Visually-impaired pilot in bid to fly into record books

A visually-challenged pilot is hoping to fly into the record books and raise £1 million for charity by steering his tiny microlight plane halfway round the world. Miles Hilton-Barber set off from Britain on Monday and hopes to reach Sydney, Australia, in just 45 days.

His plane has new technology which can speak to him so he knows exactly where he is and what’s going on around him. He’ll also be accompanied by a friend on the 13,500-mile journey, with stops in India and Malaysia.

Hilton-Barber said being able to see was a wonderful gift many took for granted. “While I will never see again in this life, helping to give this priceless gift back to many others who can be helped through our flight will make it all worthwhile,” he said. —