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Tommy Little has posted an emotional tribute to mentor killed in plane crash
"This week I lost one of my closest mates, my mentor and my sidekick in the sky."
Tommy Little has paid tribute to his 'mentor' Stephen Gale who died in a plane crash over the weekend.
Stephen, 56, was killed in a mid-air collision on Sunday when he and cameraman James Rose, 30, collided with another former military jet on Sunday afternoon.
The two planes were flying in formation before the crash, and the pilot of the second plane sent a mayday call after the crash, telling authorities he had seen a 'splash mark' in the water.
Stephen was an experienced RAAF engineer-turned-pilot who was filming for a documentary at the time of the crash, with James a drone pilot and television cameraman who had previously worked on MasterChef.
Tommy has now taken to Instagram to give an emotional tribute to Stephen, a close friend and mentor.
'One of my closest mates'
"This week I lost one of my closest mates, my mentor and my sidekick in the sky. To put it bluntly Stephen Gale is the most intelligent man I’ve ever met in my life and our relationship was the perfect example of when opposites attract," Tommy wrote.
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"An inventor, an adventurer and a heart of gold. He was a real life Tony Stark but with a flying suit instead of an iron one. His love for aviation was unparalleled. From his early years serving for our country in the Air Force to decades of flying and performing in air shows to just a couple of weeks ago being employed by the Philippine air force to test the capability of both their planes and pilots. He did it all."
'I'll see you in the sky'
Tommy then addressed Stephen's partner, Tori, and their son Tommy.
"To Tori, I know you know this but that man loved and admired you like nothing else. No one made him happy like you. Both you and your beautiful little man were the best things that ever happened to him. To Little Tommy, losing your dad before your first birthday is something that shouldn’t happen to any baby but I promise to be the best godfather ever and constantly remind you of the tour de force that was your dad," Tommy wrote. "Plus, your mum happens to be Wonder Woman so you’ll be more than fine. We got you."
The comedian and radio host also addressed the family of James Rose and ended his tribute on an emotional note remembering Stephen's friendship.
"To the family of James Rose, I can’t imagine the pain you’re going through and I’m sending you all the love and condolences.
"Steve and I spoke almost every day and if I was ever flat he’d say 'It sounds like we need to go flying' and then half an hour later life’s problems would melt away as we looked down over our beautiful city. But now the person that could make this problem melt away even just for a second is the one person that isn’t here to do it with me. I love ya, Cap. I’ll see you in the sky," he ended the post with.
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