AS pilots they are used to the dizzying heights of 19,000ft.

But this time a group of Southampton Airport based pilots will be using their feet as they attempt to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of charity next month (February).

Flybe pilots Chris Partridge, Dan Sampson, Martin Jarvis, Paul Kelly and Tom Pruess Jones will be joined by Emily Turner who is an Air Traffic Controller at Farnborough Airport.

The friends plan to raise £8,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support during their five-day fundraiser in Tanzania, Africa.

Paul, from Winchester, who flies Embraer 195 jet airliners, believes that the altitude at the top of Kilimanjaro will pose the biggest challenge He said: "It will be bitterly cold at the summit, with temperatures sometimes falling as low as -25ºC. But that's not the worst problem. At that height the air is much thinner, and lack of Oxygen is a serious issue.

"It is difficult to tell who will be affected most by the altitude, as fitness isn't always the biggest factor. But I think we should have as good a chance as any. After all, we do spend most of our lives above 19,000ft, even if it is in an aluminium tube!"