Pilot feat for Diana8217;s cause

NAGPUR, December 25: Colin Bodill, once pilot of Princess Diana, arrived here on Monday evening in a microlight aircraft on his record flig...

NAGPUR, December 25: Colin Bodill, once pilot of Princess Diana, arrived here on Monday evening in a microlight aircraft on his record flight from London to Sydney.

This flight is also a fund-raising effort for the Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the unique feat is likely to collect half a million dollars at the end of Captain Bodill8217;s tour. Captain Bodill began his flight from London on November 30 and has so far covered more than 14,000 kms. In his 23-days journey, Bodill has covered France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Pakistan.

Bodill arrived at the Sonegaon airport here after a five-hour flight from Ahmedabad to proceed to Calcutta. From Calcutta, he would leave for Chittagong in Bangladesh and from there to Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and finally to Sydney in Australia. Bodill hoped that his journey from Nagpur to Sydney would take another three weeks.

A veteran commercial pilot who runs an aviation academy in England, Captain Bodill said that he preferred microlight aircraft to a bigger one, for this effort, as flying a microlight for such a long distance was a unique feat and attracted public attention. 8220;This would not have happened if I would have flown a bigger aircraft,8221; Bodill told The Indian Express.

The job is not easy. While flying his microlight aircraft in all weather conditions, Bodill has also to maintain the time limit to make the record flight. 8220;Anyway, I8217;ll have to complete the flight in time to raise funds8221;, he said. Captain Bodill is flying his own microlight, while the fuel has been sponsored by oil multinational, Shell. Bodill said he had received warm response from people at every place he visited.

Meanwhile, Bodill had to pay five dollars as landing charges to the airport authority in the city. Bodill said officials at other airports never charged him looking at the charity drive he had undertaken. 8220;This is the first time I am paying landing charges8221;, he said.

A letter of confirmity carried by the Captain also requests waiving off of the charges, if possible. What made the difference in this city was that no responsible officer was present at the city airport, when Bodill landed. The Aerodrome Officer is on leave, so also his deputy. The present officers dared not waive off the meagre landing charges, for want of authority.