Biography

Brian Milton, adventurer and journalist is a charismatic and inspirational speaker. He has had a number of unusual adventures.

First man to fly a microlight aircraft around the world, winner of the 1998 Segrave Trophy – given to the British subject accomplishing the most outstanding demonstration of the possibilities of powered transport by land, sea or water. Previous winners include Amy Johnson, Donald Campbell, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart and Richard Branson.

Milton also won the Britannia Trophy, highest award in the gift of the Royal Aero Club.In 1968 he drove a 1937 Austin-7 Ruby across the Sahara and the Congo. He twice ran out of water in the Sahara. For the last 2,000 miles he drove with only three pistons working, and for 900 miles he had no brakes, lights, shock absorbers, starting motor or handle.

When, ten years later, he fell 250 feet into a ploughed field testing a prototype powered hang-glider in front of BBC cameras – illustrated on video - why did he live? How did he find the nerve to take up powered microlight flying again?

On a microlight flight to Australia in 1987 he was wrecked on a Greek island by strong winds. How did he get the aircraft to fly again in six days? When he fell into the Persian Gulf on Christmas Day in the middle of the Iran/Iraq War, how, after six hours in the sea, did he rescue his aircraft? How did he get it to fly again in five days, and where did he find the courage and inspiration to fly on? Subject of ITN film, On a Wing and a Prayer.

Still on that flight, how did he overcome the claustrophobic terrors that drove yachtsman Donald Crowhurst to jump into the sea, and resist bailing out over India at 5,000 feet with no parachute? During three days of madness, how did he continue flying?

On the first flight around the world in 1998, why did a Syrian Mig 21 not shoot him down? Why did he continue to wave like a tourist until he reached Jordan? How did he cope with seven engine failures crossing a thousand miles of Saudi desert, and the 800 miles of pre-monsoon storms over the mountains of Burma, Laos and Vietnam?

When in Siberia, his sponsor abandoned him; his partner wanted $180,000 to continue, the Russians told him to return to Japan, how did Milton continue? Why? Subject of a BBC Radio 4 The Choice programme with Michael Beurk.

Now alone, making the first west-east crossing of the Atlantic by microlight, in a storm 200 miles out from Iceland, how did he cope with 50 mph winds and a GPS showing him 18 hours from Reykyavik, knowing he had only 8 hours fuel left? Subject of a four-part series, A Microlight Odyssey, on National Geographic TV. BBC TV covered this adventure in a Hardtalk programme with Tim Sebastian, and Kay Burley on Sky-TV made a special half-hour programme on the flight.

Trying to repeat Alcock and Brown’s first Atlantic flight by microlight in 2001, where did Milton find the moral certainty to continue after the Canadian authorities, horrified at his 438 litre tanks, took away his Permit to Fly? Why does Milton still think he was right to go on, even though he failed catastrophically on the last take-off before a 2000-mile flight to Ireland? Subject of a one-hour programme, Escape by Microlight on National Geographic TV’s Adventure Challenge series.

A natural communicator and motivational speaker , Brian Milton recounts his remarkable adventures around the world, and outlines how he sets himself the challenges and overcomes the many obstacles he confronts. For those looking for out-of-the-box solutions to unusual problems, Milton is an ideal speaker