Blinded pilot lands safely
A British pilot who was suddenly blinded by a stroke during a solo flight was talked safely down by a military pilot, the Royal Air Force said.
Jim O’Neill, 65, asked for help after he went blind 40 minutes into a flight from Scotland to southeastern England last week. The BBC reported that O’Neill, flying a small Cessna aircraft, lost his sight 5,500 feet in the air.
Wing Commander Paul Gerrard, who was finishing a training flight nearby, was drafted to help. He located the plane and began flying close by and radioing directions.
O’Neill’s son said his father is an experienced pilot who has flown for nearly two decades. He is recovering in a hospital and is regaining his sight.
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