Flight On Hold Due To Expected Extreme Weather

It's deja vu all over again... a somewhat disjointed attempt to become 'the first gyrocopter flight around the world' is being put on hold, again, because of anticipated extreme weather in the Bearing Sea and North Atlantic. The prospects of realising these sectors of the flight during the autumn and winter periods in an open cockpit gyrocopter are considered to be technically very challenging. As a result of this, the pilot Norman Surplus, has decided to suspend his ongoing FAI World Record attempt until the spring of 2011.

The expected arrival of the gyrocopter in these far northern latitudes later in the year than first planned came about due to unforeseen delays earlier in the trip (involving one accident in which the aircraft was ditched in a lake, as well as bureaucratic issues).

The "first half" of the gyroplane's flight has seen it fly almost 18,000 km across mountains, desert, forest fires, sandstorms and open sea. Surplus claims to have flown into the record books during 2010 achieving the longest distance ever flown across the globe by a gyrocopter. 

FMI: www.gyroxgoesglobal.com