A DAREDEVIL who is 100 miles an hour quicker than Michael Schumacher is the new world champion of the skies.

Skydiver Mark Calland is also the first person to have gone unbeaten through a season of speed skydiving competitions.

Mark, aged 41, has just returned from winning his title in Boston, USA.

He broke his own UK best earlier this summer by freefalling at 302mph - but hopes to smash this record, after reaching 329mph in practice.

He said: "I want to break every world record and then sit back and say I've done it all."

Mark lives with his girlfriend Sara Sanders and 13-year-old son Louis in Lowton, near Leigh, but grew up in Atherton. He started skydiving six years ago, and is indebted to Manchester University for their help.

They designed suits and parachutes to make him more aerodynamic, and even built a wind tunnel to help him perfect his technique.

Mark hopes to reign as champion for another year, but then plans to retire from competitions to focus on his business, fire curtain specialists MSC Installations.

But he admits he will never leave the sport altogether.

He said: "Once you get it into your system, you can't get it out. I'll probably always be involved in skydiving, even if I'm not competing."

A National Geographic documentary film about Mark's exploits, which has been broadcast in the USA, is due to be shown in Britain soon.