Norman’s Radio Show Details

If you have your diary handy and would like to listen to, or even take part in the forthcoming live Radio show featuring Norman then please take these details down…


Norman will be appearing during the three hour long Gary Andrews Drivetime radio show on Chaine FM, live from Larne, Northern Ireland from 4pm to 7pm (16:00hrs - 19:00hrs GMT), next Thursday, the 16th of December. Norman expects to be on air for around an hour between 4pm and 5pm but if there is enough interest from around the world then his 'gig' will be extended.

 Norman will talk about his flight and the adventures already undertaken and also about the forthcoming resumption of the journey next spring. He will also be answering questions from the public and this can include any of his fans from around the world.


If you have any questions for Norman or would just like to wish him well then there are a number of ways you can take part in the radio show.


Chaine FM has a website (click the link in the banner below) where you can send an email message whilst the show is in progress. There are also links where you can listen to the show as it is streamed live to one of three types of media player.
You can also email Gary Andrews, the DJ, with your comments and questions anytime before the show at gary@chainefm.com

Click here for ChaineFM



If you live more locally then there is a number for your text messages. It is 80818 - start your messages with "cfm" then a space. Texts charged at your standard rate. This is not a premium rate number.


To phone the studio on a landline the number is 07541 605850.


Whilst at the website why not check out the history of Larne’s own Radio Station, a community run voluntary organisation. They are also working on creating a podcast of the show for future download; we will let everyone know when this is available.

The Chain Memorial in Larne from which Chaine FM gets it name.

Chaine FM also has a Facebook page where you will be able to send your questions and messages via their wall. You will find their page at…
ChaineFM Facebook Page


If your December is feeling rather chilly and you want a break from the holiday shopping then why not settle down in front of the radio/PC and join Norman next Thursday for what will surely be an entertaining hour of fun and reminiscing about the previous year’s adventures. He is especially looking forward to answering questions from his friends and fans from a round the world and asks that you mention which country you are from when sending your questions.


A reminder will be posted on the day with a countdown to broadcast time.




The Gyrox Team


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ChaineFm Website for Streaming Live Show
ChaineFM Facebook Page
Become a Friend of Norman on Facebook
For More Information on GyroxGoesGlobal go to the Website
Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Consider Joining The Authorised Facebook Fan Page


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Norman Lights up Larne.

Last Friday, the 3rd of December, Norman was one of the guests of honour at the annual switching on of the Larne Harbour Community Christmas tree lights.


On a freezing cold night with snow falling all around; the first time they had had real snow for the occasion; Norman led the resilient crowd of spectators in a NASA style countdown before flipping the switch to turn on the lights.

Norman donned his famous red flying suit for the occasion and didn’t look out of place alongside Santa Claus and a large festive ‘bear’. In fact, to keep warm Norman layered many undergarments to keep the chill out and did vie with Santa for the largest girth.

The Red Suit Brigade

A great, albeit chilly, time was had by all who attended and hot drinks and food was a welcome finale to the proceedings.

The Gyrox Team

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Become a Facebook Friend
For More Information go to the Website
Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Consider Joining the Authorised Facebook Fan Page

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Norman to Begin the Festive Season in Larne.

If you are in Northern Ireland on Friday the 3rd of December, pop along to the harbour area in Larne where Norman will be ceremonially switching on the lights of the Harbour Community Christmas Tree.

To get into the festive spirit, Norman will be wearing his famous red flying suit and will be happy to chat to friends and fans about his flight.

Another important date for your calendar will be on Thursday 16th December when Norman will be doing a live radio show broadcast. This will also be interactive and friends and fans from around the world will be able to ask questions or pass on words of encouragement via a number of formats.

The full details will be posted on the blog and other sites in the next day or two.


The Gyrox Team

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Become a Facebook Friend
For More Information got to the Website
Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Consider Joining the Authorised Facebook Fan Page

Norman Recounts His Day at the Flying Show.

(Norman has returned home to Larne, Northern Ireland, after visiting the ‘Flying Show’ at the NEC, Birmingham, UK. He has written about his day at the show where he was able to meet up with aviator friends old and new as well as many fans of his adventure.)

"The trip to Birmingham was a fantastic opportunity to meet up with many of my UK gyro flying buddies. The first person that I encountered was Gyro stalwart and fellow “expeditionary raconteur” John Butler, who had accompanied me to Duxford for the launch of our Global Challenge at the beginning of the year. How appropriate that he should now be the first to pop up at the show to have a chat.

Next up, was a fantastic surprise in the shape of Les Shorrock who I had last seen in Nong Prue, Thailand, during the summer. We met almost as if it was quite a normal matter of fact, everyday occurrence. However, the fact we were now on the other side of the world and no longer dressed in shorts and Flip Flops (as of course, I had only ever met and known him previously while we were both decked out in our tropical apparel) was quite Bizarre.


What a truly international get together this was turning out to be.... another notable coincidence was meeting Alan Taylor who knew Jim Martin from Abu Dhabi very well. I had stayed with Jim while passing through Abu Dhabi and apparently left a (now) missing sock at his apartment....the partner to which I think must still be in my Flight bag in the Philippines....there may even be a photo of it somewhere on Facebook?

Norman with Alan Taylor: Part of the missing sock saga!

Various chats with a whole plethora of Gyronaught pilots (and would be pilots) followed, all wishing me well for the continuation of the world flight next spring..... I was particularly encouraged by the Northern Ireland delegations based at both Newtownards and Aldergrove, a good few of whom had now decided to give Gyro flying a go and had even signed up for some flight training with my flying instructor Chris Jones at Kirkbride in Cumbria. Gyros are extremely well suited to the often strong, gusty and turbulent wind conditions that frequently occur over our undulating hilly terrain in Northern Ireland and personally, it would be nice to (eventually) see a few more flying in my home skies, if only to keep “Roxy” and I company!


The new enclosed Gyro offerings gracing the stands of manufacturers Autogyro/Rotorsport and Magni really looked to define the future aerodynamic shape of our aircraft types into the new decade and even better news, both are now newly certified to fly in the UK.

Norman on the Rotorsports stand with (left to right) Gerry Speich, owner of Rotorsport and 'Roxy' test pilot in Thailand and John Hereward, the aircraft engineer who rebuilt 'Roxy' at Nongprue. This is the first time since Norman departed Nongprue on August 1st that the 'Roxy' resurrection team have been together in the same place! On the far right is Peter Davis from Brooke Farm, Lancashire, which was the first stop on the journey after Norman departed Larne back in March.

I also stopped by to chat with Phil and Katie manning the Gyrocopter Experience stand (or should that be better described as a multiplex entertainment centre!!)

Norman with Phil Harewood from the Autogyro Experience
who also supplied Norman with the Spot Tracker.

...and lastly (but by no means “leastly”) I chatted with the volunteers on the British Rotorcraft Association stand which gives us a great national representation and shop window for “all things Gyro” in the UK. What these experienced “old hands” would be thinking of the fancy new enclosed machines hot off the design boards of Europe would be an interesting conversation to have....but at another time perhaps as, alas, time was rapidly running short and I had to bid my farewells until the next international gathering, wherever that might be.... "

Cheers Norman


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A great day out enjoyed by all who were there and were able to meet and chat with Norman. If you did mange to meet Norman and have some photos of the encounter then please let the support team know at gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com and your photo may appear in one of the sites online.

...and finally, the Gyrox team have been able to locate the photo of Norman's orphaned sock which is still enjoying the balmy temperatures in Abu Dhabi and it appears it has a new friend to keep it company until that day it is reunited with Norman's other sock!

Norman's orphaned sock. Thanks to James Martin for the photo.

The Gyroxgoesglobal Team

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Learn more about gyro's from the Gyrocopter Experience website
Check out the Rotorsport website
Become a Facebook Friend
For more information check out the website
Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Consider joining the Authorised Facebook Fan Page

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Norman to be at the Flying Show: NEC Birmingham

The annual ‘Flying Show’ is to be held in hall 12 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham, UK, on Saturday 27th November 2010. It is the UK's biggest indoor show covering the whole spectrum of lightweight sport flying, from simple paraglider canopies to 'hotship' composite microlights capable of cruising at 130kts or more, and all with the great emphasis on affordability.

And…of course Gyrocopters will be a big feature of the show with Rotorsport, the company who taught Norman on autogyro’s and supplied him with G-YROX, having stand number 40 in the main hall.



A Magni Gyro at the 2009 Show


Norman will be flying into Birmingham on Saturday and will be appearing at Rotorsport’s stand between 10:45 and 14:30. So if you are already going to the show or can possibly drop in if you are in the West Midlands area, Norman will be more than happy to meet you, have a chat, answer your questions and have photos taken with you, the best of which will appear in the blog and on the website and Facebook pages.

Another MT-03 on the Rotorsport stand at the 2009 show

The NEC is easily reached on foot via Birmingham International Train Station or Birmingham International Airport and is close to the motorway system if traveling by car. So come along for a great day out and remember to head along to stand 40 in hall 12 where Norman and the Rotorsport people will be very happy to see you.

Check out the Flying Show website for more info
http://www.theflyingshow.co.uk/show_attractions.htm
 
The Gyrox Team
 
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Become a Facebook Friend
Check out the Rotorsport website
For more information on Norman and the flight, check the website
Consider donating to Norman's chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Consider joining the authorised Facebook Fan Page
 
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New Facebook Landmark Reached

Today, Norman has reached and passed the 4,000 friend mark on Facebook. This is quite an achievement in such a short time and goes to show the power of social networking when mixed with a great cause and a story like Norman’s.


Norman’s adventure may well be the first that has used the power of Facebook to actually complement this kind of journey. Flying around the world without masses of corporate sponsorship and with no support teams waiting for him at the various destinations has meant that many times during his journey Norman has been able to rely upon the ‘Friends’ he has met on Facebook, to be at times, his only contacts on the ground in far away places!

Aviation enthusiasts greet Norman at October Airport, Cairo, Egypt

Some of these friends have turned out to be aviation professionals who have been able to offer Norman much needed assistance with all matters pertaining to his flight and then there are the aviation enthusiasts who are ready to offer support in any way they can, because they love aviation and are inspired by Norman and his flight. Of course, there are those friends who didn’t have an interest in aviation as such but were inspired by Norman’s story and have gone out of their way to be a part of it by offering assistance in distant lands.


Norman has been amazed by the way these complete strangers have turned out to ‘do their bit’ to help him on his journey and he has always spoken of how he never feels alone when flying across the barren areas of the globe because he knows there are so many new friends watching his progress.

A great reception at Jamshedpur in India

It is a great reflection on Norman’s popularity that when he departs a location there is always a sudden influx of new ‘friends’ on Facebook and it is obvious that they then tell their friends about this amazing adventure and the modest aviator undertaking it because there is then a knock on effect as friend suggestions start to pour in. This has been really obvious since Norman called half time on the flight, as nearly a thousand new friends have asked to join the adventure even though it is on hold at the present!

Norman's friends in Nongprue, Thailand even organised a Buddhist blessing ceremony 

This does mean that there is a definite chance that Norman will reach the 5000 friend cut-off limit that Facebook has introduced before setting off again next year. That in itself will be quite an achievement but with Norman heading off in the spring to traverse the eastern coast of Asia and then enter North America before crossing the Atlantic via Greenland, Iceland and the Faeroe Islands there will be many possible new friends who won’t have a chance to follow Norman on Facebook, or able to offer assistance.

Members of the Malaysian Chapter of the EAA were of great assistance to Norman in Kuala Lumpur

This is why we are working on a ‘Gyrox Goes Global’ page on Facebook that will allow people to follow Norman with no restriction on numbers. When this page is set up it will be announced on here and all the other websites so that friends past and present can check it out.

Many new friends turned out to greet Norman at Laoag in the Philippines

The present Facebook page will continue updating everybody about Norman’s activities as usual and friends will be able to comment etc. The new ‘Page’ will run alongside the present page with a much easier format for joining in, just click ‘Like’ and you are there!

Norman with friends at Woodland Air Park, The Philippines, before returning to Larne.

So once again, a big thank you to everyone who has become a ‘Friend’ of Norman on Facebook; you are all playing a part in creating history.


The Gyrox Team


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Become a Facebook Friend
For More Information Go To The Website
Consider Donating To Norman's Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Consider Joining The Authorised Facebook Fan Page

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A Quiet Week For Norman?

If you had just spent the last six months flying a tiny aeroplane half-way around the World, facing many dangers, extreme conditions and interminable bureaucracy, it would surely be expected that on returning to your hometown in Northern Ireland, at a time when Atlantic gales turn summer into autumn quicker than in most parts of the British Isles, a few months spent sitting in front of a roaring fire enjoying a well deserved rest before resuming the flight next spring, would be on the cards…

That would be a normal reaction, unless of course your name is Norman Surplus!

Immediately following his return home there were not only the obvious media interviews and TV and Radio appearances that Norman was happy to do but there was also the debriefing of the flight so far. Miles of video footage had to be sorted and hundreds of images from around the world had to be downloaded from the many memory cards Norman has used during part one of the journey. Add to this the necessity to stay in contact with agencies and supporters around the world, who will become major players in the second part of the venture, you would think Norman wouldn’t have time for much else…

But…Norman, being Norman has managed to fill his ‘spare’ time with many other activities and here we have some photos of just what he has been getting up to!

First off…how about a bit of horseback riding. Or to be exact…Fell Pony Riding. Here Norman is sat astride Juno, one of two Fell ponies owned by his wife, Celia. It certainly is quite a difference to go from his 115 horse power Rotax engine on ‘Roxy’ to a one horse power mare called Juno, but at least his feet are off the ground again.

Norman and Juno


Maybe you would think Norman would get some rest on a Sunday? Think again…this is when Norman puts on his ‘maritime’ hat and takes part in ‘Sunday Morning Training’ at the Larne lifeboat station. As you may know, Norman is 2nd Coxswain on the Larne lifeboat and as such is very involved with activities there and can be called out, ‘on a shout’ at any time day or night.

Here you can see Norman (against the rail) on the larger Trent Class Lifeboat, the ‘Dr John McSparran’ briefing the crew of the smaller D Class inshore lifeboat, the ‘Hannabella Ferguson’.

Trent Class Lifeboat: The Dr John McSparran

Both lifeboats are based at Larne Harbour and you can find out more about this busy RNLI station here…RNLI Lifeboat Station: Larne


So how does Norman relax at home? Well, with his son Felix’s 12th birthday coming up it was time for Norman to show off his culinary skills by baking this birthday cake in the shape of a skateboard.

It looks delicious but maybe Norman should only have a small slice considering he needs to worry about the all-up weight for ‘Roxy’s’ take-off next spring!


And to round off a busy week? Slippers on, cup of cocoa, DVD and an early night? No chance!

It’s that time of year again where Norman and his friends take off for Biarritz in France for the Heineken Cup Rugby Union match between Ulster and Biarritz. And although the match was played yesterday (17th Oct) and Biarritz beat Ulster 35 – 15, the game is only a small part of this annual outing and we can rest assured that Norman will be smiling anyway. Check out the photo of Norman at the game last year and you can see that the enjoyment comes from being amongst friends and is much more about the event than the winning.

Add to all these activities the fact that Norman is back at work with B9 Energy Group, the company he co-founded with his brothers, and you may be wondering where he gets all his energy from. But it does show that come next spring we can expect Norman to be raring to go in his attempt to be the first to circumnavigate the globe in an Autogyro.

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The Gyrox Team

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Become a Facebook Friend
For More Information Check Out The Website
Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Consider Joining the Authorised Facebook Fan Page

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Important Message.

Dear Friends,

it appears that you may have, or may well, receive a message from me inviting you to see my photos on a new social networking site called Shtyle.fm. I can tell you that the invite DID NOT come from me or anyone at Gyrox Goes Global. We believe it was sent via a phishing worm and this means that if you sign up via my so called 'invite' you may have the same problem.

If you have already signed up, then it would be wise to run a virus check on your system to alleviate any worries and check that your system hasn't sent out any unsolicited invites to the people in your address book.

If you do get an invite from 'Norman Surplus' to join Shtyle.fm then please ignore it, it wasn't sent by me.

It does appear that Shtyle.fm is a legitimate site and by all means join it via their URL if you so want to but be warned that they need you to sign up with your email address and the password for that email address. This then leaves you open to attack from worms and viruses.

We are very sorry for this inconvenience and hope that we have caught it in time and once again apologise for something that was done completely without our knowledge.

On a lighter topic, there will be a new Blog post this weekend  with some new photos, watch this space.

Regards

The Gyrox Goes Global Team

on behalf of

Norman Surplus

Why The Weather Had The Final Say.

Since arriving back home to Larne in Northern Ireland, Norman has been kept busy doing the rounds of Newspaper, TV and radio interviews. The mass of support for Norman’s adventure has been wonderful and he has been able to recount his journey so far and answer most questions during these interviews for the public to read or hear. But there is one question that is regularly asked and is apparently easily answered…’Why did you decide to put the journey on hold?’

The easy answer is because of the worsening weather in North East Russia and the Bering Sea.
But obviously this doesn’t really convey how seriously Norman considered this aspect of his flight and why it was paramount in his final decision.

Norman has flown in bad weather already; skirting large storms and dog-legging around the worst of what nature can throw up. But this was a walk in the park compared to what he would have had to face the further North he flew. For most of us who live in temperate climates it’s hard to imagine what extreme weather can be like and a quick glimpse of an atlas will show that North East Russia is quite green with only a small bit of blue water to cross into Alaska. But the reality is quite different.

Therefore, Norman has decided that the best way to show why he decided to not risk continuing into this area until next spring would be to use quotes and links from various sites that are experts on this region.



The Chukotka Region

The Chukotka region is the peninsular in the far north-east of Russia and is the most easterly point of Asia before crossing the Bering Sea to North America. It is renowned for its extreme weather and here are some quotes from the Chukotka website…

‘Climate of Chukotka is very inclement. Local old-timers say that one month in a year they have bad weather, two months – very bad and the rest nice – nasty weather.
In the winter air temperature in western continental parts of Chukotka often goes down as much as 44-60 degrees Celsius below zero. Strong winds blow in the eastern parts and snow storms can sometimes last for many days. Summer is very short, rainy and cold, in certain places the snow stays on the ground unmelted. Permafrost lies in the upper layers of soil and can be found anywhere in the country.’

It can be seen from this that even a summer flight across this region won’t be a joyride.

A valley in North Eastern Chukotka in summertime.

‘Average year air temperature in Chukotka is below zero in all parts of the region: from 4.1 C (Navarin Cape) to -14 C over the East-Siberian Sea Coast (a/k/a Raucha). However, the climate becomes more continental to the West of the most distant Eastern point, the so-called "Chukotka wedge", and although the area of the region is not significant its average temperatures vary greatly: in July from +4 С to +14 С and in January from -18 С to -42 С.’

And from the website ‘Angus Adventures’…

‘Winter in Chukotka is the most extreme in the planet. It is much, much colder than Alaska due to the fact that the prevailing weather comes from the west and chills as it moves across the largest landmass in the world. In central Chukotka temperatures hover around -50 for long periods through the winter.
It is the winds accompanying these extreme temperatures that really make the weather abysmal. The location of Chukotka between the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific creates unique metrological conditions, and frequently winds from 50-100 km/hr blast across the peninsula. Wind chill temperature is often below -100. The lack of vegetation trees and blowing snow means that whiteout conditions are very frequent.’

From this you can see that just the temperatures alone make Norman’s decision to delay the flight the safest decision.

The Bering Sea

From Russia to Alaska, crossing the Bering Strait, is only 85 km. Not that far you may think for Norman and ‘Roxy’ to traverse but as has been the case for most of the journey so far, things are not that easy when flying around the world. The rules say that you must leave Russia from a Departure/entry Airport and arrive at one in Alaska. This makes the crossing nearer to 200km and that is over one of the roughest and most dangerous stretches of water in the world, especially in the winter.


The Bering Sea coastline in Summer

 If you want to find out more about this challenging region and take a longer look at the sea crossing check out the following websites from which the passages posted here are gratefully reproduced.

http://www.chukotka.org/
http://www.angusadventures.com/beringstrait.html

It is hoped that these articles convey just how dangerous an autumn/winter crossing would have been for Norman and why he made the tough decision to put the flight on hold until the spring…

And Norman’s favourite quote about the region?

‘Snowfall can break out at any time during summer.’

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The Gyrox Team

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Become a Facebook Friend
For More Information Visit the Website
Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Consider Joining the Authorised Facebook Fan Page

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Norman Arrives Home

Norman has safely arrived back home to Larne, Northern Ireland and has spent a couple of quiet days at home with his family.

He has sent a message where he recalls the journey back and subsequent return to the ‘Emerald Isle’.

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The 3 flights home were considerably faster and less “busy” for me than the numerous ones I made on the way out to the Philippines! We had a tremendous lightning storm overhead arriving into Hong Kong and this delayed the onward departure by about 2 hours - we made up sometime en route to London and my connection to Belfast was still easily made (though with bleary eyes in the early (UK Time) morning. The flight conditions on the final leg, heading once again back over the Irish Sea, were excellent - very clear visibility and the rolling green patchwork quilt of fields below, that give the “Emerald Isle” its name, were spectacular, as always. Temperatures on arrival home were much more familiar for me (being measured in the low teens rather than in the low 30’s Celsius), though having spent close on the last 6 months in the Tropics, I had to acclimatise back to “normal” very rapidly! The conditions were actually very similar to the day I departed from Larne, way back in March, with a fair North Westerly breeze blowing (nice tailwind I thought for flying off South Eastwards around the world, though not needed today...).

I am now able to sit and look out over the local sports field where the journey commenced half a year ago and reflect on all that has happened in the intervening months. No doubt as the North Atlantic Autumn Gales set in properly over the next few weeks, I will be battening down the hatches against the wind and driving rain rattling the on windows outside, to begin the enjoyable, comfortable, task of reviewing notes and records to script a full account (in much greater detail) of how the first half of this fantastic Global Challenge has really played out...

Regards

Norman.

March 22nd 2010 and Norman prepares to set off from the playing fields in Larne that he mentions in his message.

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For the aviation buffs out there, you may like to know that Norman flew Philippine Airlines from Manila to Hong Kong where he connected to the Cathay Pacific Boeing 747 flight to Heathrow, London, where he then caught an Aer Lingus Airbus A320 that flew him to Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland. The whole journey time was around 23 hours.

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The Gyrox Team

Become a Facebook Friend
For more Information go to the Website
Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK
Check Out the Authorised Facebook Fan Page

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