round the world trip
Round the World trip
Saturday 1st Sep - Launch Day minus 3
On Tuesday 4th September Simon Oliphant-Hope, flying an MD 900 Explorer NOTAR helicopter will start out on an attempt to smash the FAI Speed around the world, Eastbound, without refuelling in flight record.
The record has been held since 22nd July 1994 by Ron Bower of the USA who flew the course in a Bell 206B JetRanger III taking 24½ days to attain an average speed of 65.97km/h. Simon hopes to reduce this time to 19 days.
His epic race will start from Shoreham Airport at Eastern Atlantic Helicopters' base, flying Eastbound over Europe and Russia before overflying the Bering Straits, flying down into Canada and America then up to Greenland before finishing at Shoreham. He will have to fly 10-12 hours a day to maintain the average speed necessary to break Ron's record as the clock runs 24 hours a day. He has to do all the flying, only non-flying passengers are allowed.
The route has to conform to FAI rules to qualify and has been carefully planned by Jamie Chalkley to be the correct length, to avoid the Frigid Zones above 66deg 30min North and to avoid over-water legs beyond the rated parameters of the helicopter.