SAFA Skysailor Magazine

8 SKY SAILOR November | December 2020 Ken Hutt, 61, from Berry, NSW, is set to become the oldest person to fly off the top of Mt Everest in a paraglider to raise vital funds for polio in May 2021. Preparations to fly off the summit next year are now underway as Ken plans to glide 8,848m to his landing point at the nearest Nepali town, Gokyo Shep. Retiring from a police rescue squad in 1996, Ken is adamant he isn’t an adrenaline junkie and that safety is at the forefront of his expedition. “I will be joined by 10 climbers, as well as additional local Sherpa support, for the week-long trek to Everest Base Camp before embarking upon the five week trek to Everest summit,” said Ken. “I have previously trekked to Everest Base Camp in 2019, but my big achievement was paragliding off the summit of Choy Oyu in Tibet – the World’s sixth highest mountain – in 2014. The Gates Foundation have an agreement with Rotary International to match Rotary’s fundraising with $2 for every $1 raised, up to $50 million. My reason for this expedition is for fundraising and aware- ness of Rotary’s ongoing challenge to eradicate the polio virus in partnership with the World Health Organisation and UNICEF. In the past 35 years, we have reduced the instances of children with polio from over 350,000 per year to about 100 per year, worldwide. Eradication is expected in the next couple of years.” Ken thought that as an experienced mountaineer, Choy Oyu would be his last paragliding attempt from such a great height. “I wanted to push myself further this time to raise more money for polio, and what better mountain than Everest,” said Ken. “I have a passion for paragliding and mountaineering, so joining them together for a worthy cause just makes sense. I’m aware of the dangers, but after paragliding off Choy Oyu, I’ve proven that it can be achieved. I believe I can achieve this jump off Everest summit.” Ken and his team are scheduled to leave for Everest in April 2021 and hope to make it to the summit by mid-May 2021. Ken hopes to raise more than $200,000 to help eradicate polio. Ken is a member of the Sports Aviation Federation of Australia (SAFA), which represents over 3500 members and their clubs, providing a framework for all pure flight aviation enthusiasts to take part in the sport they love, in a safe, fun way. Aussie paraglider aims to become the oldest person to fly off Mt Everest