A flying instructor from Britain has flown from London to Sydney in record time -- in a microlight aircraft.

Colin Bodill says he's looking forward to a beer (2'03")

Colin Bodill, from Nottingham, has been travelling for 49 days in his plane, called the Spirit of Diana. He broke the previous record by 10 days.

All the money raised from his marathon charity flight is due to go to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund.

Mr Bodill arrives, with a wave, in Sydney

The flight took Mr Bodill over France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. He also travelled across more than 1,000 miles of ocean before finally arriving in Australia.

His microlight has a top speed of more than 100mph and can reach an altitude of 20,000ft. He said that, pound-for-pound, it is stronger than a jet fighter.

Before he left Mr Bodill explained why he decided to attempt the flight.

"I'm hoping to set a fast time to keep the record for a few years. Hopefully when I'm in my rocking chair I'll be able to sit there and say I've still got the record."

A shake of the hands marks the flight's completion

The previous record was set in 1987, by Brian Milton, also from Britain. Mr Milton will attempt to make the first transglobal flight in a microlight in the next couple of months.

Arriving in Sydney, Mr Bodill was awarded a gold medal by the Australian Deputy Prime Minister, Tim Fischer, and congratulated by a group of well wishers.

Howard Lowndes from the Australian Ultra-Light Association said: "He really is heroic. I think his flight ranks among the best ever. He's absolutely manificent."

After seven weeks in the skies, Mr Bodill said he was relieved to have finished.

"I've travelled 5,000 miles in total over the oceans, and the mental side of that was really hard," he said.

"But eventually I got used to it. After all, there's not a great deal you can do. You just have to get on with it."

An investigation is under way in South Africa after a Briton was killed in a microlight crash. Colin Papsell, 38, a mining engineer who had been working in Angola since 1992, was originally from Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©