The lack of ambition in The Invisible Pilot, the latest offering from Sky Documentaries, is apparent from the off. “The truth is stranger than fiction,” one of the witnesses to the story that is about to unfold tells us. “Only in America…” they continue – yet another cliche.
It is a riveting story. Gary Betzner trained in the US Navy’s “Top Gun” programme before setting up his own flying service business and becoming known as a daredevil cropduster. “We had a perfect life,” his wife, Sally, says. Then, after several shocking bereavements in quick succession and a business deal gone sour, in 1977 he jumped off a bridge to his death. He left behind Sally, their two children Travis and Sara Lee, former wife Claudia and their daughter Polly. His body was never found.
