Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Norman gives an update to the Belfast Newsletter

Speaking to the News Letter, Norman recently said that he is waiting for approval from the Civil Aviation Authority, as well as parts to arrive from Germany, before he can start flying again. "Then we need a special pilot over from the UK for test flights to make sure it is all working correctly," he said. Photo below is an arial shot of the approach to Nong Prue Airfield. You can just about see the power lines near the end of the runway with the palm tress to the right and notorious lake to the left. (Ian Gilks - may be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com)


"We are hoping that I should be away in two weeks, and certainly before the end of June." Norman said it would not be impossible to fly in a monsoon - but it will make the task more difficult. "The autogyro is not adverse to that but visibility is the problem," he said. "I would need to avoid thunder storms."

9 comments:

  1. Thank you for the update which has graphically shown that repairing Roxy was not just a case of tightening a few bolts and new lick of paint. The safety issues involved in aviation do make the repair process long winded but they are there fr a reason and it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm sure as all the bits and pieces of the process come together things will speed up and you will have your certificate to fly on before you know it! All us armchair followers will be waiting patiently for that day to come and then we can follow your adventure with renewed enthusiasm I am sure. Take care Norman and enjoy your remaining few weeks in Nongprue :-)

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  2. Paul back in Dublin.June 9, 2010 at 9:11 AM

    Things are certainly looking better than before Norman. Good luck with the repairs and approval.

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  3. Will all this time waiting for repears, not have any consequences for the rest of your trip, for example crossing the Bering detroit, or flying over alaska with early winter starting ?
    In the same time Pataya is not the worst place on the planet to be stucked... I advice you Soï 7 or 8...
    Good luck for the rest of your trip.
    A french frog.

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  4. Could you have switched to a new gyro and continued your trip? Just curious.

    -Robert

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  5. Robert,
    Interesting question but this would not be acceptable. The FAI rules state that one must not change aircraft while attempting a world record.
    Gyrox Support Team

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  6. Really funny: FAI allows to change everything but airframe. Real luck for gyros.
    What else may be disturbing is that FAI rules need the record to be performed within one year. Hopefully winter is far enough. But Greenland is that same far.
    Wish you good luck and safe fly.

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  7. No news for over a fortnight - I presume the project is off.

    Frank Shaw

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  8. Frank, if you go to Norman's Facebook page you will see that there is news from Nongprue that has given everyone a lift. It also shows that Norman himself, has limited internet accessibility and therefore any news is scarce and we are relying on fellow fans who have been in phone contact to relay the latest news. Suffice to say that the last update (a few days ago) gave everyone a great lift and we are all expecting a resumption to the journey very soon :-)

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