Colin Rees, 48, lands his paramotor in practice

by Graham Tutthill

A Kent man and a colleague are planning to take off from John O’Groats today to fly to Dover - by paramotor.

They are raising money for Help for Heroes and hope to land safely at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in two weeks’ time.

Ex-paratrooper Colin Rees, from Whitstable, and his colleague Sarn Terry, son of Air Marshall Sir Colin Terry, aim to take up to 14 days to cover a distance of more than 850 miles.

They will reach heights in excess of 5,000 feet, flying down the east coast of England and landing approximately on May 30.

It is a feat never attempted before and would be daunting for even the most experienced of pilots.

"A paramotor is basically a parachute with a motor strapped to your back," said Colin, who is a 48-year-old Falklands war veteran.

"Due to the very poor weather we have had very limited opportunity to train and fly so we will be learning en route! I’m not sure if we’re being adventurous or a bit stupid!"

Colin, who now runs a computer software company, said the idea for the expedition came out of a chat with an ex-Para friend who had flown a Parahawk in a James Bond movie.

"He said it would be fun and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Now we’re praying for good weather!"

The aim is to raise money for Help for Heroes and also to raise awareness of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war, especially among school children.

"I think it’s important for people to remember those who serve in the Armed Forces and I wanted to do something to commemorate the Falklands war.

"I chose to land at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School because it’s a fantastic school that has supported Armed Forces families for over 200 years, providing the quality of education and pastoral care these children need."

Charles Johnson, Headmaster at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School, said: "We’re looking forward to welcoming Colin and Sarn back to Dover and will get the whole school out to cheer them on.

"We have 150 acres of school grounds, so hopefully they’ll be space to land. Help for Heroes is an incredibly good cause and one which is close to the hearts of our students whose families serve in the Armed Forces."

The whole expedition from first training to take off in John O’Groats and landing in Dover, is being filmed by a professional film crew for a documentary/DVD which will raise more money for Help4heroes.

Colin and Sarn hope the public will get behind to support them by ‘Liking’ their Facebook page Flight for Heroes or donating via their website www.flight4heroes.com