A PARAPLEGIC microlight pilot who flew from York to Australia, has set off on his latest expedition.

Dave Sykes is a member of York Flying Club, and set off from their base at Rufforth Airfield on the first leg of his trip to reach the North Pole this week.

Dave, 47, lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident in 1993, and set off from Rufforth on Sunday afternoon in his specially adapted microlight, which allows him to attach his wheelchair to the flying machine.

He thanked those who saw him off at Rufforth, and said the take-off was "emotional".

Dave flew just over three hours to reach Headcorn in Kent.

From there he will travel across the Channel to Calais, before flying up the coast through Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and into Sweden, but his journey had been delayed twice already - first due to the delivery of a new part, then due to the weather.

On his Facebook page yesterday, Dave said: "Package not arrived and still raining heavy in channel and into Belgium now. Not enough daylight hours to get to my destination today, and I am still smiling."

He will face temperatures as low as -60C, and will wear a heated jacket and gloves to prevent frostbite, along with an adapted helmet to stop his breath freezing in the intense cold.

Dave previously told The Press he expected this trip to be "probably even more dangerous" than his previous 11,600-mile trip to Australia - which saw him deal with sandstorms, tropical storms, mechanical failures and crash landings.

He said he was flying across Europe to avoid flying over too large an expanse of water, but will still have to cover lengthy stretch of ocean on the trip.

He said: "I do have to fly about 500 miles across the Barents sea before landing at a Russian ice station for a refuel. The station is only open for three weeks in late March and early April, and that’s why I decided to set off in mid-March."