British family sets new world record for longest solar-powered flight by paramotor

London, August 12 (ANI): A British family who spent their summer holiday flying around the Mediterranean have set a new world record for the longest solar-powered flight by paramotor.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the Cardozo family, from Mere, Wilts, and a group of friends, traveled 1,242 miles from Monte Carlo to Morocco in an electric paramotor powered by the sun.

The 15-day journey, traveling through France and Spain, included a crossing above the shark-infested waters of the Straits of Gibraltar. They arrived in Morocco at dawn on August 6th. The team comprised Gilo Cardozo, 30, his brothers Cosmo, 26, and Damian, 39, along with Damian's daughter Tilly, 17, and five other pilots, while the rest of their families were following on the ground.

The expedition's aim was to raise awareness of ataxia, a debilitating disease that affects part of the nervous system that normally controls co-ordination and balance.

The journey included a number of failed launches and emergency landings resulting in broken propellers and dented equipment, as well as a broken foot for one of the pilots, Hugo Collis.

"Each day was a new adventure and what we have done is a remarkable feat. It has been an amazing amount of fun. The last little bit over the Straits of Gibralter was the most glorious flight. The weather was perfect," said Damian Cardozo.

"When you are up there you feel a mixture of nerves looking down at the sea and thinking what would happen if your engine failed, and then a sublime happiness and peace," he added.

The electric paramotor is powered by lithium polymer batteries, which are charged in rotation using 12 solar panels on top of a support vehicle.

The team took it in turns to pilot the craft, and also flew three other bioethanol-powered paramotors, covering on average 130 miles a day at a top height of 5,000 feet. (ANI)