Paramotor Magazine, issue 24, April/May 2011
Paul Kilburn helped save seven people’s lives last summer with skilful and brave piloting. He didn’t want anyone to know, but we found out and think his story should be told. By Ed Ewing
The place where this story takes place is in England’s north west, near a stretch of coastline called Fleetwood Beach. When the tide goes out here miles of sand are exposed, attracting dog walkers, kite flyers and families hunting for shells or just splashing from puddle to puddle. But when the tide comes in, it races back in – “incredibly quickly” says the local Coastguard.
It was near here in 2004, on flats like these that a group of 23 commercial cockle pickers tragically drowned when the sea galloped back in. Abandoned by their boss they made desperate phone calls to family as they stood, chin deep in water on dissolving sandbanks. The event shocked Britain, resulted in several jailings and forced changes in the law.
Last summer a similar tragedy was narrowly averted by the bravery of a British paramotor pilot called Paul Kilburn. With low fuel, flying low over the sea a kilometre offshore and at some risk to himself, Paul shepherded two adults and five children from sandbar to sandbar after they had been caught out by rapidly rising tides. He then stayed with them, flying circles above them to show the Coastguard where they were. Duty done, he headed back to land where his tank literally ran dry before landing.
The incident happened last year, but Paul asked friends to keep it quiet. However, rumours of his flight slowly leaked out and we tracked him down and asked him to tell us his story.
Speaking to us by phone from his home in Manchester, England, and at times clearly re-living the emotion, he explained to us what happened on that day, 15 August 2010…
Read the full interview in Paramotor Magazine issue 24
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