A British microlight pilot has abandoned his attempt to set a world record by flying the lightest aircraft non-stop from Newfoundland to Shannon.
Mr Brian Milton damaged his aircraft when he took off from Botswood, Newfoundland, in a cross wind last Saturday. He was due to land at Shannon Airport last Monday, following the route taken by Sir John Alcock and Sir Arthur Whitten Brown in 1919.
Mr Milton had been refused a permit by the Canadian aviation authorities to make modifications to his Mainair Blade 912 flex-wing to include a 400litre fuel tank for the crossing. But he secretly made the changes and had intended making the flight without permission.
He returned to England on Thursday on an Air Canada flight, ending his quest, which was part of a plan to copy the Charles Lindbergh flight of 1927. His microlight craft is returning to England in a ship container.