CHARITY FLIGHT

Britain's blind aviator and adventurer Miles Hilton-Barber is undertaking a record-breaking 13,500-mile (21,600 km) microlight aircraft flight from London to Sydney with a stopover in Bangkok.

The latest in a series of remarkable achievements, the "Microlight Adventure 2007" will fly him into the record books as the first blind pilot to fly half way around the world. In doing so, he will raise $500,000 for Standard Chartered Bank's "Seeing is Believing" charity.

British born Hilton-Barber took off with a sighted co-pilot from Biggin Hill Airstrip, London on March 5 in a customised Pegasus Mainair GT 450 microlight plane.

With stopovers in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India and Burma en route to Bangkok, the flying duo plan to leave for Phuket on April 9, before flying to Malaysia then Singapore on April 10, and Indonesia down to Darwin, then to Sydney, Australia on April 29.

The remarkable flying feat follows a handful of equally astonishing achievements by the adventurer, which include running 150 miles across the Sahara Desert; competing in an 11-day Ultra-marathon race across China; climbing a 5,300 metre Himalayan mountain; and breaking the Malaysian Grand Prix lap record for a blind driver on a car racing track.

The "Microlight Adventure 2007" will draw on all of Hilton-Barber's aviation experience, which two years ago enabled him to become the first blind pilot to fly cross the English Channel in a microlight aircraft.

Hilton-Barber was accompanied on the inaugural leg of the epic journey from London to Cyprus by Britannia Trophy Award winning co-pilot Brian Milton, after which world-class microlight exponent Richard Meredith-Hardy has taken over as co-pilot for the rest of the journey through to Sydney.

The "Seeing is Believing"community programme is working to make a difference to the lives of 10 million visually challenged people in 20 countries and aims to raise $10 million in time for "World Sight Day' in 2010. Half of this amount will come directly from the bank's balance sheet as the matching fund.

Working closely with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and the World Health Organisation, the group has developed a new strategy which will not only restore sight to those with impairments, but even prevent blindness altogether.

Between now and 2010, the programme will become increasingly active with vitamin A distribution networks and health care-working training, as well as essential funding for simple cataract-removal operations that completely restore the sight of the patient.

Those wishing to contribute to this good cause may donate to Seeing is Believing Donation boxes at any of the 41 branches of Standard Chartered Bank or Seeing is Believing dedicated account at Standard Chartered Bank under the name: "SCNB Charity" account number 0002310756. For more information, visit http://www.seeingisbelieving.org.uk/microlightadventure

Bangkok Post

Last Updated : Sunday April 08, 2007