A BLIND pilot plans to fly 13,000 miles to Australia in a microlight aircraft with the help of computer software created by a developer in a former North-East pit village.

Adventurer and motivational speaker Miles Hilton-Barber, 58, from Derbyshire, who lost his sight to a genetic condition, will start the 45-day journey from London to Sydney a week on Monday.

It will entail 250 hours flying divided into two, four-hour periods a day and will take until April 30, following the route of the 1919 London-to-Sydney Air Race.

Mr Hilton-Barber, who has crossed the English Channel in a microlight and, in 2004, set the British microlight altitude record when he reached 20,020ft over Northumberland in 2004, will be accompanied by former Army officer Storm Smith, from Newcastle.

He will be able to fly thanks to Adrian Sach, co-founder of Software Express, based in a former bakery in Ushaw Moor, near Durham City.

Mr Sach, 38, developed Guide to enable the blind and partially-sighted to use computers easily and without previous experience.

He has adapted the system, which won a Royal National Institute for the Blind award, and the aircraft controls will speak to Mr Hilton-Barber with information such as altitude, air speed and compass direction.

"Adrian has been the catalyst and fulcrum for me achieving my dream. Without him I wouldn't be flying now,'' said Mr Hilton-Barber.

"The way he has put the system together is very good. It is very intuitive. He is a brilliant person and Durham should be very proud it has a company that is making people's lives better.''

Mr Hilton-Barber hopes to raise £1m for the Standard Chartered Bank's Seeing is Believing campaign to prevent blindness in the Developing World.

Mr Sach founded the firm with partner Mary McMahon, 36, from Bearpark, three years ago after developing Guide to help a friend unable to use other systems for people with sight loss.

The company has now sold thousands of copies of the software and plans to explore the US and Australian markets.

Mr Sach said the adventurer contacted him after searching in vain for someone who could develop a system for flying.

Ms McMahon said: "It is a great opportunity for us particularly as we are launching the product in Australia.''

For details about Guide visit www.softwareexpress.co.uk, or call 0845-225-5005. For details about the trip visit www.mileshilton-barber.com