I’ve had a couple of goes at writing this and every time I’ve reread it, I’ve sounded like a twit.

I’m in my 50’s now and I guess you could say I’ve done a reasonable amount with my life. Some of the events that follow were done to raise money for other charities and they pre-date JustGiving. I did the other things because I’m easily bored.

I’ve ran the Berlin, Paris, New York, Moscow, Reykjavik, Los Angeles and Sahara Marathons. Plus the San Diego triathlon and the British, Italian, and South Korean I.M. events. I’ve done a bike ride around Beijing, swam a relay across the Channel, picked up a Black belt in Ju Jitzu, ran the bulls at Pamplona, and got the very basic ‘solo’ free fall parachuting licence.

It has to be said that whilst I might seem sporty, I’m incredibly normal and boring.

And I learnt to fly in Missouri at 22 and had planned to pursue a career in aviation. Sadly, a lack of funds, pride, stupidity, a woman, a civil war, and a corneal ulcer got in the way.

Strangely, that led to my working in the lighting industry and I was instrumental in putting searchlights on the Eiffel Tower and lighting the Millennium ‘Wobbly’ Bridge across the Thames.

These days I run a legal services business during the week and fly my little aircraft, India Zulu, as a distraction from work. ie. I simply fly for fun. I’m not a commercial pilot, but I’m reasonably experienced.

I've flown through the Bermuda Triangle in a Cessna. In my microlight I've been forced to dodge icebergs in the seas around the Greenland coast, had to fly so high I had anxieties about hypoxia whilst struggling to Canada, flown so low across the Atlantic my Garmin thought I'd landed on the waves, and had the engine stumble above both the Mediterranean and Egyptian desert. You have to laugh in these situations (or at least stay very calm).

In general, I’ve flown into two-thirds of the UK's airfields, flown her to Canada and back, and had a stab at flying around the world (only got as far as the Middle East). I won the GPS category of the Round Britain Microlight rally, been presented with the Britannia Trophy by royalty, written two boring books about flying, and maybe I was getting bored, again.

So, the thought came to me to do something a little more altruistic with my time, hence the Charity Flights.

The Civil Aviation Authority's "Charity Flying Rules" say I have to pay all the flying costs (fuel, landing fees, maintenance costs, insurance, hangarage, Permit inspections and general paperwork). I can not take cash, or payments in kind, from anyone. All donations need to go through this site.

If we fly together your flight will be completely at my expense. Hopefully after we've flown, you'll then donate any sum you feel comfortable with to this Cancer Charity.

So, what do I get from this ? An excuse to go flying. You get a different perspective on the world. And the charity receives your donation. Win, win, win.

To this point, 2024, I’ve flown a couple of hundred or so people around the skies of the North West. There's a Facebook album, Microlight Charity Flights in India Zulu, with pictures of those I've been privileged enough to take flying.

Please text me on 07746 184198 if you want to fly or generally chat about making a donation.

Cheers

Jon Hilton