Auto-gyro world bid called off
Loop 07 Sep 2010
Northern Ireland pilot Norman Surplus has called a halt to his attempt to be the first to fly an auto-gyro around the world. The reason is that the 'good weather window' to cross the Bering Straits between Russia and Alaska has closed, and the northern Pacific crossing is now in the grip of harsh winter conditions until Spring 2011. Norman will continue the flight then.
Norman said: "The various delays and associated adventures spanning half the globe during the 2010 northern hemisphere summer have meant we have had a very late arrival towards this gateway. We feel it wise to pause before committing to the 3-4 weeks that would be needed to successfully cross these northern latitudes and see the aircraft continue safely down into the relatively warmer climes through Alaska and northern Canada.
"The late spring restart will bring lengthening daylight and much more room for any subsequent delays (as I am sure there will be some - there always are!) or points of interest stop offs en-route. The timetable will once again fall into line with the original expedition timings (albeit one year later) which will allow for a late May Bering Sea transit, and an early July Atlantic Ocean crossing.
"Time then to pause and reflect on a fabulous 'First Half' played out over half the world's surface. GYROX [Norman's MT03 auto-gyro] has now flown a further straight line distance than any other autogyro in history. We have crossed 16 consecutive countries through 25 international airports and taken in the delights of 45 different airports of all shapes and sizes – from the 300m grass strip of Nong Prue, Thailand to the 3 active runways of King Abdulaziz (Jeddah) International, Saudi Arabia.
"So far we have made 7 major open water crossings of the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea and Sulu Sea. Forward planning continues during the winter season while GYROX is safely stabled for a well-earned rest ready to take on the milestones of next year."