Media coverage expected for the 'off' tomorrow

For people in the UK and Ireland watch GMTV from 6am and Sky News from 11am tomorrow (22 March 2010) for the latest on the Gyrox autogyro around the world. Also keep an eye on the papers!

Launch date - March 22nd 2010

Launch date has now been confirmed as 22nd March at 1100 hrs (GMT) from Larne Borough Council Sandy Bay Playing Fields near the seafront and Leisure Centre Larne, N. Ireland.

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Happy St. Patricks Day

Happy St. Patricks day to one and all - would have been quite a reasonable day for departure weather wise breeze from the west would have pushed me over the Irish sea quite nicely but anyway preparations continue towards Monday...

Heading home after Duxford

This is a typical view that a Gyro pilot gets as they fly west over the UK into the setting sun. This picture was taken as I flew along the SW coast of Scotland heading back to Larne, N. Ireland after the expedition launch event at Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England.

For more information go to Gyrox Goes Global Facebook.

GYROX in the workshop

Part of the upgrading work for GYROX will shortly involve changing the "wishbone" suspension (undercarriage) for a stronger version - this will enable the Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) to increase from 450kg to 500kg - a very useful additional 50 kg payload...a new main rotor will also be fitted at this time and will be then test flown to fine balance the blades relative to the aircraft (to reduce stick vibration to a minimum). All this work is being undertaken at the Rotorsport UK HQ "down the hill" from Long Mynd Gliding  club in Shropshire. This work will only take place after the CAA has deemed the MTOW upgrade as being an approved modification.

For more information go to Gyrox Goes Global Facebook.

New departure date will be confirmed tomorrow

Following the last information given I will confirm the new departure date tomorrow (Monday 15th March 2010). Most likely to be from Larne in a weeks time, Monday 22nd at about 11.00 hrs (subject to weather). I will still have to confirm Sandy Bay venue with Larne Borough Council as unfortunately this was referred to in the Times as "fact" on the front page when I had really said that I "hoped" to use Sandy Bay, Larne N. Ireland subject to permission...

For more information go to Gyrox Goes Global Facebook.

Minor modifications to Gyrox autogyro

A quick update for everyone - we are waiting for some final modifications to GYROX to be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Turtle-pac reserve fuel system, whilst only a minor modification to the layout of the Gyro cockpit, has to be signed off by the CAA to make it legal to fly. This work is ongoing at the moment and may lead to a few days delay in departure...in the scheme of things not a great upset to the overall schedule.

Apart from that we are keeping an eye on the weather and making final preparations for the off.

For more information go to Gyrox Goes Global Facebook.

What is this all about?

This is about the last great avaition challenge involving an autogyro record attempt flight around the world. Departing the UK in March 2010 and with its open cockpit the autogyro is the only powered aircraft “type” still to circumnavigate the globe.   It will be flying through 26 countries, covering 27,000 miles including 4,300 miles over water. This expedition not only combines danger and adventure but also a compelling story about the pilot cancer survivor, entrepreneur and adventure sportsman. 

Read more 

For more information go to Gyrox Goes Global Facebook. To contact the autogyro world circumnavigation team email gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com

The autogyro route around the world route

The record attempt circumnavigation of the globe by Norman Surplus is expected to take approximately 115 days / 4 months – depending on weather conditions and flight permitting logistics.  Gyrox autogyro will depart in mid March 2010. The proposed legs will typically be an average of 300 miles per day (averaging six days per week) divided into sectors of approximately 3x100 or 2x150 mile duration (approximating to 4-5 hours flying per day). This amounts to 27,000 mile circumnavigation flown in approximately 105 days inclusive of 15 "catch up" days for cumulative weather delays.

Read more? 

For more information go to the Gyrox Goes Global Facebook. To contact the autogyro world circumnavigation team email gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com

Circumnavigation challenges and safety

This Gyrox autogyro which is flying around the world has an open cockpit and is quite a different animal to either a fixed wing aircraft or a helicopter. It is a very novel and challenging way to travel. A major issue for the record attempt circumnavigation of the globe by pilot Norman Surplus is safety. As a result he pilot has carried out extensive research and worked closely with the aircraft and technical support team to achieve optimum safety. One of the results was the design and manufactured of a unique survival suite by a leading Finish company which specialises in this area.  The long open water stretches most notably crossing the North Atlantic.

Read more?

For more information go to the Gyrox Goes Facebook. To contact the autogyro world circumnavigation team email gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com