David Sykes
A man from West Yorkshire who flew a microlight from the UK to Australia has been awarded a trophy for “the spirit of adventure”.
The Royal Automobile Club awarded David Sykes, from Dewsbury, the Segrave Trophy for the three-month trip.
Mr Sykes, a paraplegic, was awarded it for “outstanding demonstration of transportation by land, air or water”.
Previous winners include racing drivers Lewis Hamilton and Stirling Moss, and 1930s aviator Amy Johnson.
Mr Sykes, 43, is thought to be the first paraplegic to fly from England to Australia in a microlight.
In April 2011 he set off from York and used the journey of 12,000 miles (19,300kms) to Sydney to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
He said: “I have always had a dream to fly round the world.”
Motorbike accident
The trip started after a bet with a friend in the pub and during it Mr Sykes faced a sandstorm in Saudi Arabia and thunderstorms in Thailand and Burma.
“At one point I seriously thought I was going to die.”
The microlight has a 1.5 litre engine beneath a hang glider wing and is equipped with special hand controls.
In November 1993, a motorbike accident left Mr Sykes with a broken back, clavicle and thigh bone, together with broken ribs and punctured lungs.
He was released from hospital in May 1994, took up microlighting in 2000 and gained his pilot’s licence in 2001.
Sir Henry Segrave was the first person to simultaneously hold the land and water speed records .
The trophy was established in 1930 to commemorate his life.
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