Mike Armstrong, 66, had a confession to make, an extraordinary one for a man who soars to 12,000 feet in hang gliders, recently finishing a career best sixth at world championship level despite what he calls his “advancing years”.

“When a recent storm struck Edinburgh (Floris) my other half, Fiona, noticed a couple of ridge tiles on our roof had been damaged.

“There was little else for it but to get out a ladder and inspect the damage but I really didn’t feel comfortable up there!”

The irony of what might be termed Mike’s ‘domestic vertigo’ is truly mind-blowing for this is a man who thought nothing of soaring above the Christ the Redeemer statue before landing on Rio’s equally famous Copacabana beach in what he termed a “jolly”.

Or taking off into a gaggle of Griffon vultures in Spain

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