Blind pilot conquers Kangaroo Route - in a microlight!

[Ned]

A British adventurer landed his microlight in Darwin on Monday
becoming
the first blind pilot to fly the so-called Kangaroo Route from
Britain
to Australia. Miles Hilton-Barber, 55, had a sighted co-pilot for the
13,500 mile trip.

The Kangaroo Route follows the same path of the classic London-Sydney
1919 Air Race: travelling across Europe, the Mediterranean and the
Middle East, via Pakistan, India and Burma to Malaysia, Indonesia,
Darwin and Sydney.

His microlight is equipped with software that reads out navigational
information and allows him to respond by typing on a keyboard
strapped
to his leg.

So far, he has traversed 18 countries in the Pegasus Mainair GT 450
microlight and weathered a wind chill factor of minus 25 degrees
Celsius
while above mountains in Lebanon.
http://www.mileshilton-barber.com/gallery_microlight.html

The last transnational leg of his epic journey was from Kupang in
Indonesian Timor to the north-west coast of Australia. He flew on to
Darwin, in the Northern Territory, and will finish his journey in
Sydney.

Hilton-Barber undertook the trip to raise money for the prevention of
blindness in developing countries.

"The only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves,"
Hilton-Barber said on his website http://www.mileshilton-barber.com/

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away."

[Erik]

Post by Ned
A British adventurer landed his microlight in Darwin on Monday
becoming
the first blind pilot to fly the so-called Kangaroo Route from
Britain
to Australia. Miles Hilton-Barber, 55, had a sighted co-pilot for the
13,500 mile trip.

Holy Crap! I know a guy that's parapalegic and flys like mad,
I don't know how the hell he manipulates the rudder. But Blind??

I've heard jokes about how we have to have FBOs ADA compliant
for the blind pilots, but I thought those were just jokes.

[Ray O'Hara]

Post by Ned
A British adventurer landed his microlight in Darwin on Monday
becoming
the first blind pilot to fly the so-called Kangaroo Route from
Britain
to Australia. Miles Hilton-Barber, 55, had a sighted co-pilot for the
13,500 mile trip.
The Kangaroo Route follows the same path of the classic London-Sydney
1919 Air Race: travelling across Europe, the Mediterranean and the
Middle East, via Pakistan, India and Burma to Malaysia, Indonesia,
Darwin and Sydney.
His microlight is equipped with software that reads out navigational
information and allows him to respond by typing on a keyboard
strapped
to his leg.
So far, he has traversed 18 countries in the Pegasus Mainair GT 450
microlight and weathered a wind chill factor of minus 25 degrees
Celsius
while above mountains in Lebanon.
http://www.mileshilton-barber.com/gallery_microlight.html
The last transnational leg of his epic journey was from Kupang in
Indonesian Timor to the north-west coast of Australia. He flew on to
Darwin, in the Northern Territory, and will finish his journey in
Sydney.
Hilton-Barber undertook the trip to raise money for the prevention of
blindness in developing countries.
"The only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves,"
Hilton-Barber said on his website http://www.mileshilton-barber.com/
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away."

what stupid shit, i always laugh when these guys het killed.
blind people have no call to be behind the controls of any machine that
moves.
the stupid ego drivin shit that people think is significant. is beyond me.

[A Guy Called Tyketto]

Post by Ray O'Hara
what stupid shit, i always laugh when these guys het killed.
blind people have no call to be behind the controls of any machine that
moves.
the stupid ego drivin shit that people think is significant. is beyond me.

Mental note: walk up to Ray and laugh in your face when you go
blind, either from old age or any other reason.

As the SO of someone who is blind, who can do just about
anything and everything you can do, I find your post lacking tact, and
just asking for a solid beatdown. Instead, I will leave it with this.

If you think going under the hood is hard enough during the
training for a PPL, think about having a permanent hood over your eyes
and not being able to see anything.. for the rest of your life. So for
someone like this guy to be able to do it means that a) he isn't
sitting on his ass crying 'oh woe is me', when he's being independent,
self-sufficient, and doing what he wants to do, b) he isn't taking shit
from anyone, will do what he wants to do, and no-one or nothing is
going to stop him, even not having his vision, and c) you take for
granted what you have. Walk a mile in his shoes, and see how you like
it. I bet you wouldn't even survive a day without throwing a fit.

If you can't even give proper respect to someone who is doing
this without something you have always had, why should anyone give you
the same respect for doing something with something you take for
granted?

BL.
- --
Brad Littlejohn | Email: ***@sbcglobal.net
Unix Systems Administrator, | ***@ozemail.com.au
Web + NewsMaster, BOFH.. Smeghead! :) | http://www.wizard.com/~tyketto
PGP: 1024D/E319F0BF 6980 AAD6 7329 E9E6 D569 F620 C819 199A E319 F0BF

[Andrew B]

Post by Ray O'Hara

Post by Ned
A British adventurer landed his microlight in Darwin on Monday
becoming
the first blind pilot to fly the so-called Kangaroo Route from
Britain
to Australia. Miles Hilton-Barber, 55, had a sighted co-pilot for the
13,500 mile trip.
The Kangaroo Route follows the same path of the classic London-Sydney
1919 Air Race: travelling across Europe, the Mediterranean and the
Middle East, via Pakistan, India and Burma to Malaysia, Indonesia,
Darwin and Sydney.
His microlight is equipped with software that reads out navigational
information and allows him to respond by typing on a keyboard
strapped
to his leg.
So far, he has traversed 18 countries in the Pegasus Mainair GT 450
microlight and weathered a wind chill factor of minus 25 degrees
Celsius
while above mountains in Lebanon.
http://www.mileshilton-barber.com/gallery_microlight.html
The last transnational leg of his epic journey was from Kupang in
Indonesian Timor to the north-west coast of Australia. He flew on to
Darwin, in the Northern Territory, and will finish his journey in
Sydney.
Hilton-Barber undertook the trip to raise money for the prevention of
blindness in developing countries.
"The only limits in our lives are those we accept ourselves,"
Hilton-Barber said on his website http://www.mileshilton-barber.com/
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the
moments that take our breath away."

what stupid shit, i always laugh when these guys het killed.
blind people have no call to be behind the controls of any machine that
moves.
the stupid ego drivin shit that people think is significant. is beyond me.

I hope that should anything like blindness (which as I understand it can
have varying degrees) befalls me, I would not be restricted by petty rules
meant to safeguard me but which would ultimately kill me by turning life
into an unrelenting borefest.

Expeditions of this sort are very thoroughly planned and as stated "had a
sighted co-pilot for the 13,500 mile trip" so the safety aspect is really
not an issue. It was certainly not the act of "a stupid shit" though your
reply may be considered such by many.

The money raised by this person for a very worthwhile cause also justifies
this trip.

Perhaps you would prefer it if any change from a specified norm was
treated as a reason to deny all forms of enjoyment to those
unlucky enough to be different.

I for one say 'viva la difference' and if you can - Do!

[Dan Luke]

Post by Ray O'Hara
the stupid ego drivin shit that people think is significant. is beyond me.

Looks like fifth grade was beyond you, too.

[Steve Firth]

Post by Dan Luke
Looks like fifth grade was beyond you, too.

Fifth grade was beyond me. What was it, some sort of initiation into the
masons or scientologists?

[Steve Firth]

Post by Ray O'Hara
what stupid shit, i always laugh when these guys het killed.

Can we have that again in English?

Post by Ray O'Hara
blind people have no call to be behind the controls of any machine that
moves.

Because a dumb ass says so?

Post by Ray O'Hara
the stupid ego drivin shit that people think is significant. is beyond me.

This must piss you off then:

http://www.st-dunstans.org.uk/pages/page.asp?i_ToolbarID=5&i_PageID=203
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/news/btn/blindspeeddemons.shtml
http://archive.salisburyjournal.co.uk/2003/8/7/148797.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/476363.stm

Heck and it must really piss you off that every single one of these
drivers has driven faster than you ever have, and that every one of them
was more of a man that you will ever be, and that before each became
blind they were extraordinary heroes of a kind you could never be.

As one of the websites says. It's not about absolute speed. It's about
having the courage to do it in the first place.

Would you ride a motorbike at 170mph blindfold?