Pilots family speaks

While the Transportation Safety Board investigates Monday’s fatal plane crash West of Ottawa, the family of the pilot, 74-year-old Bob Reany, of Port Elgin copes with the loss.

570’s News spoke with Bob’s big brother, Bill Reany.

Growing up, Bill and Bob were very close, and got into airplanes at a young age.

“He was a solid sort of a fellow … he had a lot of experience in the type of airplane we was flying (Monday).”

Bill said he last saw his little brother on Sunday at their church choir, where Bob Reany was talking excitedly about his plans to lift off in the airplane of his student, a Lawyer from Timmins.

“He was quite happy with what he was doing for the fellow. He was impressed the airplane, it had all the latest (technology) on it. It was equipped for navigation very much like you would equip a small airliner.”

“What ever happened the (the airplane) shouldn’t have. They wont know for many months until (the Transportation Safety Board completes an investigation on it,” said Reany.

Based on the “sketchy” information currently made available to the Reany family, Bill said it must have been a mechanical failure that lead to the plane dropping from the sky,  “(Bob) had radioed in after he left Ottawa en-route to Wiarton. I think he was at 27, 000 feet and he indicated he had mechanical problems. In two minutes it was all over.” Bill Reany said.

“We’re going to miss him.”

Mike.McCulloch@rci.rogers.com

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