Wed, Jul 20, 2011
Norman Surplus Granted Permission To Cross Japan In
Autogyro
Norman Surplus, a pilot, adventurer and cancer survivor from
Northern Ireland, has received permission from Japan to cross its
airspace, which will allow the continuation of his attempt to
become the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an
autogyro.
Surplus is flying a German-built MTO3, a tandem, open-cockpit
gyroplane powered by a turbocharged Rotax 914. His attempt to
complete the trip last year was scuttled when he attempted a
high-and-hot takeoff in difficult surroundings, and had to ditch in
a lake in the Philippines to avoid terrain.
Bureaucratic delays back in the UK stalled repairs, and eventually
Surplus ran out of good weather. With the Bering Straits and the
North Atlantic both ahead, he made the frustrating decision to
pickle the aircraft for the winter and try for a completion this
year during warmer months.
When China flatly denied Surplus permission to cross its
airspace, a route across Japan became essential. But Japanese
regulations do not allow any aircraft under 500 kilograms, or about
1,100 pounds, to fly more than three kilometers from their local
airfields. He's already busted that limit by about 9,400
kilometers.
A grassroots campaign urging followers
to contact their local Japanese embassies to lobby on the
adventurer's behalf proved fruitful, a waiver has been issued, and
the flight is on again, starting Wednesday morning.
On his official blog, Surplus's team writes, "Patience is a virtue
they say, but Norman’s patience and persistence is a lesson
for us all. His dream to be the first pilot to fly an autogyro
around the world meant too much for him to ever contemplate giving
up and today that persistence has paid off."
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