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 late 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, boring, and somewhat tubby at present (the curse of the chocoholic).

I learnt to fly in Missouri at 22 and had planned to pursue a career in aviation. Sadly, personal poverty, pride, a female, 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 and fly my little aircraft 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 around middle America, and headed through the Bermuda Triangle in Cessna's. In my Microlight, India Zulu, I've traipsed around Europe, too. Additionally, I’ve flown her to Canada and back.

During that flight, to avoid the ice laden clouds above the wings, I was forced to dodge icebergs in the seas around Greenland. My navigation software got so confused it thought I’d landed on the waves a bunch of times.

At one point I had a stab at flying around the world. Unfortunately, the somewhat oppressive heat led to the engine struggling above the Mediterranean. Later that day the propeller stopped above the North African desert... You have to laugh in these situations (or at least stay very calm).

India Zulu and I made it as far as Jordan before the furnace like sun started to make bits of the aircraft melt. Additionally, there was an aircraft killing storm in the Arabian Sea, my Indian Visa was about to expire, and I'd unknowingly picked up Hepatitus (from dodgy food) so I wasn't feeling particularly invincible. Hence heading home.

Incidentally, the first time you fall asleep in an aircraft, as a solo flyer without an autopilot, makes for an interesting experience. I was overhead the French Alps at the time. I blame Hep A, fatigue, and manic weight loss for nodding off. Fortunately, the aircraft dropped a wing, started spiraling earthwards like a sycamore seed... and I woke up.

In general, I’ve won the GPS category of the Round Britain Microlight Rally and flown into two-thirds of the UK's airfields. I've been presented with the UK’s oldest flying award, the Britannia Trophy, by the Royal Aero Club.

I've also written two boring books about flying. I'll spare you their names because I can't say I want folk reading them. They're just "time capsules" for my daughter.

And to avoid boredom, the thought came to me to do something a little more altruistic with my flying, 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.

In general, I’ve flown in the most atrocious conditions, but with charity flights I only fly on nice days when the sun shines.

To this point, I’ve completed a couple of hundred charity flights. There's a Facebook album, somewhere, called, "Microlight Charity Flights in India Zulu". It has 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

Note; I’ve written all this down for my daughter’s benefit (as of 2025, she’s 14). I keep my mementos in a wooden box at home, not on show, so a lot of the above will come as a surprise. It’d be nice if she accidentally stumbled across this page one day and maybe felt a little inspired. I love you, kiddo... Dad. x