'Flying vet' held at African airfield
FORMER Guernsey resident and vet Maurice Kirk and other pilots have been released by Ethiopian authorities following intervention by UK diplomats.
The man known as the Flying Vet was being held during an attempt to fly the length of Africa in vintage planes.
Mr Kirk, pictured, a drinking friend in Guernsey of the late actor Oliver Reed and persistent irritant of authorities, went missing in his 1943 Piper Cub earlier this week near the border of Sudan and Ethiopia, prompting a search-and-rescue operation.
He was found safe, but when he and all those taking part in the Vintage Air Rally – about 40 people in all – managed to touch down safely in Gambella, Ethiopia, they did not receive the warmest of welcomes.
A statement from rally organisers said: 'The Ethiopian authorities have elected to allocate accommodation at the airport rather than permit them to proceed to their pre-booked hotel. The reasons for this, at this time, are not 100% clear.'
