Brian Jones

Brian Jones became one of history's aviation pioneers when he and fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard touched down in their balloon, the Breitling Orbiter 3, in Egypt on 21st March 1999, after the first successful circumnavigation of the world.

As a result of their experience the pilots established the 'Winds of Hope' foundation. "While Bertrand Piccard and I were drifting (purposefully!) high above the earth in our small capsule", explained Brian, "we became very aware of the fragility of our planet and the people who inhabit it". The aim of 'Winds of Hope' is to promote a more sensitive approach and to the future of mankind and, in particular, to help children suffering from the disease Noma in forgotten or unreported circumstances.

Further information on Brian and Winds of Hope can be found at www.orbiterballoon.com and www.windsofhope.org.

Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub

Sir Magdi Yacoub was knighted for his pioneering work in heart surgery and is also famous as the founding patron of Chain of Hope.

"It is a little known fact", states Sir Magdi, "that around 1 child in every 100 is born with a heart defect. Most of these defects can be corrected by operations which are performed as a matter of routine in the developed world. If uncorrected these defects can cause considerable suffering and premature death. This afflicts a massive number of children around the world."

"Chain of Hope is dedicated to helping as many of these children as we can. This is accomplished by bringing children to the UK and also by sending volunteer teams to their countries in the longer term to help develop local facilities. I feel privileged to be a link in the chain that helps these children."

Aviation Without Borders operates closely with Chain of Hope by providing escorts for the sick children and cargo logistics support for the medical missions. Further information on Sir Magdi's work can be found at www.chainofhope.org.