Norman Surplus Was Unable To Get Clearance From The Russian Federal Security Bureau After Years Of Attempts

An attempt to fly the first autogyro / gyrocopter around the world has been forced to quit after traveling thousands of miles flying consecutively through 18 of the 24 countries needed to achieve this Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record Circumnavigation.

The attempt was ended after the Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) refused to respond to requests from that country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA / FATA). The Russian CAA cannot issue the required flight permission to fly through their airspace without FSB input. This is particularly frustrating for pilot and adventurer Norman Surplus as there seemed to be no issues related to the aircraft, weather, routing or himself.

Surplus, currently holder of nine FAI world records, started his record setting bid, named Gyrox Goes Global, from Northern Ireland in March 2010. Upon reaching the 18th country (Japan) in July 2011 it was then halted by a rescinded overflight permission for the Russian Far East due to unexpected flight delays earlier in the route. Since that point, new Russian permission has been repeatedly sought from 2011 to 2014 while the aircraft has been kept in Japan and Norman has patiently waited.

Initially all seemed to go well, all local en route airfields across the Russian Far East were contacted and proved 100% supportive, fuel logistics worked out, much support and encouragement was offered from the local aviation community and both the Russian CAA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked their best to secure the all so necessary flight permission. However there was one glitch in all the meticulous planning. According to the guidelines for such flights various agencies needed to be consulted for their opinion on the suitability of the flight. Unfortunately one such “statutory consultee” was missing and simply did not respond despite numerous attempt to ask them to do so. That agency was the Federal Security Bureau (FSB).

“The reason for the continued and consistent lack of any FSB response is baffling and extremely frustrating for our whole team and also for our many supporters that have closely followed the flight so far," Surplus (pictured) said.

“It is not as if a global World Record attempt such as this poses any sort of meaningful “security” issue for any particular country, rather, it should be held up and viewed for what it is, a friendly, positive symbol of international cooperation, much like any other truly global sporting event such as the Olympics or the football World Cup. Those events would simply not happen unless all the participating countries agreed to work together simply and for no other purpose other than for the advancement and celebration of sporting achievement throughout the world. The world community is enriched by such events and they are a constant reminder of our common humanity on this planet.

"In our case however, it is only by the combined openness of all the 24 countries involved en route that a successful circumnavigation can ever hope to be achieved. So it`s a very sad state of affairs when we are now halted, not through any physical impasse or barrier to aviation but purely through an apparent lack of enthusiasm from one government Agency to even be bothered to respond to a simple request asked from another Agency, when they are supposedly both working for the benefit and advancement of the same country on the world stage.”

Surplus said the aircraft will likely now be shipped in a container directly from Japan to the west coast of America to continue with its circumnavigation challenge, flying coast to coast in the USA and then flying the North Atlantic back to its home base in Northern Ireland.

(Images from file)

FMI: www.gyroxgoesglobal.com