1971
14 April 1971
PILOT FLEW AGAIN DAY AFTER THIS
The day after this cropduster air crash, local pilot Henry Van Schalk was flying again.
Van Schalk, who is a pilot for Tablelands Air Service had a narrow escape from death when his aircraft crash landed on “The Rest,” the property of Mr. Eric James, about seven miles from Mudgee -See picture above.
Van Schalk was forced to make a crash landing on April 6 when his engine cut out as he was transferring the intake of fuel from one tank to another.
A specially constructed cockpit, plus safety harness saved Van Schalk’s life.
The plane was carried from the property by a low loader on Wednesday and it is at present being repaired at the Mudgee aerodrome1
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References
1
Mudgee Guardian, Wednesday 14 April 1971, p. 1.