An estate agent has flown into the record books after an extraordinary journey through the skies above Britain.
James Du Pavey used a paraglider powered by a lawnmower engine to fly from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
He completed the journey in just 36 hours, compared with the previous record of seven days.
Last July’s flight, which has raised over £12,000 for a children’s hospice, has now been certified by Guinness World Records.
Du Pavey reached heights of 10,000 feet during the flight, and managed to escape unscathed from three separate crash landings – into a garden, a cricket pitch and even a police dog training field.
He also suffered an engine failure just six miles from Land’s End.
Du Pavey, who has a three-branch agency in Staffordshire and Cheshire, said: “There were so many variables to think about. Paramotor engines are notoriously unreliable so there was always the risk of failure.
“The wind was a constant concern, as well as the remoteness of some areas of the Scottish highlands.”
Du Pavey carried out the flight in memory of his first child, William, who was stillborn. He and his colleagues have raised some £35,000 so far for the Donna Louise hospice – but he won’t be trying to break his own record.
He said: “I am never doing anything like that again.
“I was absolutely ruined afterwards. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a fantastic cause but I am definitely never doing it again. But we will definitely carry on supporting the Donna Louise in lots of other ways.
“If anybody wants to try and claim this record, they’re welcome to it.”
His JustGiving page for the challenge is still open for donations here:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-du-pavey1
Well done James. Mad, and brave!
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Well done James! I’m a paramotor pilot myself and this sounds like a horrible trip, good job!
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Well done James, incredible. How nice to read some Positive press coverage for Agents for a change.
If there are charity details you can forward to me, my company would like to make a donation.
http://www.PossessionFriend.uk
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