A blind man will take the controls of an aircraft on the Isle of Wight later in a charity fundraising event.
Colin McArthur, 57, will pilot a Britten-Norman Islander plane during a flight from Bembridge Airport. The trip follows a previous charity event which involved Mr McArthur controlling a 130-seat hovercraft. Mr McArthur, from Sandown, lost his eyesight through Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) 22 years ago and is raising money for the RP Fighting Blindness charity. He said: “As a young lad of 14 I was partially-sighted and was at the Farnborough Air Show in the mid-1960s where the Islander was unveiled. It stole the show. “I am now registered blind through RP and am thrilled that Britten-Norman are giving me the opportunity to fly the Islander in my efforts to restore my sight.”
In 2007, Mr McArthur steered the Hovertravel craft from the Isle of Wight for a 20-minute trip under the guidance of a professional pilot.