Charity

06.07.11. RTW trip not do-able this year without flight clearances through Taiwan & Japan (the Taiwanese aren't happy with the Chinese & the Japanese are not happy about the Tsunami - hence both have restricted airspace transit).

 

In the meanwhile, kind of like hold music on a telephone, here's something to keep you occupied... www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150147009471672.333950.687736671&l=cde929db62 (you might have to have a Facebook account to view the pic's).

 

Round the world Microlight flight

 

Hi ladies & gentlemen.....

 

If you're reading this it's probably because you either want to make a straight forward donation to charity, have a pleasure flight or you'd like to support our Round the World Flight.

 

Should you wish to take to the air with myself there's a number of things we can do. Depending upon the airspace you're sat underneath (flying into a landing jumbo jet could be considered hazardous) we could either fly over your home and you could take a few snaps. Or for footie fans we could fly over the Reebok, Ewood Park or the JJB Stadiums.

 

If the weather's nice, and the tide's out, we could fly to Pilling Sands and land on the beach. Some of the microlight chaps do this to get a tan & knock a football around for an afternoon... and then fly back to Manchester.

 

Alternatively, something I'm doing with my Dad, if you don't mind "suiting up" we could fly over to the Isle Of Man and try to spot some of the Whales that cruise around the island.

 

There are a couple of sad reasons behind the RTW trip but in general this is a very upbeat attempt to raise significant monies for charity, have a bit of a "boys own" adventure and beat the current 80 day world record for flying around the world in a "new style" microlight.

 

Our target is to raise £100,000 specifically for our nominated Cancer charity with Legal Brokers Ltd funding all the costs. In a nutshell any monies you donate will go directly to charity. No monies will be kept aside to pay for the aircraft, fuel, insurance, hangarage, safety equipment etc etc. To this point Legal Brokers has spent approximately £35,000 on the venture and is also funding all the aircrafts ongoing costs.

 

The aircraft we have is a Flight Design CTSW Microlight which complete with all the avionics etc would set you back £70,000 - she's about 18 months old now.

 

The CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) class her as a Microlight because she's very light. Whilst she looks like a traditional light aircraft she uses less fuel, flies faster and unlike most of the Cessna's you'll see, is new. To this point the only real trips she's done has been to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland & Denmark.

 

The current Round the World record is held by two overseas chaps. These lucky buggers were military pilots who had the support of their airforce. Unfortunately Bolton doesn't have it's own airforce (damn Coalition cutbacks) so I won't be able to call on this calibre of support.

 

In a nutshell we're doing a good thing for a very good cause & would appreciate any support anyone feels able to offer. To make a donation please visit www.justgiving.com/jon-hilton

 

Regards

 

 

Jon Hilton (charity@legalbrokers.co.uk)

 

There was (or were - not sure which is grammatically correct) pages of blurb here detailing the considerable ups & downs of the last couple of years of my life. I'm still doing a semi weekly journal but it's become a tad personal, in places, hence I've moved the twaddle elsewhere.

 

Apart from battling with the Law Society, spotting the odd celeb, various nightmares, aircraft "engine" warning issues in flight, headaches with the two main female characters in my life (both very independent characters), many doomsayers, headaches at work etc etc I've had an interesting time over the last 2 or 3 years. Oh, yes, and I'm a dad now. Father to a happy, very smiley, beautiful daughter.

 

The following videos, kind of, put things into perspective & will act to summarise my situation.

 

One vid details my life & death flying anxieties.... aircraft related. The next is Mr William Connolly explaining my position in life.... I'm a Wildebeest apparently. I like to think I'm much more "butch" than portrayed but non the less I can be disgracefully gormless where females are concerned. I've christened the ladies in my life, elsewhere in my pseudo chronicles, as Agnes & Betty. Say no more.

 

The last video is an incredibly romantic outlook on what's important in life. Some times. Possibly Christmas & birthdays. It's a touching incite into my mind. Do not click on the link unless you are over 21 years of age & worldly wise.

 

At your own discretion, and sanity, here you go;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF7-AxleI_0

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXhnvS_yD4Q

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxVKtNkQAtw

 

 

If the flight 'does for me' my sister knows how to get hold of all my diary notes. She say's it's all vaguely amusing...

 

There's also a summary of my meagre life experiences todate. Twenty odd thousand words or so. Sorry.

 

JH - March 2011 

 

As a little light reading about me the following, cringeworthy stuff, comes to mind;

 

Background blurb & Press information.

 

Eldest son of an Insolvency accountant & social worker.

 

A smidge under 6'1". 12.5 stone. Was a good looking kid. Not such a looker these days. Querky personality.

 

Left school with 5 GCSE's. Picked up an ONC in Civil Engineering, fluked the Mensa tests (couldn't manage it now) and passed the Chartered Insurance Institute Financial Planning exams (1, 2 & 3). I could once put the letters MLIA (dip) after my name.

 

In chronological order... a former YTS Estimator, Tunnel Engineer (very scary), Estate Agent (sorry), Mortgage Broker, Insurance Broker, Sales Manager for a House Building firm, Export Clerk for a lighting firm, Project Manager (lighting), Marketing Manager (lighting, again), Solicitors salesman & currently Director of Legal Brokers Ltd.

 

Workwise my two claims to fame are being the project manager for the lighting on the Thames "Wobbly Millennium Bridge" (secured the order & managed the installation) and I did the demo's and secured the Searchlight orders for the Eifel Tower project (more later).

 

Worked on the intank lighting for Europe's Deepest Water Aquarium (The Deep), the Kuwait PIFSS building, the Disney Cruise Ships (we designed a few fittings and I very nearly got fired for testing & breaking them) and the Copenhagen Opera House.... I even managed to blag my way into the Man United trophy room to fit a DMX light fitting.

 

Much more impressively I got a 25 yard swimming certificate at the age of 7. I've still got it.

 

Less impressively I managed the Bronze Duke of Edinburghs award and the Berlin, Paris, New York, Moscow, Rekjavik and LA Marathons. The San Diego triathlon. A sponsored bike ride around Beijing and did a luge type thing off the Great Wall. The Pamplona Bull Run. The Ironman (I call it the Tinman because it's a damn silly name to call something). A relay Swim across the Channel and I, somehow, managed to pick up a Blackbelt in Ju Jitzu (three broken toes, broken finger, broken rib & foolishly a broken hand bone that needed surgery - completely my fault).

 

With work, and generally, I've been to Canada, Ten US States (NY is the most impolite place on the planet), Scandinavia (the Copenhagen "Mermaid" is rubbish), most of Europe (the Trevi Fountain was very impressive), Kenya (got chased by muggers late at night), Australia (nearly got swept out to sea off the Gold Coast), China, the Middle East (got briefly taken into custody by the Dubai customs chaps) and Iceland.

 

As incidentals I've had the Glastonbury and Silverstone Grand Prix experiences. We put a few Xenon searchlights at the top of Sunderlands Stadium Of Light hence I got invited to the VIP opening of the Stadium. I worked, a little, on the Millennium Dome and wandered around the James Bond set, at Pinewood Studios, whilst dropping off some kit.

 

I've done the Tough Guy Challenge (hardest thing I've ever done - my "cojones" nearly fell off) and climbed to the very top of Canary Wharf Tower (after you've navigated past all the air conditioning machinery there's an access hatch in the roof void) and poked my head out. At the time it was Europe's highest building.

 

In flying, or general airborne terms, I've Bunjee jumped, held my Hang Gliding and Sky Diving licences, US PPL, UK PPL, IMC rating, Night rating, RT rating and Multi Engine ratings. I had enough flying hours to go Commercial.

 

Please note I passed the IMC and Multi engine flying & written exams but didn't have the funds to pay for the licences themselves hence when I stopped flying I let these ratings lapse.

 

I've flown, on my little lonesome, into Daytona International (directly above the speedway which is very cool to look down on), Freeport International (through the Bermuda triangle and onto the Bahamas), along the runway at Cape Canaveral at midnight (where the Space Shuttle used to land) and into Orlando International (very intimidating).

 

The wrong place to add this but for 1 second I held Michael Jackson's attention, 22 years ago, when I was forced to go to Aintree and watch him perform. Half a dozen of us were a couple of rows back from the stage. Everyone was singing Billy Jean or some such. I'd got into the swing of things by then and was singing my lungs out. Unfortunately I got the lyrics completely wrong and was singing / shouting when every one else damn well wasn't. Michael looked over. So did everyone else. I felt like such a burke...

 

I've done the African safari thing & to my eternal shame the Marlin fishing "thing" in the West Indies. We didn't catch anything big (the plan was to put it back if we had) but we did snag a little tiddler. It's one of my great regrets that I didn't stand up to the boat crew and tell them to put the bugger back over the side. I should have had bigger balls. I won't go into more detail but that's been my "silence of the lambs" moment for the last couple of years.... Bloody 'orrible it was.
 

I set up Legal Brokers Ltd, approx 5 years ago with a £300 over draft, and to the year end 31.07.10 our turnover was in excess of £1million. The focus now is to make the business more profitable even if that means reducing the turnover. ie. less stress (the SRA will make your blood boil).

 

The stuff above represents the dry facts of my 43 years on this planet.

 

Not sure what else I've got to prove to myself these days... I guess I wouldn't mind getting into the Guinness Book of Records... I was thinking about trying to become a Euro MP at some point !

 

I have every expectation of completing the RTW flight but I wouldn't be me if I wasn't scared of something or other & this flight is my biggest challenge to date. Hence my biggest fear too. I am a complete lightweight.

 

Having read this twaddle would you mind making a donation please via www.justgiving.com/jon-hilton ?

 

 

 

Top Left; New style microlight (ie. mine) and older flexwing model behind.

Top Middle; Two neices. Abs foreground. Keira holding up the wings.

Top Right; Prop blades as captured by the camera.

Bottom Left; The LBL team in late 2009

Bottom Middle; This country's beautiful from above...

Bottom Right; Some geezer who likes to smile & laugh but hates havin' his picture taken ! 

 

PS. Time is a funny thing. It creates different perspectives depending upon where you are on your own timeline. ie. aged 20 or 30 or 40.... Wounds get opened up & then healed. Memories created and ghosts laid to rest. Things that seemed massive at the time don't seem as earth shattering with the benefit of time...I guess what I'm saying is that 43 is a difficult age. You'd think it wouldn't be but it bloody well is...

 

I say all this as an aside to my flying experiences (I haven't achieved anything yet). In a way my flying excursions, dodging hillsides and getting caught in unpleasant aviating conditions, has made me focus on personal matters that I'd have glossed over if I wasn't pondering the meaning of life. If there's a moral to live by, that the last couple of years have taught me, it's to try to be the best person you can be....

 

I'm nothing special as a human being but if you get a mo have a read of "if" by Rudyard Kippling. Interesting stuff.