World Record With A Purpose
Watch a video of Barry Jones explaining why he wants to take on the Global Eagle Round-the-World Challenge
Watch a video of Barry telling pupils at Fairfax School, Sutton Coldfield, how to fly an Autogyro
Hello, my name is Barry Jones. I am a helicopter pilot in the British Army, serving in the Army Air Corps. Next year, during the centenary of powered flight, I plan to fly my Autogyro, the Global Eagle around the world and into the record books.
I joined the Army back in 1984 as a boy soldier. Back then, I was in the Royal Corps of Transport and after training was posted to Germany where I served for five years. During my time in Germany I squeezed in a tour of Northern Ireland as part of a Bomb Disposal Team in Belfast.
After Germany I was posted to England, to Aldershot and soon after left the Army. I spent two years running a Building Business but when the Gulf War started I decided to join the Army again.
Based in Colchester this time and working as a Signals Instructor and a Physical Training Instructor, I was fortunate enough to chat to a couple of Lynx Helicopter Pilots who were visiting my camp and from that meeting, I decided to apply to become and Army Helicopter Pilot. By some miracle, I made through the selection process and training and was posted to Northern Ireland again. (I say 'miracle' because I am Dyslexic). After a few years there, I was posted back to England where I now serve.
My future now lies in Autogyros. The most famous Autogyro is the one on a James Bond film called Little Nelly and in fact, the aircraft shown on the 360 Site Logo is my Autogyro. They are fantastic to fly, and having an open cockpit they really give you that magical feeling of being in contact with the air.
Next year, 2003, I will be flying around the world in my own Autogyro. The project is called Global Eagle will be the first ever flight around the world by such a machine. I will be raising money for selected charities via the globaleagle.co.uk website.
I have three children who are also Dyslexic and I want to show them, and any other Dyslexics, that you can still achieve things in your life and take on great challenges despite have a learning difficulty and through the BBC 360 site I hope to reach as many people as possible with that simple message.
Conversations
| Conversation Title | Latest Post | Latest Reply |
|---|---|---|
| Global Eagle Link. | Oct 1, 2002 | Oct 2, 2002 |
B.J
Researcher U202853
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