Raising Money For Vision-Impaired Kids

Gerald Gossens is flying across Queensland, Australia in an ultralight. It's a money-raising trip designed to drum up money for the Royal Blind Foundation. Gossens is deputy CEO of the foundation. He's also blind.

"Obviously flying a plane for a person who is totally blind, your reliance obviously on the trust and support of your co-pilot who provides you not only with the altitude but also the direction of that plane," he said.

It's called the Flight For Sight. Gossens departed Sunday from Emerald, Queensland, headed for Charters Towers and Cairns.

"Yesterday we went out to the Emerald races after landing here and were able to raise in excess of $3,500," he told the Australian Broadcasting Company. "We're looking to raise in excess of AU$85,000 through the AMP Flight for Sight and those services will go to kids who are blind or vision impaired."

What's the toughest part about the flight? Well, aside from the fact that the pilot is completely blind, it seems the biggest problem is the brushfires raging in the Outback.

"Yesterday was fairly challenging conditions, "he said. "We flew through a lot of smoke and amazing lot of bushfires throughout central Queensland in excess of 55 fires we saw between Toowoomba and Emerald yesterday."

FMI: www.rbf.org.au