Virgin Galactic pilot tells his far north mum ‘he’s alright’
A CAITHNESS-born test pilot for Virgin Galactic contacted his mother in the far north to tell her he was not on board the space craft which crashed in America.
David Mackay, who was born in Thurso, but has lived in California for about three years, is the chief test pilot for the company which is run by Sir Richard Branson.
Following the tragic crash in the Mojave desert on Friday, which resulted in the death of a pilot, Mr Mackay telephoned his mother in Helmsdale. He told her he was alive and well.
“David said he was alright and I was obviously very relieved to hear that,” Sheila Mackay told the Caithness Courier yesterday.
Mr Mackay, who is 57, was born in Thurso, but moved to Helmsdale when he was about six-years- old. He attended Golspie High School and after graduating from university joined the air force and spent 16 years working as an RAF test pilot.
In the mid-1990s he left the air force and joined Virgin Atlantic as a long-haul pilot before becoming the chief test pilot for Virgin Galactic.
Mr Mackay moved to California with his wife Sue and children, Duncan and Katharine, about three years ago.
SpaceShipTwo broke apart just seconds after igniting its rocket engine for a test outing above California. Pilot Peter Siebold parachuted clear but co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed.
The ill-fated flight was to be part of a series of sorties Virgin Galactic hoped would lead to a commercial passenger service to sub-orbital space being introduced next year.
Investigations are being carried out into the fatal crash and Virgin Galactic said it will co-operate fully and openly with the inquiry. However, the company also stated its desire to continue with its space venture despite what it described as “a tragic setback”.