Paraplegia Pilot Flies to the North Pole in a Microlight
Mar 25, 2015 2:36:41 GMT -8
Post by Lαrα on Mar 25, 2015 2:36:41 GMT -8
I love to hear about stories such as this, not only is this British guy flying solo with zero support to the North Pole, he is doing it to raise money for a children's hospice.
A paraplegic microlight pilot has taken off on a solo flight some 5,000 miles (8,050km) to the North Pole.
Dave Sykes will brave temperatures as low as -40C (-40F) as he crosses the Arctic Ocean on his month-long trip.
In 2011, he became the first paraplegic to fly a microlight from England to Australia in a 16,000-mile trip that took him more than three months.
Mr Sykes, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, said: "I've been called bonkers, mad and crazy."
Family and friends gathered earlier as he took to the skies from Rufforth Airfield, near York.
Speaking before his journey, Mr Sykes said he was feeling "extremely nervous".
Dave Sykes will brave temperatures as low as -40C (-40F) as he crosses the Arctic Ocean on his month-long trip.
In 2011, he became the first paraplegic to fly a microlight from England to Australia in a 16,000-mile trip that took him more than three months.
Mr Sykes, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, said: "I've been called bonkers, mad and crazy."
Family and friends gathered earlier as he took to the skies from Rufforth Airfield, near York.
Speaking before his journey, Mr Sykes said he was feeling "extremely nervous".
A member of York Flying Club, the pilot, who is raising money for Martin House Children's Hospice, said he would wear a special heated flying jacket and gloves to avoid frostbite and an adapted helmet to keep out the intense cold.
His journey is expected to cover five countries and will take about four weeks with stop-offs for re-fuelling.
His mother Maureen Sykes said: "I'm worried to death. I won't rest until I see him now; I'll be a bag of nerves all the time.
"I think sometimes he's foolish but nothing will stop him."
In November 1993, a motorbike accident left Mr Sykes with a broken back, clavicle and thigh bone, together with broken ribs and punctured lungs.
His journey is expected to cover five countries and will take about four weeks with stop-offs for re-fuelling.
His mother Maureen Sykes said: "I'm worried to death. I won't rest until I see him now; I'll be a bag of nerves all the time.
"I think sometimes he's foolish but nothing will stop him."
In November 1993, a motorbike accident left Mr Sykes with a broken back, clavicle and thigh bone, together with broken ribs and punctured lungs.
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