A YOUNG pilot is to take on the ultimate round-the-world challenge.

Ross Edmondson, 25, of Spring Lane, Ightham, hopes to raise at least £20,000 when he flies 42,000km around the globe.

He and co-pilot Sheila Dyson, 61, have named their 90-day expedition The Flight of a Thousand Eyes.

It reflects their bid to raise enough money for 1,000 cataract operations in Third World countries.

The Ightham man, who has been flying for five years, answered Mrs Dyson's appeal for a co-pilot on the internet.

"Ever since I got my licence I have been interested in doing fairly adventurous flying," he said.

When he learned of the intentions of his Sheffield co-pilot he was instantly hooked.

"Flying was something I took up when I was very young," he added.

"When I was growing up I was very lucky to fly in small planes and helicopters on my summer holidays."

His taste for adventure began in 2007 when he flew with his girlfriend Hannah Clowes across the United States.

He said: "After that I thought 'what next?'.

"Flying around the world seemed like one of the ultimate challenges."

Mr Edmondson and Mrs Dyson will set off from Netherthorpe, near Sheffield, in April 2011 and expect to spend 240 hours in the air, with overnight stops along the way.

"Hannah is very excited – and a little jealous she is not coming," said Mr Edmondson.

"She will be nervous for me, particularly over long legs like the Pacific. But if it worried me I wouldn't be doing it.

"It think the flying itself will be relatively easy compared to the planning and the bureaucracy."

The pair, who will be flying over 22 countries, are particularly concerned about their Indian stop in Nagpur. Seasoned pilot Mrs Dyson had to fill in 38 forms the last time she landed there.

Before the trip, Mr Edmondson plans some extra instrument training incase they hit bad weather or are forced to fly into the night.

He will get in plenty of flying hours, travelling from The Hague, Netherlands, where he works as a civil engineer, to his family home in Spring Lane.

Money raised will go to Orbis, dedicated to combating preventable blindness particularly in the Third World.

The charity's eye hospital plane flies to areas of real need to provide medical help and training.

To find out more visit www.thousandeyes.co.uk