Eric, 67, flies up, up and away
Some people take up gardening when they retire. But not Eric Kemp, of Koolewong.
By CHRIS RILEY
Mr Kemp, 67, a retired industrial engineer and former Royal Navy man, has taken to the air — or at least he’s a “trier.”
His last attempt ended in near tragedy when the engine of his souped up 240 cc Skycraft Scout blew up over Wyong.
Mr Kemp was about 80 metres above the ground in the ultra-light aeroplane at the time of the incident.
He said he was at first scared.
“But I really enjoyed it. I felt like a bloomin’ pelican when I threw the Scout into a tight turn and glided down to Wyong airstrip.”
It’s not the first time Mr Kemp has almost come to grief.
A previous flight found him trapped inside his overturned aircraft in Brisbane Water.
Near drowning, Mr Kemp said he had almost given up hope of surviving the crash landing. But with a superhuman effort he managed to struggle free.
Then there was the time when the propeller of his patched up plane shot off as he was warming up to take off.
Luckily, no-one was hurt.
Sounds dangerous, doesn’t it? But Mr Kemp maintained that flying one of these ultra-light aeroplanes, which appear to be little more than a step up from a hang-glider, is safe as long as you know what you are doing.
He is among 15 flying enthusiasts who gather at Warnervale airstrip every Sunday to challenge the wild blue yonder in the tradition of those daring young men in their flying machines.
He has been dubbed “The Red Baron” by his fellow fliers because of the bright red outfit he wears while aloft.
Mr Kemp has chalked up about 20 flying hours and is only one of those hours away from gaining his wings.
Mr Kemp said he first became interested in flying when he saw a demonstration of the Skycraft Scout at Schofields Air Show last year.
He said he made some enquiries and jumped at the chance to pick up a damaged aircraft from a man who had crashed it.
“The bloke was glad to get rid of it. The prang had scared him to death,” Mr Kemp said.
“We find that with a lot of young blokes. They come up here really eager to learn how to fly, but once they get behind the controls of a plane they freeze.
“We literally have to lift them out of the aircraft.
“That’s what leads to accidents. You can usually tell whether a bloke is going to be any good at flying or not within the first hour.
“Either they’ve got it in them or they haven’t.”
Flying, especially this type of flying, is not for the faint-hearted, Mr Kemp agreed.
Mr Kemp’s Skycraft Scout is one of about six of its kind on the Central Coast.
The aircraft weighs less than 200 kilos and has a wing span of about nine metres.
It retails for around $3500.
Photo caption:
Eric Kemp ready to soar!
