A voyage to fabled Timbuktu in a flying car may sound like a magical childhood fantasy. But a British adventurer set off from London on an incredible journey through Europe and Africa in a souped-up sand buggy, travelling by road - and air. With the help of a parachute and a giant fan-motor, Neil Laughton plans to soar over the Pyrenees near Andorra, before taking to the skies again to hop across the 14-km (nine-mile) Straits of Gibraltar. - BBC NEWS
Neil Laughton's daredevil 42-day expedition was intended to cover 4,000 miles (6,400 km) through France, Spain and Morocco, head into the Sahara by way of Mauritania and Mali, before returning home via Senegal.He had also hoped to make the 22mile (35km) flight across the English Channel, but that plan was vetoed by civil aviation officials.
Other things went wrong and instead of cross in the Mediteranean and landing in Morocco, the flight from Tarifa in Spain started well, but ended up in Ceuta, the Spannish occupied slice of Morocco on the coast of the Med. His intended destination in Morocco was suddenly off-limits because of a Moroccan military exercise in the area. Worse was to come. When he finally arrived in Merzouga, the winds were too strong and he had to continue on-road.
Eventually, Ex-SAS officer Neil Laughton, piloted and drove the Skycar Expedition microlight dune buggy completing the journey from London through Spain to Africa with only the occasional mishap.
The fly-drive included soaring over the Pyrenees, the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and the Sahara Desert. Other notable obstacles included minefields and 100ft sand dunes.
Said Neil: "Despite a few near misses - landing in the sea and on a tree - the highlight for me was an extraordinary 15-minute flight from Europe to North Africa, crossing the Straits of Gibraltar."
The intrepid adventurer, who has also climbed the highest mountains on seven continents and trekked to the North Pole, completed 10 flying missions before arriving in Timbuktu.
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