Off the Line
Reya Kempley: Flying High on the Line and in the Sky
Off the Line features elite shooters talking about their other passions in life (besides shooting!) Reya Kempley (Carson
City, Nev.) will compete at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Championship in Women’s Prone and 300m Three-Position Rifl e as part of the USA Shooting Team. She fi nished in sixth place at the World Championship in
fascinated with planes. My parents took my brother Tarl and me to see some air shows and military airplane fl y-ins when we were young, and seeing those planes and pilots made an impres- sion. I didn’t know much about what it would take to become a pilot, but I never
really helped, since I was air sick every lesson for the fi rst two months! But I am stub- born and didn’t quit. We had a lot of fun fl ying together both during lessons and on cross-country trips after we got our licenses. Much like being a competitive shooter, being a pilot (and a female
and bustle of everyday life doing something that most people will never get to expe- rience. Seeing the earth from the altitude small planes fl y is breathtaking. Cities, mountains, farms, lakes... it’s all amazing. It is also an incredible challenge and re- sponsibility to fl y an airplane competently. Things like
Reya Kempley with her fl ight instructor John Brown. Reya is holding a copy of her book “Flight Emergency.” Photos provided by Reya Kempley
navigation, weather, dealing with traffi c around airports, radio communication, and making safe decisions are always on your mind when you’re fl ying. (Also see the last two sentences from the previous questions!)
How often do you get to fl y?
2010 and looks to build on that result this time around. Reya took a moment out of her busy schedule to talk to us about another one of her passions that isn’t shooting - aviation.
How did you even dis- cover aviation? Why be- come a pilot? Like a lot of kids, I was
lost my fascination with aviation. After college, Tarl and I decided to learn to fl y together. We found a fantas- tic instructor at a small air- port in Minden, Nevada. We took lessons together, fl y- ing around places like Lake Tahoe, the Sierras and the sweeping desert landscapes of Nevada. Having him to challenge and support me
50 USA Shooting News | September 2014
pilot at that!) is challenging, rewarding and makes me different from the norm. I like all those things!
What is it about it that you enjoy? Both the fun and the chal- lenge appeal to me. When you are fl ying in a small plane, you feel so free! You are up above all the hustle
In the past few years, I’ve
been fortunate to be able to focus more time on shoot- ing. But that also means that there is less time and money for fl ying. Right now the bud- get just isn’t there for both. I know someday I’ll return to it, though--I really miss it. Ev- ery time I see a small plane in the sky, the desire to fl y tugs at me! I haven’t found
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