts will continue to build upon the successful foundations that Mick Newman helped to establish and we look forward to launching many more of these beautiful yachts… that are so much a part of Mick’s legacy.

[TAILWIND]

It wouldnt be out place to pay tribute to the other pilot killed in the crash. Zaka Ullah Bhangoo, knows as Maj, col and brig (according to his rank) Bhangoo was the most respected and one of the most experienced pilots Army Aviation had. With more than 6500 flight hours (mind you in military flying thats mind boggling number) he was an institution in himself. He few O-1 (L-19) fixed wing ac, OH-13 S (bubble) Alloeutte and Puma Helicopters during his flying career in PAkistan Army. HE was amongst the first few pilots to explore the Siachin Area when the hostilities broke out there in mid eighties. In 1992 floods he rescued 34 people stranded in a small Island in Nellum River when a cloud burst caused flash floods. He was an instructor, a test pilot and above all a passionate flyer who did nothing but flying all his life. He had the homour to command the VVIP flight flying the head of state.
After Retirement he comtinued flying helicopters with Askari Aviation ( a charter company under AWT). He had also planned to fly around the world in kit ultra light in 2002 but the project could not materialise due to logistic and diplomatic issues.
I have the honour to know him as a senior and colleague and learn a lot from him....
May Allah Bless the depaerted soul in eternal Peace.

[Abbas Ali]

Brigadier Zaka Ullah Bhangoo retired from the army as a helicopter pilot with about 6000 flying hours. In his illustrious career he also flew a remarkable rescue in the Kashmir area in 1999 with a Puma helicopter during heavy floods. He spotted villagers who had taken shelter on a small patch of ground. He realised they needed to be rescued immediately or would soon be drowned by the fast-rising flood waters. But the patch of ground, almost covered by tree branches offered no space for landing a large helicopter like the Puma.

After hovering to survey the situation he descended the Puma into the trees using the main rotor as an axe to chop off the branches and make room to land. He got all the people out, over 20 of them, with a sheer, vertical takeoff in a dangerously overloaded helicopter. The feat of remarkable flying made it to the Reader's Digest as a Drama In Real Life episode.

[TAILWIND]

Abbas Ali Wrote

......almost covered by tree branches offered no space for landing a large helicopter like the Puma.

After hovering to survey the situation he descended the Puma into the trees using the main rotor as an axe to chop off the branches and make room to land........

Well thats a bit too much of an imagination. With all the due respect to the departed soul and Abbass, helicopter rotors would not complete one revolution before the rotor system and alongwith that the helicopter itself would disintegrate if someone tries to chop the trees with the blades. The blades are very fragile and cant take the impact of tree branches. And once first blade is cut, lets say quarter of its length gone, the resultant imbalance due to centrifugal force will sheer the rotor hub from its base and thats the end of story. Mind you the blade weighs about 200 kg, about 22 feet in length and rotating at 270 RPM. Anyone with a bit of maths and physics can calculate the centrifugal force. Probably Reader's Digest took it too far.

[Abbas Ali]

Thank you TAILWIND for sharing expert opinion.

Following video link shows Turkish team working at the crash site in a dense mountain.

Video Link: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ac5_1179308579

and following news article from the Telegraph debunks the incredulous nuclear spies angle:

Link: Telegraph Bond sailor in death crash 'was no spy'