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~be CmiaNaW Garn»Im u~1u A Metroland Community Newspaper Vol. 139 No. 39 Tuesday, July 14, 1998 36 Pages 750 (GST included) Photo by GRAHAM PAINE Armoured assault Combat style jousting was the order of the day et the Ontario Renaissance Festival where one of King Henry Vll's knights does battle with a feisty challenger, all to the delight of spectators. The Milton-area theme park opened for its third season Saturday. See more pho- tos on page 5. Pilot not licenced for bad weather, says investigator By KAREN SMITH The Champion The pilot whose plane crashed into the Milton Limestone quarry during a rain storm last week was f tor says. Rick Pilson, operational investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said the 77-year-old Stoney Creek pilot was only licenced to fly in clear weather conditions and should have either tumed around or landed. "You don't just continue on flying into it. Chances are it's not going to clear up as soon as you want it to," he said. Mr. Pilson said the Visual Flight Rules designation on the pilot's licence meant he had to fly by sight references. He was required to stay below the clouds with a visibility of no less than three miles. Pilots caught violating the conditions of their licence could be subject to fines or suspension by Transport Canada. Mr. Pilson said the pilot didn't suddenly come upon the storm in Milton. "He was in adverse conditions for a while to get where he was." Joseph Gabany, a former military pilot and volunteer with the Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, was flying in fog and rain when he crashed into the Steeles Avenue quarry Tuesday aftemoon. Mr. Gabany and his friend, June Wright, 77, also of Stoney Creek, died on impact. The crumpled and burned float plane wasn't found until Wednesday by a quarry employee. The conditions were reportedly good when Mr. Gabany took off Tuesday at 10:40 a.m. from the French River near Lake Nipissing, where the couple had vis- ited a cottage. But when encountering deteriorating weather north of Toronto, Mr. Gabany for some reason continued on. Radar records show he followed Hwy. 401 toward Burlington and then turned toward the Niagara Escarpment. The plane disappeared from radar at 2:22 p.m. and searches along the registered flight plan by the Canadian Forces tumed up nothing. To fly in such bad conditions, Mr. Gabany would have required a higher rat- ing on his licence for Instrument lying illegally, a federal investiga- Meteorological Conditions, Mr. Pilson said. Pilots who have this type of licence fly by instruments and take instructions from air traffic control to keep them away from other planes. The accident is under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. It should be wrapped up in a about a month, Mr. Pilson said. Toaster starits fire A faulty toaster is being blamed for a kitchen fire at an Anne Boulevard home Saturday after- noon. A toaster caught fire while being used at 12:30 p.m. and spread to the cabinets, causing $20,000 dam- age to the house. A resident contained the fire to the kitchen with a garden house, but the rest of the home suffered smoke damage, said Milton Fire Department spokesperson Mark Cross. "We can't stress enough that if you have faulty appliances either have them fixed or throw them out," he said. He added that the resident knew the toaster wasn't operating correct- ly. I I IuI I 1