Tributes have poured in for two Moruya Aero Club stalwarts following Sunday’s plane crash off Barlings Beach.
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Ralph Buchanan and Graham White left the Moruya Airport at 11.10am on Sunday in Mr Buchanan’s Morgan Sierra 200.
Witnesses reported seeing a plane plunge into the ocean shortly after noon on Sunday about 1km offshore Barlings Beach.
Mr White’s body was recovered from the area on Sunday afternoon, while Mr Buchanan is yet to be found.
It is believed the flight was a standard annual assessment of Mr Buchanan's flying skills.
Emergency service crews are expected to continue the search and salvage effort on Tuesday.
Meanwhile tributes have poured in for the two men, who were both heavily involved with the Moruya Aeroclub.
Friend and fellow aviation enthusiast Alan Morton met the pair through their mutual interest in aviation.
Mr Morton, Mr Buchanan and another friend bought a plane together about eight years, while Mr White taught Mr Morton how to fly.
He said Mr Buchanan, the former owner of an electrical goods retail shop in Batemans Bay, was then already an experienced pilot.
He said he was meticulous, particularly when it came to his planes.
“The thing about Ralph is that he was the most pedantic and precise and particular person I’ve ever met,” Mr Morton said.
“Everything was T’s crossed and I’s dotted.
“He was the most wonderful person to actually be in charge of our plane to make sure everything was absolutely correct and procedures were carried out.”
More than that, Mr Morton described him as a “great friend”, who also volunteered his time at TeenSafe, a program teaching teenagers to be safe on the roads.
“He had a real interest like I do in teaching young kids how to drive cars,” he said.
“He was a very social person, everyone respected him, he was always someone you could talk to.”
Mr Morton said Mr White was chief flying officer at Moruya for many years, before moving to Wagga Wagga about two years ago.
“He was a wonderful bloke, once again another fellow who was meticulous and professional in everything he did,” he said.
“He trained a lot of people. He taught me how to fly.
“Those guys are going to be sadly missed.
“It’s a big hole in the community down there.”
