There are two primary directors, Colin MacKinnon and Tony Pascoe (Non-pilot ). With  MacKinnon, who I feel  is the more levelheaded partner, choosing to remain very much in the background, it's inevitable that there are disproportionate references  to Pascoe. This should not be viewed as me being laser-focused on the one individual as, has been claimed  in the past. Similarly, my reference to Pascoe being a non-pilot is not a put-down, yet a glaring fact requiring emphasis when he attempts to interfere with the intricacies of Piloting and flight operations.

For the benefit of clarity, I can't over-emphasise that this publication and earlier publications are not motivated to damage any particular operator yet to encourage  the required safety practices. Having said that, given the life-changing challenges and personal threats that my wife and I have endured at the hands of this company, SBS must take ultimate responsibility for the exposure that they and they alone have brought about on themselves.

Even at the time of my employment with SBS, they employed approximately 80 locals. This is a big boost to a Tanzania that suffers 80% unemployment. The last thing I want to see is this company destroyed.

Given that MacKinnon was the  commercially licensed pilot/director, I found it disappointing that he stood back, allowing his unqualified partner to involve himself in matters relating to commercial aviation. Had MacKinnon taken charge of the situation,  matters would have been  dealt with within a few hours without anybody getting hurt. I hold the view that Mackinnon’s inactions could  be justifiably described as gross neglect of duty.

Speaking of fatal balloon accidents, supporting my stance on passenger safety, as this site continues to evolve I  shall also be making reference to other fatal accidents that have taken place  not only in the Serengeti but also in Australia, Canada, Egypt, New Zealand, Slovenia, and the USA each of which took place after I became an aviation whistleblower in 2010.

Once all that bazaar yet factual information is placed before you, it's time for me to venture towards my primary destination surrounding the somewhat stretched, often inefficient British justice system, more so, what happened to a professional pilot/assigned safety officer turned whistleblower when faced with adversity.  

As with any book, each chapter will have its topical title; however, once addressing topics concerning the British justice system, I shall assign a blanket title to the second half of this book of, “In the Public's best interest”. For reasons that will become most evident, that title is taken from the CPS Code of Conduct, full code test, sections 4.1 to 4.5.

Earlier, I made reference to deathbed regrets; however, remaining on aviation safety, also in the news at this time was the Alaska Aircraft that  fell apart whilst at 16,000 feet. I’m sure most of you are up-to-date with that story.

Soon after Post Office scandal broke, described as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history, the UK was subjected to a remarkable ITV real-life drama; entitled Mr Bates versus the Post Office; as I write,That's remarkable dramatised documentary remains very much in the news.

The presenters of this four part documentary has  done  more for  British Justice than the  many years it  lounged around  in the  encumbered British Justice system.  

For the benefit of overseas readers, that drama tells the story of several postmasters/postmistresses falsely accused of theft or false accounting.  This is brand protection, is nothing short of a corporate cover-up of faulty computer software that makes it appear that the innocent had been on the take.  The truth was that it was well known within the post office hierarchy that the Fujitsu Horizon computer system had known faults, yet the post office taking its agenda of brand protection to the highest level, chose to ignore and prosecute innocent people.

So serious were the allegations that several were wrongly found guilty and sent to prison. Others, when faced with the threat of going to prison, were offered the opportunity to plead guilty to a lesser offence that they hadn't committed. Yes, so fearful, some bewildered accused pleaded guilty simply to escape going to prison,  four committed suicide. Needless to say, the 700 caught up in this fiasco suffered enormously. Marriages were lost, houses repossessed, followed by several bankruptcies, as well as enormous mental stress, each ee even including jail time are all too familiar to me, yet in my case   at the hands of both the Serengeti balloon company and the hijacked British Justice system.  As you read the Police log you will see evidence of  entries made in 2011 clarifying that the alleged crime of blackmail & menaces had  not being made ou Furthermore that no criminal offence had taken place. CPS stating there wes  nothing more than a civil case. Prior to criminal proceedings SBS had already attempted yet Failed with civil proceedings.

Experience tells me that if you are subjected to such shameless brutality,one  never really fully recovers. In my case, with everything lost, including my career, pension and marriage & home, it's inevitable that I shall become a different person viewing the world in a  different light. A more Encompassing Phraseology would be as simple as scared for life as are the post office employees

Having to fight my corner, at times  single-handedl, I never knew that I had the ability or inexhaustible fortitude to take on a multimillion-dollar balloon company as well as the British  Justice System simultaneously. Such success, if you can call it that, comes at an incalculable cost to one's mental health, which I shall discuss with you later.

Despite claims to the contrary, with the UK sporting nothing more than a flimsiest facade of whistleblowing protection, I remained determined not to allow such reckless operators, one with a long list of accidents, to undermine the very foundations of passenger safety, taking the deepest breath I picked up that whistle. A word of warning: don't try this at home; whistleblowing is not for the faint-hearted;  at times  it is akin to becoming nothing more than the Walking Dead.

Given what I have been through, I was initially very wary of watching the initial ITV broadcast, for I knew full well there would be a few similarities to the ordeal I  endured for many years.

Not long after the ITV screening, friends called me to inquire as to my view. Even they immediately recognised the vast similarities. Hence, they were surprised that I hadn't watched the initial screening yet  encouraged me to do so. I explained that I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it.  With their encouragement and my mountain curiosity, I watched all the episodes in one night. I’m not embarrassed to confess that, similar to meny of the reported 10 million viewers,  tears  trickled down my face on several occasions.

At times, I had to take a break, walk away and sort myself out before resuming; embarrassingly, I was never sure whether my tears were for the bludgeoned post office workers or for myself; perhaps it was both.

At this early stage, I would understand that some might think that I’m attempting to hijack the post office saga, something I’m very mindful of. Despite the stark contrast in our professions, I found the drama so familiar to the point of being uncanny. Identical to Alan Bates,  from 2009 to 2018, I would be found sitting in front of a computer for thousands of hours; hence, Typing Through Tears shall be another appropriately named chapter.

Other similarities were not receiving requested disclosures, documents going missing, the discovery of documents purposely hidden from view, intimidation, investigating police officer copying witnessing statements from other witnesses to the other; it went on and on.

With the above in mind  I shall be found making references to the post office sagae.

With all the above in mind; it can't be argued against;  that where the British Justice System so abominably fails the innocent defendant,  publicity of either web based  and or dramatised documentary prevails.

Before becoming a balloon pilot in 1988/9, I was most fortunate to have worked for UK-based long-haul tour operator  Encounter Overland ( EO). 1979/80.  EO With a fleet of 35 trucks operated overland expeditions throughout South America, Africa and Asia. The mode of transportation were ex-British Army Bedford four-wheel-drive truck, which if I was to stretch the truth most comfortable when carrying my 20 passages of differing nationalities .  At Just 24, many of my passengers were older than I.

  Although my time with EO was foolishly short, regretfully, the price, one pays after falling in love with one of the passengers (Canadian) who was on her way to Australia once we reached Kathmandu.  As you might expect, these 12-week, one-way, 12,000-mile/20,000 km expeditions were a life changer, not least a much-needed confidence builder, a welcome change from the three previous years driving old and rickety double-decker buses around York.

While with EO, I was also assigned as a deckhand on the company yacht named  Gypsy Gay. Gypsy operated between Thailand and Malaysia (Phuket-Penang), conducting ten-day-one-way charters between either location.  Again, some fascinating stories came out of all that, but that shall have to be another chapter, another time.  The founder of EO, Tony Jones, is a true visionary to whom I shall forever remain indebted.

As you would imagine there are many stories to come out of all that; however I will have to leave Asian expeditions to one side Suffice to say there are some plans for a trip down memory lane not too distant future.  Now is the  time to take  you to Tanzanias.

Encounter Overland 1979/80 Lunchtime Afghanistan Desert

A few days ago, I was listening to Chris Evans’s Virgin Radio breakfast show as he was interviewing Bonnie Wear, a former palliative care nurse and author of her recently published book " The Top Five Regrets of the  Dying". Don't worry; I'm not going to get morbid; there's so much living to be done.

https://virginradio.co.uk/the-chris-evans-breakfast-show-with-cinch/113464

Given that I shall be 69 this year, this got me thinking: what would I regret?  It didn’t take me long to conclude that despite starting to write a book in 2005, I’ve never got it done.

Let me explain, as of 2005, for many years, I had travelled around the world flying hot air balloons; there I was in Chicago, which, for good reason, has the nickname of  "Windy City", remaining true to its name, I am often unable to fly.With far too much time on my hands, thinking to myself, it's time to start writing that book that I had been promising myself for quite some time.

My proposed book was to be anecdotal, containing the many hilarious memories intermingled with just a few not-so-hilarious situations that I found myself in; my emphasis would remain faithful to my nature and be positive. My intention was to encourage readers to step outside their usual comfort zone, resist the self-restraining trappings of mediocrity & do something special with their lives. I'm a great believer that adventure or whatever floats your boat is there for everybody.

Given what I experienced whilst working for  Serengeti Balloon Safaris  (SBS), There's no denying there is a story that must be told; accounts of the many adventures of my earlier life must be put on hold for the time being.

I come from the humblest of beginnings; born in Yorkshire, I left school before I was even 15. Nine years of schooling had been a terrifying waste of time; however, I could write my name, and that was about it. Leaving school so hopelessly unequipped was very scary, leaving me wondering whether I was going to be sweeping the road for the rest of my life,  just as my far left-wing father once warned me, at the same time riding himself of any responsibility, stating that as he paid his taxes, the government should educate me, not h;. okay not  helpful yet  perhaps character building.

Much later in life, at no surprise to myself, I found out that my inability to read or write was the result of being one of the many undiagnosed dyslexia ( Later diagnosis, motor visual dyslexia). Don’t worry; I’m not crying in my beer; it's not my style. Being labelled as a dyslexic rather than “thick", such as the Yorkshire euphemism that had often been the case, was the first step up a very long ladder.  Years later, in 1993,  I got dangerously sick whilst flying in Egypt with a burst appendix, salmonella, & peritonitis thrown in for good measure. Eventually, escaping to a UK hospital, I was given just two days to live; indirectly, dyslexia saved my life. This provides a fascinating chapter; however, before  I delve into that, we have to visit the Serengeti, the Himalayan kingdom of  Nepal and neighbouring India.

Given what I've been through you might find it strange, however I do have some   sympathy for the individuals  defence/prosecution barristers & judges  working within the British Criminal justice system.

Similar to those individuals, my gripe is with the  system as a whole.

In its weakened state; it clearly not fit for purpose.

Don't take my word for it:-

The Crisis in the Criminal Justice System

4 March 2018

This article is based on a talk given by Mark George QC in February 2018 at the Miscarriages of Justice Conference in Manchester.  

https://gcnchambers.co.uk/crisis-criminal-justice-system/

Applying for legal aid was a saga on its own, with the first two applications mysteriously going missing and an investigating police officer conveniently losing her police notebook when the judge ordered it to court the following morning of her  2nd day of cross-examining. She, a long-serving officer; she would have hundreds of notebooks. When questioned, the notebook containing my case waselieve it the only one missing.  My confiscated dictaphone containing my covert recording of a conversation I had with Tony Pascoe at the time of my dismissal also went missing and has never been found! Then there was the situation whereby the CPS instead of sending me request for disclosure is relating to my trial I receive disclosures of another persons trial situated in Catterick. With the CPS drip feeding disclosures to a defendant, it's easy to see why judges and barristers feel that the evidently crippled  CPS is no longer fit for purpose.  

My laptop, which was confiscated for four years, was returned, although be it under pressure from the judge; however, the password had been altered, rendering evidential files inaccessible. This seriously dilutes my ones-held respect I had for the British police, something I view with immense sadness.

Be it a Serengeti  Balloon or a Seattle Boeing

It's never in the public best interest for air operators to attempt to silence any pilot.

Air Safety depends on pilots being able to speak out

Without fear, of employer retribution.

This broad-reaching publication is not primarily about Serengeti Balloon Safaris (SBS)  or its accidents.   References to SBS are solely to provide the necessary background of key events, simultaneously shining a light on my experiences with subsequent lengthy legal proceedings initiated by SBS in the UK & Nepal.

By deceptively choreographing those malicious criminal charges, for the very pilot who had earlier raised tragically proven safety concerns, similar to those caught up in the post office scandal, there's a heavy price to be paid when unprincipled companies and or individuals attempt to silence those who knew too much;  Embarking upon their relentless agenda of brand protection, at any price, even at the cost of the innocent, SBS cost the British taxpayer no less than £250,000.

Those who have previously attempted to silence their pilot are given notice that precautionary measures are in place.  Should this site or I come under attack, with backups entrusted to individuals in other jurisdictions, this site will be re-launched with appropriate updates.

Authorities are fully aware of past personal threats; potential risks are monitored.

York Balloon Pilot sets off on Adventurous

flight to the Serengeti

Above SBS Director & pilot Colin MacKinnon

Questions must be asked as to why  why did SBS/MacKinnon order illegal modified aircraft components from UK Balloon manufacture.

Acquisition of such illegaly modified aircraft components Null & void Certificates of Air Worthiness, This poses enormous legal ramifications for  both operator and supplier, Why did Cameron from Bristol agreed to supply aircraft components without reference to certify drawings? Were they put Under pressure by UK owned Serengeti Balloon safaris LTD

Furthermore why did the  Serengeti balloon co   order envelope without the fast & far Safer rapid deflation system that prevents passenger balloons from dragging along the ground in windy c ondition as was the case in the accident of September 2010 Crash site identified as extending for over half a mile..What were SBS attention to hide by not having pure pressure gauges  5 sets of burners ? was it that they were unable to Achieve the required burner pressure ?  This topic is raised by the two Independent Expert Witness  submitted by British and Australian Aviation experts.

With the above in mind Given the fatalities of 2010 has  both operator & supplier left themselves wide open open to potential manslaughter and or corporate manslaughter charges been made against them?

A further question, this time for the UK Civil Aviation Authority, what action if any has the CAA  taken against the operator for failing to comply with regulations, supplying substandard & dangerous components.

It is my firm belief that when authorities/police/Courts fail to take notice & take appropriate action &  address issues Accordingly there are other options as was the case with the post office Scandal. Similar to Alan Bates I shall not be letting go of this until I am satisfied that justice has been served.