The Ashes, Says Jim, Are Blowing In The Wind... And That's The Problem

British sport pilot Jim McTaggart has flown cropdusting missions in Texas and mercy missions in the Sudan.

Now, for a fee, he'd like to scatter your loved ones' ashes to the wind.

McTaggart says he's uniquely qualified to do this because he's invented a system that prevents the ashes from blowing back into the aircraft itself as they're being returned to the elements.

In fact, McTaggartsays most attempts to scatter ones ashes end up going terribly -- perhaps traumatizing the family member or friend doing the scattering.

"The poor departed-one generally ends up inside a vacuum cleaner rather than the clean air round an airplane," he told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland radio program.

"Unfortunately, the 150 mph wind running round an airplane causes all sorts of changes in pressure and generally blows it back in, or it at least sticks to the airplane. The ashes weigh about 3kg and are about 3 liters in volume - the compounded bits are more like a gravel."

McTaggart's system mixes the remains with oil smoke before scattering them to the winds. "My second system is where the ashes are suspended in the gas oil that forms part of the smoke system so you get a lovely plume of symbolic smoke," he said. "I think it's rather touching, a beautiful aeroplane and the symbolic trail of smoke."

FMI: www.caa.co.uk