BACK in 2011, paraplegic pilot Dave Sykes went on an extraordinary journey.
The York Flying Club member flew his tiny microlight aircraft – complete with detachable wheelchair – 11,600 miles to Australia.
The trip took him four months, and along the way he encountered sandstorms, tropical typhoons, crash landings and mechanical failures.
Now, the 47-year-old is planning a flight that, in its way, would be even more remarkable.
He plans to fly his microlight all the way to the North Pole – landing there on skis in temperatures as low as -60C.
Asked what fellow flying club members thought of his ambitious plans, Dave – who lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident in 1993 – admitted: “They think I’m mad.”
Probably, a little bit. But inspiring, too. Who said the days of heroic adventures were over?
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