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Wednesday 29 July, 2009
Yorkshire
Two ambitious young men from Yorkshire will attempt to break a new Guinness World Record this summer by attempting to fly to ‘The Most Countries Visited by a Fixed Wing Aircraft in 24 Hours.’
Joshua Wilson and Darren Cooper who are both only 22, have had their challenge officially recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records. Their journey will see them fly to 10 countries from the UK which includes the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and finally completing their challenge in Italy. The duo hope to start their journey on 29th August departing from Southend airfield just outside London.
Josh and Darren will be piloting a Cessna 150. Due to the performance of the aircraft and the route to be flown, their challenge will be a test of both skill and endurance. The primary objective of their journey is to raise funds for two very worthy charities, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Schools 4 Schools.
Josh, who owns the aircraft they will be flying commented: “This is a very ambitious challenge we are undertaking, but it is also very exciting for us too! The idea for the challenge came about when we visited the Isle of Man back in February – we were chatting on the plane about how far exactly we could go and came it up with the idea to attempt a Guinness World Record!”
Darren also commented “Although flying is our passion, we are undertaking this challenge ultimately to raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Schools 4 Schools. These are two very worthwhile causes and we really want to help by raising some money for them”.
Having met through a flying course during their service in the Air Training Corps, Josh and Darren coincidently ended up reading Aviation Technology with Pilot Studies at the University of Leeds, graduating in June 2008. During most of their spare time at University, particularly between exams and lectures, both could be found in the skies of Yorkshire in the 40 year old Cessna 150 purchased by Josh’s student loan. Both have ambitions to fly for a career. Josh hopes to complete a course of commercial pilot training in the near future with the aim of obtaining an Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence and going on to fly for an UK airline. Darren hopes to join the Royal Air Force to fulfil his life-long ambition of flying fast jets.
Nicky de Whytell, West Yorkshire Development Officer for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) commented “This is one of the most unique fundraising ideas we have ever seen at the YAA! What the boys are going to attempt is a huge challenge, but we have every confidence in them to complete their journey within the specified period. As pilots, Josh and Darren know the importance of a life-saving service such as the YAA. Their fundraising efforts will help us to achieve the £7,200 each day we need to keep both of our helicopters in the air. We wish them every success with their Guinness World Record attempt!”
For further information regarding Josh and Darren’s Guinness World Record attempt, please visit their website www.challenge24.org.uk.
