Call it luck… perseverance... willpower, Brian Ord has it. This British helicopter pilot London has had every imaginable – and even unimaginable – obstacle on his way to pursue his dream. And yet, he never gave up. How could he? Since he was 12, he dreamt of seeing the world from 1,500 feet above. He smiles constantly now; he has killed two birds with one stone; Brian now sees Mauritius from 1500 feet above!

When he was 12, Brian’s father asked him to choose between a 6-minute helicopter ride and a 20-minute airplane ride. It took him a while to reply. He was too busy asking himself a question; “How does it do that?” What so entranced Brian was the sight of a helicopter… just “jumping” from the ground. No need to say what his choice was…

A caterer in London, our Brian felt that he was not fulfilling his dream. He decided to take things in hand; he got married and took his wife honeymooning in California… to look for helicopter pilot schools!

While he was on holiday in Mauritius, where his in-laws are from, Brian was relaxing on the beach and he looked up… and froze. He saw helicopters - Air Mauritius helicopters. He decided it was a sign; he applied for a job with Air Mauritius. It took him several years before he could finally get there - it’s a long and passionate story. Before Brian could start working as a commercial pilot, he had to complete his training courses. He also needed the required flying hours and he was far from it. The next few years of his life were dedicated to accumulating those hours. In this quest came many obstacles.

A heart-warming story of perseverance, faith and courage. In 1998, Brian finally gets into the Air Mauritius uniform and has been flying for it since. What he does mainly is fly tourists over Mauritius. Doesn’t he get bored? “How could I? By their nature, helicopters are meant to fly a 100-mile radius at a relatively slow speed. Wouldn’t you rather fly over this paradise than somewhere else?” smiles Brian.

He knows another side of Mauritius. One almost unknown to most of us. But it would be, wouldn’t it? We spend our time driving and walking around the island, certainly not flying over it! The view must be breathtaking? And Brian adds. “I was mesmerized.” You could see it in his eyes, every different tone of green and blue, of red and yellow. This man knows a secret Mauritius and he is aware of how lucky he is.

But when you’re so used to living in the sky, you get restless once you’re back down on the good old terra firma, I suppose. Ask Brian where home is and the windows of his soul give a faraway reflection. He doesn’t know, you see. Brian Ord simply has no idea. Oh there is a pull here and there but he is not quite sure where and what.

This simple man, but with the most amazing star, feels a need to follow some elusive dream out there and he’s always figured that, if he’s true to himself, he could never be untrue to anybody else. Follow the star Brian…