Shame, just seen on Sky that he's been killed in his plane. RIP brave aviator
From Sky:
A microlight pilot who set out on a solo charity flight to Australia has been found dead off the French coast.
Martin Bromage before setting off on his 11,000-mile expedition
Martin Bromage, 49, was expected at Le Touquet by mid-afternoon on Monday after setting off from Gloucestershire Airport at 10am.
But shortly after noon the team monitoring his progress lost touch with him and his body was recovered by a French patrol boat just after 10pm.
A spokesperson for Dover Coastguard said bad weather conditions had prevented a helicopter being sent out to Mr Bromage.
The adventurous tree surgeon, from Churcham, Gloucester, was making the 11,000-mile "unsupported microlight journey" to raise £150,000 for Help For Heroes, which helps injured British troops.
There is a real sense of freedom, you can feel the wind and smell the atmosphere which you can't do in an enclosed cockpit.
Martin Bromage before the flight
Writing on his website ahead of the trip, Mr Bromage said he expected to face "incredibly hostile terrain with daunting sea crossings and testing meteorological conditions".
He added that he had previously circumnavigated the UK four times by microlight.
Mr Bromage also flew unsupported from Gloucester to Lagos in the Algarve last year and is one of the few people to have climbed The Old Man of Hoy in Orkney.
Before setting out he told the Gloucestershire Echo: "I have done a few adventurous trips in Europe in the microlight, and I just thought to myself, why not push it that bit further?
"I have been flying microlights for around eight years, I started with paragliders, but had a bad accident which left me in hospital for five months.
"There is a real sense of freedom, you can feel the wind and smell the atmosphere which you can't do in an enclosed cockpit."