World champion helicopter pilot Dennis Kenyon is well-known in the aviation world after 40 years’ experience as a flying instructor, display pilot and he writes for several aviation magazines. However since moving to Kings Caple near Ross-on-Wye he has completed his first novel which is available on Amazon.

Dangerous Appointment is an exciting thriller based on the activities of helicopter pilot, Alistair Craig. He needs to earn a lot of money but becomes embroiled in a terrorist kidnap plot which could affect the world political situation. Dennis has appeared in many of the James Bond movies, flying helicopters, and many readers have commented that his novel could be transferred to the big screen. There is plenty of hair-raising action featuring night flights, even a torture scene which Dennis had to research carefully to discover how much pain a human body can withstand.

“I have to say that ‘without being too sexist’ this is a man’s book, however I know that a great many women are fans of James Bond style heroes. I personally found the accounts of the helicopter flights, especially the near misses riveting. They have obviously been written by someone who knows about helicopters at first hand.”

Helicopters were an important part of Dennis' life and he said they have been good to him. Partly as a way of giving something back, and also as a way of preserving the memory of his son, who died in a helicopter crash in 2000, he founded the Dennis Kenyon Junior Helicopter Scholarship. Dennis Junior started his flying aged 14 and was the youngest pilot to qualify for training as a helicopter instructor at age 18. Each year the scholarship awards a fully funded JAA PPL(H) to a British National aged between 18 and 23. No formal educational qualifications are required, and the scholarship is available to anyone who cannot personally fund flying to the PPL stage.

Dennis told the Gazette:?“Helicopter aviation is a truly wonderful way to earn one’s living but having passed the magic 20,000 flying hour mark, I’m verging on retirement and want to become a writer, hence my first novel. My agent Murielle Maupoint of BNBS helped me sell the first print run of just 400 copies, so I have now updated the typescript and have a further 300 to sell.

“The income from our book sales is used to support scholarship funding, and with this in mind we also sell a helicopter display DVD that contains some of the leading display pilots in the world. A scholarship entry form is included with the DVD. The selling price is £12, including VAT. Additionally, and this is the hardest part, we are always seeking donations and possible sponsorship for our scholarship fund.”

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