TEN pilots will follow in the footsteps of explorers Burke And Wills, but they will have two-stroke engines strapped their backs.
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The group will chart William John Wills and Robert O'Hara Burke's ill-fated journey into the belly of Australia, which ended in thirst, starvation and death.
Bendigo pilot Justin Shaw is among those planning to fly his powered paraglider - or paramotor - 3000km north from Knowsley Airport in what is thought to be an Australian-first.
"I've actually learnt there have been a few attempts by British groups to organise something like this, but I guess travelling through the outback is a bit daunting if you don't know what you are doing," Mr Shaw said.
"We've got a bit more of that Australian ethos of 'let's head-up there and see what happens'. But we are hoping our organisational skills are a bit better than Burke and Wills' were."
Next month's expedition will follow the Burke and Wills route as closely as four-wheel drive support vehicles can keep up without significant delays for airborne adventurers, Mr Shaw said.
The journey will take them through places significant to the explorer's story, including Menindee, the Birdsville Track and the Dig Tree, where supplies were buried.
The pilots hope to reach Karumba in Queensland after 21 days in the air, though that could change depending on the weather.
Paramotors need good conditions to operate safely and the group's priority is to have fun on their adventure, not necessarily to reach their final destination, Mr Shaw said.
"So we will get to where we get to," he said.
Mr Shaw has been flying paramotors for nine years.
"I met someone who flew them and that's how I got into it. I like the portability of them - and the idea that I can carry an aircraft around in the boot of my car," he said.