Pilot to fly across the Atlantic to support Hampshire disability charity

A private pilot is making final preparations for a risky crossing of the Atlantic to raise money for a Hampshire charity.

Jon Hunt - also known as the flying reporter on his popular YouTube channel - is hoping to raise £50,000 for aviation disability charity 'Aerobility'.

He'll start his epic adventure in his single-engined PA28 aircraft 'India Victor' on Saturday when he'll take off from the Aerobility base at Blackbushe airport in north-east Hampshire.

Before leaving there'll be a launch party to see him off.

Jon plans to fly across the Atlantic via Iceland and Greenland before dropping down into Canada and finally to the US where'll he'll visit locations including New York and Washington DC.

Jon said he understands the potential dangers that lie ahead:

"you know, if you think about it, Mid-Atlantic, we're so far from anyone and anything that it would take an awful long time for something to reach us. You know, any aircraft or helicopter probably wouldn't be able to mount a rescue operation to pull us out of the water.

"We'd have to wait for a boat to come and get to us, and that could take quite some days. So, yeah, well, I think we've done everything we can and mitigated as far as possible."

Submerged

Jon - who is from Kent and usually flies out of Redhill in Surrey - will carry a dinghy and other lifesaving equipment onboard and has even undergone sea survival training. He said:

"if we have to land the aircraft on the sea there's a very good chance it will flip over. You'll be upside down, you'll be submerged in the water. And then of course, it's quite difficult to get out. So this course teaches you, you know, it simulates throwing you into the water turning you upside down and you've got to get out through the windows and into the raft, which sounds easier than it is. You know, you think you can just sort of clamber up into a raft like a dinghy, but actually, it's jolly hard and takes a lot of effort to get into the raft. And if you sort of compound that with the fact that you've probably had a very frightening landing, you might be injured, you know, it's actually, it can be quite hard."

Conversations

Jon said he'd discussed the risks with his family:

"I try not to think about what could happen. I'm fully aware that if something did go wrong, it probably wouldn't end well. And, you know, I've had to have conversations with my family about that point. And, you know, then at the end of the day, my friends and my family, for them, it's worse for them. You know, they're the ones that aren't driven the same way that I am, and they're the ones that are very worried. I can't say that I'm overly worried about it. That's probably famous last words now. But yeah, I'm it really doesn't. It really doesn't keep me awake at night. "

Jon will end his two and a half month trip at the world famous aviation gathering at Oshkosh.

He'll film his two and a half month journey for his YouTube channel and along the way raise awareness of Aerobility.

Real

I asked him if sharing the trip with his subscribers put him under extra pressure:

"I'm known for the authentic story. So my content, my videos are all about telling it as it is. There's a lot of pilots out there who think they are, you know, sky gods is what we call them. They think they're the best pilot out there. I'm not the best pilot out there. I'm an average Joe pilot. And that's how I present myself on the videos. So with my content, it's all the, it's warts and all. It's all the good times, it's all the bad times, it's all the challenges, it's all the successes.

"And so my audience loves me for that, for being real and keeping it real, and they will be joining me on the adventure, seeing it all play out in real time. And I'm not in the least bit embarrassed about that. And, you know, we'll be glad to share with them, you know, everything that that happens from probably the tears of joy as I land in America, but also perhaps some of the frustrations and stresses of all the delays, the weather issues, difficulties getting fuel, the cost of the hotels or whatever it might be."

Incredible

Speaking about his support of Aerobility he said their work has a significant impact on disabled people:

"I can't stress how important and valuable the work is. You know, I've met a lot of their service users and for them, this might be the one thing in the year that brightens their lives, and for the people that come and take advantage of these experiences, for them, it really does enable them to feel free, to no longer feel disabled. They're sitting in a plane, you know, they're just like another voice on the radio talking to air traffic control.

"All of the sort of shackles of their disability have been taken away and they're just flying like a bird in the air and it has such a positive impact on their lives. And it really is incredible. You probably can't imagine how incredible it is for these people. It's difficult to describe. But it really is a very special gift that we can give to people."

You can follow Jon's adventure here

And discover more about Aerobility here

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