Michael Robinson, Lakeland: Tragic mid-air break-up cuts short the brilliant life of a rising 23-year-old flying star.
The skies over Central Florida lost one of their brightest young lights on Monday evening. Michael “Cole” Robinson, a deeply loved 23-year-old pilot from Lakeland, was doing exactly what he loved when tragedy struck. His life was cut short in a devastating plane crash that has left a massive hole in the local aviation community.
Cole wasn’t just another guy who flew planes; aviation was his absolute world. Everyone who knew him talks about a kid who lived and breathed the skies, someone who spent his free time reading pilot novels and hitting the hangar. He had a gift, a rare mix of raw talent and absolute dedication that earned him deep respect well beyond his years.
He proved his brilliance early on at Polk State College, where he graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Aerospace Sciences. Cole didn’t waste any time putting that knowledge to work, grinding hard to build a stellar career. He put in the hours as a certified flight instructor, shared his passion by teaching others, and worked as a glider tow pilot at local airfields.
His journey through the Florida aviation scene left a mark everywhere he landed. From fueling up aircraft and marshaling heavy jets as a line tech at Winter Haven Regional Airport to handling operations at Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base, Cole was a familiar, smiling face. He loved the community just as much as he loved the machines.
That beautiful journey came to an abrupt, heartbreaking halt just before 8:00 p.m. on June 15. Cole had taken off from Bartow Executive Airport in a single-seat experimental aircraft, heading up north for a casual evening flight with a close friend. It was supposed to be a regular formation flight, a chance for two buddies to enjoy a perfect Florida night in the sky.
Instead, a standard flight turned into an absolute nightmare when Cole’s aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure mid-flight. A nearby pilot watched in horror as a section of the plane suddenly separated in mid-air, causing the aircraft to drop like a stone into a remote, wooded pasture west of Moore Road. Responders rushed out but Cole was gone at the scene.
Now, his family, friends, and fellow aviators are left to process an unimaginable loss, holding onto the memory of a young man who died chasing his dreams. While federal investigators piece together what went wrong with the aircraft, the folks who loved Cole are focused on remembering the passion, warmth, and bright future of a pilot who truly belonged in the clouds.
