A PARAMEDIC with the North-East Air Ambulance has set off on a death-defying microlite flight to Russia to raise money for the rescue service.

Jon Ker, a member of a rapid response team based at Teesside Airport, has joined forces with three friends to take on the flying challenge.

Mr Ker and Eddie McCallum will share one aircraft on the journey while Mark Riley and Martin Moseley will take control of a second microlite.

The four fearless fundraisers took off from Teesside Airport on Wednesday and hope to return within three weeks, raising up to £10,000.

Their first stop was Perth before they fly on to Shetland, Norway and Russia. They will then go to Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus and Poland before heading home.

Before setting off, Mr Ker and the team checked the weather reports to make sure they would not hit any adverse conditions on their trip.

He said: "It is a little bit windy, but the conditions are good and the long-term weather forecast seems okay. We will be aiming to do six hours of flying a day but it depends on the wind. If all goes to plan, we could be back as soon as a fortnight."

The daredevils flew the microlites from Newcastle to Teesside Airport to prepare for take-off.

Mr Ker said: "We have had a few problems with the equipment in recent weeks but we think we have ironed them all out now."

The teams are being sponsored for the challenge with all money going to the air ambulance. Anyone who wants to sponsor them is asked to call (01325) 487263.

The Northern Echo will be following their progress over the coming days