Blind Pilot flies 13,500 miles

Miles Hilton-Barber, 58, lost his eyesight to a hereditary condition more that 20 years ago. That didn't stop him from flying from London to Sydney in 54 days to fulfill his dream of being a pilot.

Assisted by sighted co-pilot Richard Meredith-Hardy,40, the pair left Biggin Hill air base in London on March 7th in the microlight aircraft. The aircraft looks like a cross between a tricycle and a motorized hanglider, and was equipped with an audio device that reads out navigational information, including air speed and altitude.

Hilton-Barber hopes that his flight will raise US $2 million dollars for the charity Seeing is Believing, which works for the prevention of blindness in developing countries. To date, approximately $65,000 US has been raised as a result of Hilton-Barber's flight.

Hilton-Barber has always been an adventurer, and has previously conquered Mount Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc, ran marathons in the Sahara and Gobi deserts, and hauled a sledge over 250 miles of Antartic Ice in an attempt to reach the South Pole.