Pilot friend missing since Sunday, Please send a prayer, Hope or Good Thought!

[Gr8ful]

If not allowed please delete! Dicks's a good friend, good pilot, built the Sonex that's missing, was an ultralight instructor & flown for many years. It rained all day yesterday so I hope hes found soon. Lots of farmland, woods, etc. Thanks!

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazo...-that-went-missing-in-southwest-michigan.html

 

[INTJohn]

Might of went down in Lake Michigan. A little plane will sink fast and not leave much debris; if any.
Just a hypothesis

INTJohn

 

[Gr8ful]

Very well maybe as I loved to skud run LM as you can see all the multi million $$$ homes on the bluff you'll never see otherwise. I'd let you know when I find out.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Most small planes in the USA have an ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) and maybe this one did, and unless its underwater, maybe the signal will be picked up.

 

[INTJohn]

Most small planes in the USA have an ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) and maybe this one did, and unless its underwater, maybe the signal will be picked up.

This plane is a put it together yourself kit or buy the plans and literally build it yourself from scratch. I know it needs to pass inspection for a tail# but electronics on these ultralight kits are absolutely minimal.
It carries 16 gallons of gas; cruising speed 160ish mph. Leaving Dowagiac it can easily be 40 miles offshore in Lake Michigan in 30 minutes.
The pilot is 82 yrs old.
reports say his cell fone was left in the hanger. “Old man dementia” or intentional?
Mechanical issue?
Medical issue?
Something else?

Small Fuel capacity leaves a very small fuel footprint easily dissipated by the all day wind & storms that came across Lake Michigan yesterday.
If it went down out in LM over the shoreline horizon no1 would see it less there happened to be a lake freighter nearby.
Nearest airports having Lake Michigan range radar might be able to have a track.

I spent over 10 years as a USAF ParaRescueman and have been on numerous SARs many in combat and many over water. Without a track this little plane will be difficult to find if it went down in the water.
INTJohn

 

[tx2sturgis]

Some ELT's are portable (battery powered) and so that's why I said 'maybe this one did'...which also means, maybe it didn't.

I also checked several ADSB-based flight tracking websites, no luck there either.

Either way if the pilot left his phone behind then the cellular network won't be of any use either, as far as triangulating the phone.

82 years old?

Ok...maybe he had something else going on.

Hoping for the best.

 

[maki2]

There are a lot of people out searching for him. Plus it is on lots of news services including the TV and radio stations in that area. The weather was supposed to clear today which will help with the aerial searches.

 

[BelgianPup]

He's 82..... possibility of a medical emergency. Hope he's found safe.

 

[user 22017]

Dicks's a good friend, good pilot, built the Sonex that's missing, was an ultralight instructor & flown for many years.

Hope your friend is found ASAP.

Do you fly Gr*ful? My dad had his pilot's license. My dad was friends through the 70's and 80's with a man who designed and built ultralights. He was about the same age as your friend. Makes me wonder if they knew each other. Ultralights weren't used by many in the 1970's, right? I'm guessing.

 

[Gr8ful]

Carla, I flew for many years in many planes, antiques,ultralights even powered parachutes. I have 2 runways & a huge hanger, a cabin & pond for friends who fly in. here on the farm & hold many ratings & could be a corporate pilot as I have the hours & they don't want anyone that took the vaccine & all the airline & military pilots did. But my body is shot.
What ultralight did your friend make or his name if you don't mind? Ultralight started south of here at Warren Dunes state park where glider riders would jump off the dune hills on Lake Michigan & ride the thermals sometimes for hours. I knew the record holder Braddock who stayed aloft for close to nine hours. They started putting small engines from chainsaws & the like but when prop tips go supersonic the explode. CGS (Chuck's Glider Supply from Ohio came up with a belt drive reduction allowing larger props & ultralights were born. Another friend Frank & his dad had 2 of the early Quicksilver U/Ls. Quicksilver outsold all the real plane makers put together one or maybe more years. The 1st powered airplane flight happened at Silver Beach but it was uncontrolled so it didn't count. Dick, Frank & I flew both GA planes & Ultralights, Here's Franks youtube .
I'm thinking maybe heart attack as no SOS call, it has a transponder & an ELT. It's a non towered airport but would have shown up on SBN, AZO or EKM radar but I don't know if they keep records but they say he headed north east which is here where the farm is. Dick built it 25 years ago & was an ultralight instructor for many years flying Phantoms which are aerobatic @ 9+ & 6- Gs. I started out skydiving then got into flying prewars you had to hand prop. Dicks wife was always with him & did needlepoint or some kind of sewing while he flew. I really feel bad for her. We had a case where 2 guy's from Indiana filed a flight plan to Mackinac Island go close never landed & never closed the flight plan, headed back to Indiana, ran out of fuel but the pilot had a good spot until the passenger turned the yoke all the way right which took off a wing & cartwheeled into a swamp that was so thick you wouldn't walk thru it. Broke the pilots legs, the passenger went for help but the pilot didn't know he died on the other side of the plane. The civil air patrol went to the bridge where they filed the flight plan to. The pilot was there 5 days chewing on his shoes & recycling his urine when a plane spotted them. The rescuers had to chain saw their way in & one of them put a hand on the plane & the ELT went off. I didn't have transponders in the antiques but always had ELTs & where I could reach the & the ones I could plug my headset into. The Bonanza I bought after I broke my back & recovered all I was going to had everything including Chuck Yeagers Loran from Glorius Glennis he set the record in. Still was useless but then I couldn't throw it away. Haven't heard any planes in over an hour so I'll get on the phone. Thanks All!

 

[user 22017]

Carla, I flew for many years in many planes, antiques,ultralights even powered parachutes. I have 2 runways & a huge hanger, a cabin & pond for friends who fly in. here on the farm & hold many ratings & could be a corporate pilot as I have the hours & they don't want anyone that took the vaccine & all the airline & military pilots did. But my body is shot.
What ultralight did your friend make or his name if you don't mind? Ultralight started south of here at Warren Dunes state park where glider riders would jump off the dune hills on Lake Michigan & ride the thermals sometimes for hours.

I grew up being exposed to aviation through my brother mostly. He started off as a teen pumping fuel at an airport. Then he attended Spartan School of Aeronautics. Now called college of...

Now he works for Raytheon.

Dad always took us kids to air shows. Had to watch the Blue Angels. My brother had a bi-plane named Red Baron, iirc. After dad retired he went to Wisconsin once a year to Oshkosh for the air show. He was so happy to be able to pilot an old military plane from WW2 (while in Oshkosh). I can't remember the details.

I'll DM the info about the ulralight pilot friend of dad's.

 

[user 22017]

What ultralight did your friend make or his name if you don't mind? Ultralight started south of here at Warren Dunes state park where glider riders would jump off the dune hills on Lake Michigan & ride the thermals sometimes for hours.

Just reread your post. I sent you the ultralight pilot's obit (man who my dad knew). I just remembered that he piloted a glider. It was a glider he was testing when he crashed. So I was confused when I clicked on your link and saw a tiny airplane.

 

[Gr8ful]

I've flown into Oshkosh many times for AirVenture, busiest airport in the world one week a year. Flying is a very unforgiving sport.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Yep and a few fatalities this year at Oshkosh....not unlike Sturgis Bike Rally, a large group of people involved in a risky pastime.

Stuff happens.

 

[Gr8ful]

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” Ali

 

[tx2sturgis]

Some small part of the pleasure in any risky activity is the fact that most of us survive, most of the time.

 

[INTJohn]

Probably because air SAR was such an integral part of the beginning of my adult life and it really defined who & what I was until I was about 26ish I’m finding myself giving a lot of thought to this missing plane event.

I’m having a hard time believing this plane went down over land.
SW Michigan including the Dowagic area is predominantly flatish open farm land with scattered intermittent wood lots. The only hilly areas are the sand dunes running adjacent to & parallel with the Lake Michigan shoreline.

Sunday; the day of the disappearance, was an absolutely pristine blue sky weather day for Michigan. Being late summer people in Michigan know the cold weather is around the corner and there will be few days left having such beautifully perfect weather.
Also; being a Sunday most people are not working; kids aren’t in school; with fall around the corner so too is harvest time. Farmers are outside prepping things for the harvest; people are outside enjoying this day; walking the dog; riding a bicycle; horseback riding, etc………

If this pilot/plane had some kind of trouble where it went down over land I find it difficult to believe that someone somewhere would not have seen and or heard something.

Also from what I’ve read; witnesses observed the plane flying north and then northwest after takeoff. This direction is an azimuth that is the shortest distance from the dowagiac airport to the Lake Michigan shore; a flight path this pilot is no doubt very familiar with.

With this line of reasoning; I’m having a hard time thinking it’s not in Lake Michigan especially after more than 2 days of searching during ideal weather conditions and nothing has been located on the ground.

At this time; My completely uninformed, unscientific & unsubstantiated opinion.
INTJohn

 

[Gr8ful]

He told his wife he'd be gone about an hour which would be about time to buzz my place or not (many people do but I can't get outside or to a window fast enough so never know who) turn north to South Haven airport, fly to the beach go south over the piers past Palisades nuke plant to Benton Harbor airport turn east back to Dog Patch. Overflying both non towered airports The Sonex just had the VW replaced with a Corvair & had a cruise of 140 so timing would fit. He had sold it but the new owner let him fly it. John I think you may be spot on but we'll see. Thanks!

 

[hugemoth]

Any plane that weighs more than 254 lbs, has a fuel capacity of more than 5 gallons, is not an ultralight, so it's either a light sport or general aviation. Both require a pilots license. A medical is required for a GA license but self certification is OK for light sport.

 

[Gr8ful]

It's not an ultralight, it's a experimental 51% homebuild, you can tell as it has an N# & Dick has a regular pilots license not a sport license. A sport aircraft can have a gross weight of 1320#, cant fly at night & can only carry 1 passenger. Min of 20 hours traing for sport self certify in place of a medical like lighter than air (balloons) & glider pilors do. GA pilots need a min of 40 hours & a medical. The FAA looks like it will increase sport aircraft weight to 3000# gross weight next year.