Aims to show that clinical conditions such as Type 1 Diabetes should not limit people's dreams and ambitions
A former RAF pilot who lost his flying instructor's job after being diagnosed as a diabetic is in Malta as part of a five-month world flying tour to raise awareness about the condition.
Douglas Cairns, 39, is flying in a Beech Baron B58 light twin aircraft to raise money for the Diabetes UK Research Fund and the American Diabetes Association.
"My aim is to be the first pilot with Type 1 diabetes to fly around the world in a light aircraft and raise money for diabetes research," he said in an interview.
He arrived on Wednesday and leaves tomorrow for Crete.
His five month project, Diabetes World Flight, which started at Omaha, US, on September 24 and ends in February in the same city will take him to 21 countries.
Mr Cairns, from Fort William in Scotland, said that wherever he lands he makes it a point to meet people affected or involved in the care of diabetes.
"I was impressed with the high incidence of diabetes in Malta," he said as he learnt about the situation in Malta during meetings with members of the Maltese Diabetes Association.
The incidence of diabetes in Malta is higher than in other places on his tour so far, he said.
Diabetes in Malta affects 10 per cent of the population and many others may have diabetes but have not been diagnosed as yet, he said.
Mr Cairns said that in Iceland only 5,000 people suffered from the condition - less than two per cent of the total population. This is significantly lower than the estimated figure of 3.8 per cent of population in the UK and 5.7 per cent in the US, he said.
The University of Iceland is carrying out research on milk produced by Iceland's dairy herd which has existed "in isolation" for hundreds of years and which may have developed constituents which prevent a higher incidence of diabetes, he added.
After graduating from Edinburgh University in 1985, Mr Cairns spent four years in the Royal Air Force where he completed his fast-jet flying training on Hawks and instructor qualification on Jet Provosts.
But at the age of 25 in 1989, after spending five months carrying out instructor duties, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and was unable to fly in the RAF.
Mr Cairns said he subsequently left the RAF in 1989 and took up a career in fund management. After gaining experience with Schroder Investment Management Limited in London, he moved to Thailand in 1996 where he was the chief investment officer and later chief executive officer of Schroder Asset Management Limited, a joint venture in Bangkok.
"To my knowledge, at the time, it was not possible to get a flying licence.
"But the passion for flying never really left me," he said.
In 1997, Mr Cairns began flying again in Thailand at the Thai Flying Club with a qualified flying instructor on board, and two years later he discovered that it was possible to obtain a US medical licence to fly solo privately in the US by meeting certain medical requirements.
He obtained his US Private Pilot Licence in December, 2000. He also gained a Special Pilot Licence in Australia in February, 2001, and validated his US licence to fly in Thailand.
Ultimately, Mr Cairns said, he wants to show that clinical conditions such as Type 1 Diabetes should not limit people's dreams and ambitions.
He also wants to raise awareness of insulin-dependent diabetes and show that a Type 1 Diabetic can safely fly around the world by keeping blood sugar levels within the regulatory limits.
"Frequent blood sugar testing is required and sufficient food available to allow sugar control within the regulatory requirements," he said.
At present, only the US and Canada can issue a medical licence to individuals with Type 1 Diabetes to exercise full Private Pilot Licence privileges once medical requirements have been met.
Diabetes World Flight aims to show that it is possible for such licensed pilots to fly safely according to US FAA regulations.
Blood sugar control data from DWF flights will be offered to a number of civil aviation authorities to outline how the system works.
Mr Cairns explained that although the flight is being carried out as if it were a solo flight, for legal reasons he had to have a standby pilot whenever he was outside US territory.
Mr Cairns said his target was to raise $100,000 for research on diabetes through corporate donations, sponsorship and individual donations. Donations may be made direct on website www.diabetesworldflight.com.
The project is supported by Roche Diagnostics which produces a diagnostic kit to monitor sugar levels.
Mr Cairns, who was in Malta 17 years ago while a student at Edinburgh University, said he had enjoyed being here and was keen to come again.
When he finishes his project at the end of February in Omaha, Mr Cairns intends to go back to Thailand to write about his findings.
The route will from now take him to Greece, Cyprus and the Middle East, India, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Bali, Australia, Hawaii, and the US among other countries.