News Flash...

Norman will restart his attempt to be the first to fly a gyrocopter around the world, departing Thailand on Sunday (1st August 2010) at 7am (local time).

Still a waiting game....

Seven weeks seems a very long time to wait for anything in our high speed internet powered society, it certainly seems a long time when you are waiting for a decision that will resolve the course of action going forward and move us on from the state of inactive limbo I now find myself in Thailand. I still await a decision from our own UK CAA as to whether they will allow the aircraft to be repaired in situ. These decisions are perhaps slow in formulating at the best of times (aircraft repair is not the simplest activity - many factors have to be controlled and procedures followed in order to maintain the integrity and safety of the machine) and these factors can be further subject to review by committee (a good recipe, one might suggest, for perhaps best producing bureaucratic treacle...) this treacle is having a good effect of sticking us firmly to the ground.

In the mean time I discover a bit more of the culture and ways of the Thai people. Pictured is the “Big Budda” statue situated on a prominent hillside overlooking and between Jontiem and Pattaya. Many of the Buddhist places of worship are bedecked in gold and glittering shininess and the many statues are no exception. On visiting a monastery recently I was given 5 tiny pieces of gold leaf (about 1cm squared) held in carefully folded pieces of paper. This gold leaf was to stick on to the 5 Budda statues arranged in a small open room, each statue assuming a different position. You picked a part of each statue that hadn’t much gold covering and stuck your gold on for good luck- the effect was to have a golden patchwork covering the entire statue - though some of the leaf was either peeling off at the edges or not properly applied so it gave each statue a slightly shaggy appearance - a golden “woolly jumper” if you like - the golden fleece wafting gently in the afternoon breeze. This scene of quiet contemplation is very far removed from the hustle and bustle of down town Pattaya - late afternoon sees this vibrancy erupt onto the streets as people, who, whilst having been up and active in early morning (but then lying low during the heat of the middle of the day) regain the streets in a wild assortment of passenger carrying pickup trucks (Baht Buses), big 4x4 jeeps, lorries and cars of all shapes and sizes and sprinkled into the middle of it all, like so much oil meshing and lubricating between the cogs of some mighty ungainly noisy machine is a liberal helping of scooters and motorbikes constantly weaving and dodging through all the cracks in the slow moving traffic.

Braving the middle of this lot will be found the humble mobile shop mounted on an ancient motorbike and sidecar, a duo act where each component wholly relies on the other to maintain a (more or less) upright stance on the roadside. Often groaning under the strain of a wildly optimistically huge amount of stock (ready to sell door to door around the bars during the busy evening period), the driver quite often has to compromise his controlling view of the road for the sake of carrying more wares and makes do with a lesser, more “approximate” driving stance. One where the driving can “sort of” be accomplished with at least a view of “a bit” of the road ahead. As the whole shebang is tootling along at about 10 miles an hour (to save the ineffective lightweight scooter brakes no doubt) it doesn’t seem to matter that the mobile shop becomes a sort of mobile chicane for the other road traffic to negotiate around. You certainly wouldn’t want to run into one however, for just as some slow moving animals fear no predators - a porcupine with its secret quills or a poisonous toad for example - the motorbike shop would be a fearsome quarry to tackle, as it seems most of them are bedecked with either a fully lit barbeque pit or a gas fired rotary kebab spit working at full tilt as they drive along - why not “throw another 4X4 on the barbie” and see what happens!!

Many thanks for everyone’s continuing patience -

“Chok Dee” (Good Luck - Cheers) Norman

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."

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New interview with Norman

Here is a link to a new interview with Norman which includes video and photos on LoopTV

A waiting game - engine and bodywork repairs progress

Repairing an aircraft, much like flying one, definitely has its high and low points and the past few weeks have seen several. On the positive side we have seen good progress with John checking over the engine and stripping the airframe back ready for repair. Photo below shows the Rotax engine suspended and detached from the autogyro to facilitate repairs. (May be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com)

We have also sourced a local composite repair shop capable of repairing the carbon fibre enclosure (bodywork) to the required standard and as luck would have it this facility is a manufacturing outpost of a German company. In fact the President of the Thai company knows the German AutoGyro company very well. The penny dropped and the connection made when the Thai operations manager saw online the very same enclosure parked on the forecourt of a Saudi Arabian Garage some weeks back! Sometimes it is a very small world! Photo below shows the bodywork arriving at the Thai factory for repair with John (left) and factory staff looking on. (May be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com)

And so we continue our pleasurable incarceration in Thailand for the time being...

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The autogyro engine is tested and other work begins

Yesterday (22 May 2010) we carried out Non Destructive Testing (NDT) on the engine to look for any possible internal damage. Thankfully none showing up here at Nongprue Airfield, Thailand. We then ran the engine today Sunday to full power. It was great to have the engine running again for the first time since the beginning of May. Photo below shows Austrian built Rotax engine in Gyrox autogyro (may be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com).

We are now stripping down the aircraft ready for rotor mast repair so we are showing steady progress. Photo below shows Norman greeting specialist autogyro engineer John Hereward under the cool of a palm tree on his arrival at Nongprue, Thailand (may be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com).

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Gyro enthusiast reports on repairs and what Norman had to say

An autogyro enthusiast from Sweden, Andreas Hansson, who recently visited Norman at Nong Prue, Thailand reports on what he found and what Norman had to say. This is from some Facebook entries by Andreas. Photo below shows Andreas Hansson with Norman at Nongprue Airfield (may be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com)

"Today I am back in Pattaya and rented a motorbike to see Norman and his newly flown in tech from UK, efficiently overhauling the engine (with instructions from EAA).

The tech did a lot of measurements on the Gyrox engine, and as long as I stayed with them he did a lot of heavy maintenance on the engine, including checking the crankshaft for not being bent (180 degrees exactly between full compression of each cylinder), and also made some crack-tests on important parts of the inner parts of the engine. This guy really know what he's doing!

Norman took the time to tell me about interesting parts of his flight trip so far, how he managed to cross hills with down winds blowing along the side.

He also shared very interesting thoughts how to ditch a gyro plane into the sea in case of engine stop, which I am going to take with me when I am flying in Sweden."

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Gyrox stripped as repair work begins in earnest

In the last week Gyrox autogyro has been stripped down to its basic parts. This is to facilitate comprehensive cleaning, checking and drying of of every item which is essential after a dipping in water. Photo below shows Norman taking off from Nongprue Airfield, Thailand just before the accident. Note the powerlines in the background (may be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com).

It is anticipated that a specialist engineer will be flying into Thailand on today Thursday (20 May 2010) from the UK braving potential ash clouds and civil unrest. He has considerable experience in working on autogyros and will be carrying 18 kg of small spares and special tools!. He will first thoroughly inspect the autogyo then lead on any repair work needed, supported by the Nongprue crew and Norman.

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Norman speaks to Paul Plack Aero-News.Net

There is a new link to interview on the website with Norman speaking to Paul Plack of Aero-News.Net in the US. Norman discusses his ditching in Thailand, the repairs which will be required by Gyrox autogyro, and how soon he hopes to resume his journey.

To listen go to the link The phone line to Norman is poor quality unfortunately.

The plan for getting back in the air after 'gyro in the lake incident'

Greetings again from Thailand! It's been just over a week since my unscheduled stop off began and I initially thought that was the end of my circumnavigation record attempt. Photo shows Norman 'suited, booted and rearing to go' at a Buddhist Temple near Nongprue, Thailand (may be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com)

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However, the expeditious retrieval of the aeroplane prevented any permanent water damage and after removing the outer yellow bodywork shell things looked more positive. The crucial, fundamental structure of any aircraft is its airframe and on the gyro that frame comprises a central, horizontal keel running the entire length of the aircraft. This keel directly supports the tail section and also the vertical rotor mast. All the other components of the aircraft are supported from this box section stainless steel skeleton.

Although GYROX suffered superficial damage to the fixed undercarriage, fortunately the main airframe keel retained its integrity. Norman with the Nong Prue crew who saved the day L to R. Dan, Steve, Peter, Norman, Ian, Paul, Tom, Tiger (Owner Nong Prue Airfield).(may be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com)

The main damage has been a bend in the main rotor mast section about 3 feet down from the rotorhead. This was sustained as the gyro turned over in the lake. The engineers have examined the damage and it appears we are going to be able to cut out the damaged part of the rotor mast where it attaches to the box section and weld in a new piece to repair the damage. An approved CAA/DCA (Thai CAA) welder has obtained authority from the UK CAA to work on the aircraft and will be brought in to make good the repair to the required standards.

Once this has taken place then we will put the stripped down aircraft back together and carry out checks on the instrumentation for long-term water damage and other electrical components on the aircraft. The engine was run shortly after the event but this will be re-checked prior to flight trials and rotor balancing. Photo shows Norman's personal items being cleaned and dried not long after the 'autogyro in the lake' incident (may be used with permission gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com)

I will issue some regular reports as the process proceeds to get GYROX airborne again. The anticipated timescale is approximately 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the availability of people and parts.

There are worse places than Pattaya for an enforced stop over!

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