Phelan flighty!

Emper man Jason Phelan is set to perform a hair-raising aerobatic wingwalking flight, strapped to the top of the wing of a 1940s Boeing Stearman as it flies at over 130km, to help save the red panda.

Forty-eight-year old Jason is the Flights Operations Administration officer with the Irish Aviation Authority and a freelance aviation photographer. However, his love of aviation was ignited when, as an 18-month-old baby his parents, Mick and Ann brought him to the Abbeyshrule Airshow and the Biggin Hill International Air Fair in the UK.

Jason’s father, Mick Phelan, a skilled digger driver, was born and raised in Emper and his mother, Ann, née Gray, is a native of nearby Ballynacargy. The family moved to the UK about 50 years ago, and subsequently returned to Emper.

Since December 2012, Jason has been dividing his time between work in Dublin and the family home in Emper. He takes a keen interest in life in the locality and designed and supplied images from the local area for a calendar to help raise funds for the Emper Community Development Group.

The Westmeath Examiner caught up with this high-flyer shortly after he returned from the Lyons Estate in Kildare, where he got up close and personal with a 1940s Boeing Stearman aircraft to do some preparation and promo pictures.

This is the same type of aircraft that he will be strapped to when he completes his aerobatic wingwalking flight on Thursday September 9 at RFC Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester in the United Kingdom.

“It’s now full steam ahead and hopefully, there will be no issues this year,” Jason remarked.

He explained why he is embarking on this daring and daunting adventure. Having enjoyed so much thanks to aviation, he sees this as his chance to give back. In 2009, Jason completed a three-day aerobatic challenge, which raised £7000 for the charity fly2help and made the BBC news.

Over the past few years, Jason has been working with the Red Panda Network to help conserve and ensure the sustainability of this amazing creature in its natural habitat.

He pointed out that the red panda population has declined by 50% over the last 20 years and there may be as few as 2,500 left in the wild.

Their decline is due in part to the fact that much of their habitat is being cleared, but also because they are being poached for their distinctive pelts in China and Myanmar.

Red pandas are often killed when they get caught in traps meant for other animals such as wild pigs and deer.

The Red Panda Network is committed to the conservation of wild red pandas and their natural habitat through the education and empowerment of local communities.

Jason Phelan is determined to play his part in this cause. To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/wingwalking4redpandanetwork.