Roxy re-awakens after long Japanese Winter Hibernation

Following a very long Japanese winter we at the Gyrox team can now happily announce that things are starting to happen in the Land of the Rising Sun. Norman has sent us an important update detailing the efforts to get Roxy ready for the resumption of the circumnavigation. This is what he has to say...

I am very pleased to announce that Roxy (aka - the current long distance FAI World Record holding MT-03 Autogyro G-YROX) is this week planning a return to the (hopefully) clear blue skies of NW Japan after a lengthy enforced winter Hibernation period.
The aircraft has been waiting patiently in Japan for the onward route through to the Bering Sea (via the Far East of Russia) to thaw after the long Arctic winter. Great care has been taken to keep the aircraft fit for purpose with the engine given regular exercise every few weeks during the snowy conditions that have seen several metres of snow fall in this relatively remote region of Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture. Roxy however has been tucked up safe and sound in a small alcove in the back of the fire station building at Shonai Airport.

Now with spring rapidly approaching, the time has come to prepare for the coming flying season and we will now see a flurry of activity around the airport during the next two weeks. Through the winter, to assist in taking up the least amount of room in the fire station, the rotor blades were removed as can be seen in the photograph below which was taken during a recent engine run…note also the now melting snow in the background…

Shonai, Japan - Feb 2012 and the engine starts first time!

The blades will be cleaned and inspected prior to putting them back on the rotor head and the aircraft thoroughly checked over prior to embarking on a series of short flights around the immediate vicinity of the Airport. Flight restrictions from the Civil Aviation Bureau will likely mean that the aircraft will be confined to flights within approximately a 3 km radius of the airport boundary, however considering that this is a highly capable and manoeuvrable Autogyro aircraft (and not a Jumbo Jet), this amount of space is ample to provide all the airspace needed to perform the requisite flight checks. Indeed it could even be said that an Autogyro could easily perform all its manoeuvres actually within the confines of the airport boundary fences!

The plan is to allow the aircraft permission to fly 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the afternoon each day between the 23rd & 30th of March. However not all of these time sessions will be needed for check flights and local weather or other air traffic may have further limiting implications. It is expected that Roxy will exercise for about 5 hours in total during the week. The intention is to have the Satellite Tracker active during the these short flights, to allow the testing of the online tracking page and to allow our many European followers to practise their skills at getting up in the middle of the night to watch, live, a little yellow aircraft buzz about on the other side of the planet!! (Though of course, some may just elect to check on the overnight progress at a more leisurely pace, over the usual morning cup of coffee some hours later instead…)

Norman gives a thumbs up to the newly awakened Roxy.

It is such a rarity for this type of Aircraft to be allowed permission to fly in Japan that it may cause some considerable interest locally. On our first arrival in Shonai (inbound from Oki Island last July) I simply made a straight in approach to the airport and was cleared to land immediately. The aircraft was heavy with the circumnavigation luggage and generally, in these circumstances after a long sea crossing of many hours and into an unfamiliar airport, I will make a very steady and straightforward approach and landing (so as to not unduly worry the Air Traffic Officer on duty in the Control Tower). The gathered reception committee waiting to greet my arrival that day therefore saw very little of the unique flight characteristics of this aircraft while it was in the air. There was no need to stop, mid air and perhaps descent vertically, no need for tight turns, steep practised forced landings perhaps across the runway rather than along it, touch and go fly pasts and a host of other manoeuvres that would look quite odd to any spectator who is used to observing the motion of a more conventional aircraft (or even a helicopter…). By putting the aircraft through its paces (though always remaining fully within in its normal flight envelope - as UK Autogyros are not allowed to perform any “aerobatic” manoeuvres) next week, local Japanese onlookers will be treated to an impromptu display of a flying machine that will take to the air like no other aircraft they have ever seen!

GANBARO!  ROXY….

Cheers

Norman

**Ganbaro! is the Japanese rallying cry that means “go on, you can do it, we are with you!”           

                    *     *     *

The Gyrox Team will make sure that where possible we will announce flying times and make sure links to the Spot Tracker appear on the various GGG sites and we hope everyone is feeling the excitement we are at the thought of Roxy and Norman taking to the skies again soon.

The Gyrox Team

                    *     *     *

For More Information Visit the Website

Follow the Adventure on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow Norman and G-YROX Live On The Spot Tracker

Consider Donating to Norman’s Chosen UK Charity: Bowel Cancer UK

Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen North American Charity: Livestrong

Consider Joining The AuthorisedFacebook Fan Page

The GGG Essential Guide to:- Japanese food that looks too good to eat…Beware the non-slip Gravy!

Welcome to the third installment of Norman's series of informative and tongue in cheek guides to the quirkier side of Japanese life.

The GGG Essential Guide to:-

Japanese food that looks too good to eat…Beware the non-slip Gravy!

Think of culinary Japan and you automatically think of Sushi, Chopsticks, Soy Sauce and perhaps an irate Chef chasing you down the street brandishing a fearsome looking meat cleaver… no, sorry, that last stereotype is more likely to belong to a UK Chinese Restaurant at maybe around Pub closing time!!
I refer to Chinese loosely in this context as, in the UK at least, the word is often used as a catch all description for any restaurant (especially a “take away” as opposed to a “sit in”) that just happens to have vaguely Oriental dishes on their menu. This is regardless of whether the dishes are actually from China or even anywhere else in the Far East... After all, gastronomic delights such as “Chips**, Cheese and Curry Sauce”, deep fried “Battered Pineapple Rings” or “Pickled Boiled Eggs” in a jar don’t immediately spring to mind as examples of rare delicacies transported from the mystic East aboard some ancient Chinese Sailing Junk. (Unless, of course, the eggs happen to be 600 years old and served up in a Ming Dynasty vase…)

** ”Chips” in the UK can be known as French Fries elsewhere and Potato Crisps in the UK can be called Potato Chips elsewhere - confused ? - you soon will be…

However, it is still possible that some of the slightly more authentic dishes on the menu may have had, at least in part, some Japanese influences in the past, even if only in a very broad brush comparison. Many “Oriental” dishes of course share the same Far East staple ingredients of Rice and Noodles (as does Japan) and these are served up in numerous permutations of styles and flavours. Such are the bewildering array of variations that can be conjured up from these two base ingredients that, just as the Inuit people of the Polar regions have their 40 odd different descriptions for types of “snow”, so too is there a huge variety and diversity in the numerous descriptions of all things “Noodle” and all things “Rice”.

And herein lies the big problem….How can you possibly individually describe 150 items on your menu if 75 of them are best described as “Noodle Thing” and the other 75 should be called “Rice Thing”??

In the UK, the ubiquitous “Chinese” Take Away has an answer to this dilemma, by devising an enormous gaudy plastic Menu board which can easily take up the whole of one wall in the brightly neon lit shop. This Technicolor masterpiece, which describes each dish on the menu in exacting detail, can initially stun the customer at first glance, suddenly confronted them with this Wide Screen vision, a menu delivered in full HD but alas with no surround sound (unless of course someone is singing loudly in the queue behind you…).

Where to look first? How can you ever find the Cheesy Chip and Gravy section hiding in this lot??

Initially, the whole lengthy manuscript (seemingly of Magna Carter proportions), has to be studied in bewildering detail by the squinting (and perhaps swaying) occupants of the recently emptied public house next door. This all quickly becomes quite a cumbersome and laborious arrangement you might think… but not so, because once the preferred dish is eventually located on the menu board, the complex system’s trump card can be played. The auto-swaying customer can simply lean on the counter (for support and perhaps also to reduce the swaying a little…) and prepare to deliver their order. Like a goldfish with only a 3 second memory, the customer at this most crucial juncture in the transaction need not even remember one jot about the details of the food they are going to eat. There’s simply no need as the system will provide the answer. They only have one thing to remember and that one thing is… the Number….the number that the dish appears on the menu list. Sorted! Gone from the memory is actually what you are ordering and shortly going to eat (and/or possibly wear when spilt down the front of your shirt...), like an automaton delivering a speech with a synthesised voice, all you need to remember to say at the appropriate moment is - “I want that Noodle thing…Number 143…and a can of fizzy pop” *** (plus perhaps a small side dish of Cheesy Chips as a Hors D‘oeuvre to eat on the bus on the way home…)

***it’s preferable to use your best Robot / Dalek voice for this bit if you are reading the text out to someone - however equally best not to use this same voice in a real Take Away restaurant or you may well snap the patience of the Head Chef… with the Meat Cleaver…shouting Exterminate! Exterminate! as he leaps at you over the counter…

So to cut through the sensory overload of making a concise, distilled and informed choice from the huge menu on offer (and perhaps also “multitasking” with some swaying, singing and squinting thrown in) the most efficient system to use is to simply to order by number.

Unless that is, you happen to live, say, in Japan...

By now, you might well have guessed that the Japanese (as we will see in many of these GGG Essential Guides…) have, of course, managed to go one better. Gone are the complex and gaudy plastic menu boards, gone also the more “trendy bistro” chalk and blackboard menus. In Japan, all is neatly replaced by an altogether more adventurous, 21st Century, artistic solution.

 

Rather than trying to read the whole menu and having to imagine what the different dishes might be like, the Japanese regularly enjoy the fantastic concept of being able to actually see what they are going to get before they order it. A three dimensional menu showing exactly what you are going to get is often placed, pride of place no less, in the front window of many Japanese Restaurants. Represented in incredibly detailed plastic resins, there are row upon row of highly accurately detailed food dishes, all of which are available on the menu inside. By using plastic replicas like these you simply don’t have to use so many words to describe the ingredients of a dish and In this way, not only the look of the food is reproduced (after all, a good photograph in the menu could do this adequately), but the physical size, composition and texture of the meal can also be accurately depicted. It is very much a case of “WYSIWYG” (What You See Is What You Get).

The real challenge of course, is not the simple dishes on the menu, Green Peas and Carrots after all are perhaps not so hard to reproduce in plastic.... Where the real skill comes in is trying to represent things like Ice Cream Sundaes or delicate seafood salads.

Here the art of the plastic food designers goes into realism overdrive! Nothing is too much trouble to reproduce for, just as the human eye can quite easily spot an obvious flaw in a painting, the eye is also drawn to any slight inaccuracies in a plate of reproduction food. You could say that the overall illusion is only as good as the worst item of plastic food on the plate. With this in mind, you soon find yourself searching in a bowl of Salad for the dodgiest looking item, the one giveaway thing that breaks down the illusion of realism….but more often than not there isn’t one!!

Such is the attention to realism that even the condition of the food is considered, the Gravy looks runny, the fruit looks to be freshly washed and even the condensation on the inside of a (plastic) glass of (plastic) ice cream is modelled to give the illusion that the glass is very cold (when of course all the plastic is actually sitting at room temperature as seen below…)

Not to be left out, even the kids are well catered for in Plastic!

As “WAON” the flying dog says here on the side of his bowl, delivering your dinner by aeroplane “is a lovely way to eat” and what kid wouldn’t want their food to land on the table piloted by a dog sitting in an open cockpit, complete with ears a-flappin in the wind! The Japanese really are the Kings of Cute!

However, If there has to be a down side to all this artistic ingenuity, I have managed to find it…On one occasion, yours truly was faced with the slightly embarrassing situation in a restaurant of knowing exactly what I wanted to eat from looking at the food in the window, but then, and this is the crucial bit…not being able to describe this order to the waiter inside the restaurant! The result was I had to then drag the poor waiter outside his own restaurant so I could point at the desired dish in the window! Luckily he saw the funny side of all of this and proceeded to produce the meal laid out exactly as I had seen it previously shaped in plastic! Quite amazing…

I’d better warn you that this last picture is of some real noodle soup and I am pleased to report that it was very tasty!. The Dish is called “Udon” and to eat it you are given chopsticks (yes, even to eat soup….!) and a special wooden ladle called an “Otama” which gives its name to “otama-jyakushi” which is Japanese for a Tadpole! (because of the round body and long handle / tail).

See you all for another “GGG Essential guide” for use in everyday Japan very soon…

 

Sayonara! Cheers N.

*     *     *

Another great insight into the side of Japanese life most of us never see. Keep checking back for the next installment and also for the latest news on the resumtion of the flight which is fast approaching.

The Gyrox Team.

*     *    *

For More Information Visit the Website

Follow the Adventure on Facebook

Consider Donating to Norman’s Chosen UK Charity: Bowel Cancer UK

Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen North American Charity: Livestrong

Follow us on Twitter

The GGG Essential Guide to:- Japanese Techno Toilets and Other Ingenious Innovations.

Welcome to part 2 of Norman's series of informative and tongue in cheek guides to the quirkier side of Japanese life.

The GGG Essential Guide to:- Japanese Techno Toilets and Other Ingenious Innovations.

The Japanese are well known around the world for having a real flair in developing novel and unusual gadgets - and for me the one device that demonstrates this highly innovative spirit most keenly is the (previously) humble toilet seat.

Cold winter weather in Japan often makes for a decidedly chilly atmosphere when visiting the 'Smallest room of the house'. This is especially felt where the Japanese, through adopting an entirely different philosophy towards heating the home, will put much emphasis on keeping the individual person warm rather than the entire house. Therefore, rather than employing a grand central heating system that can easily leak heat away to the outside environment, localised heating of some rooms or areas within a room is often used instead. For example, an electric heater is often found permanently attached to the underside of the dining table to keep your legs warm while you are sitting eating meals, this is combined with a thick table cloth that covers the table and also reaches to the floor all around the diners thus acting as a very effective blanket around your legs to keep the heat in.

Alternatively, an electrically heated rug stretched out on the floor can also help to keep your feet warm (as remember of course, you have no shoes on inside the house or restaurant). Further, rigid corrugated metal hot-water bottles (though now being replaced with more user friendly hard plastic variants) can be used to preheat beds.

However, the quiet, reserved, no nonsense toilet seat remains my favourite example of this philosophy in action...as to have a pre-warmed seat waiting for you before sitting down on a cold day is very much appreciated indeed!

This being Japan however, to only achieve the desired warming of the seat with an integral, fully embedded, fully adjustable, thermostatically controlled heating element would simply be a waste of a great opportunity to showcase some real innovative thinking in the design process. Once a 'Chief Techno Toilet Designer' (CTTD) has committed his manufacturing company to developing an easy reach control console, to be positioned alongside the seat (and one which Captain Kirk would be most happy to see attached to his Commanders seat on the Bridge Deck of the USS Enterprise) then the full gambit of other 'must have' items can also be accommodated and factored in as further luxury upgrades.

You then get a plethora of available options...full seat temperature control (as standard)), big flush - little flush (the Eco option). water pressure and temperature settings for an integral bidet shower unit (complete with hot air drying - which is a feature perhaps not for everyone's liking!), volume control for background running water soundtrack and/or music (presumably some suitably pleasant 'Chamber Music') And as if these were not enough extra features, not only the actual seat gets high tech makeover treatment - one techno loo that I happened to encounter while visiting Kyoto had an additional sensor that both turned on the light and then made the seat lid flip up as you entered the room! Such attention to detail!!

Hair Today - Gone Tomorrow...

Whereas the UK has brought us fantastic innovations such as the Dyson Vacuum cleaner to sweep the floors of your local barber shop, the Japanese have once again outshone the competition with this very handy gizmo for catching hair as soon as it is cut, thus eliminating the need for even getting the Dyson out of the cupboard!

In the UK this product would no doubt have a trendy techno name such as the 'Hair Catcher 3000' or the ,Catch-All-O-Matic'.


You Have A Spare 5 Minutes?

Once you have your hair nicely trimmed what better than to be able to also give your face a bit of a massage, perhaps while you are standing in the busy bus queue in town, waiting to go home from the barber shop. You would be the envy of your fellow bus passengers if you were suddenly able to produce the 'Face Roller-O-Matic' from your inside pocket for a quick 5 minute workout.

Alternatively if a bit of bothersome cut hair has sneaked down the inside of the neck seal of the Hair Catcher 3000 while at the barber shop, you could also quickly whip out your 'Back Scratcher-O-Tron' to scratch away that irritable itch...

Sushi and Satin...

Not to be left out, innovative products for the animal kingdom have also been well catered for in Japan. What about a nice Kimono style leisure suit in which your cat can lounge around the house? No problem sir! The zoomed image on the right features a nice pink shoulder padded neckline (that is assuming a cat has shoulders!), a lovely satin finish and on the left picture the highly appropriate Lucky Waving Cat logo. Any unfortunate Mice that would happen to meet this 'at home' cat would not necessarily risk being caught and eaten, rather, they would be at far greater risk of being invited in and offered some sushi or a fishy canape washed down with a Martini cocktail...Miaow!

See you all for another 'GGG Essential Guide' for use in everyday Japan very soon...


Cheers
Norman
                    *     *     *

Norman will be giving us another look at the quirkier side of Japanese life in the very near future. Keep watching the blog, website and Facebook pages for the latest news of the resumption of the flight. We will post any updates as soon as we get them,

The Gyrox Team.


                    *     *     *

For More Information Visit the Website

Follow the Adventure on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Consider Donating to Norman’s Chosen UK Charity: Bowel Cancer UK

Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen North American Charity: Livestrong

                    *     *     *

New Year Ninjyas

As 2011 comes to an end, all of us at the Gyrox Goes Global team can look back on a year of highs and lows for the Gyrox adventure. The feeling of Deja Vu is also prominent in our feelings with an urge to express the words 'if only'. But since the quest began in March 2010 the words 'if only' have been replaced with the phrase...'Oh well, there's always next year' and we are now looking forward to 2012 with a renewed optimism  that Norman and Roxy will finally alight again on to the playing fields in Larne after completing the circumnavigation, hopefully sometime next summer.
In the meantime, Norman has decided to write a number of interesting and entertaining articles about the quirkier side of Japanese life as a New Year present to his supporters whilst they wait for the big day when flying starts again. So how best to start off a series on Japan (very much Norman's second home at the moment) and the unusual side of life there than an article on the famous but secretive Ninjyas.


                    *     *     *


How to Spot a Ninjya Living in Your Town

Japanese Ninjyas, (spelt Ninjas in some parts) are those masked superhero figures who are expert at all aspects of Martial Arts. They are often portrayed in films and comic books as mystical (almost mythical) in their superhuman powers and secretive ways. Yet, with their cunning masked disguise (and the highly overactive imagination of your GGG investigative observer) they could easily, almost certainly, be living next door to you in your temporarily adopted Japanese home town. You would simply never know - unless, that is, you are armed with the following 'official GGG essential guide' - How to Spot a Ninjya Living in Your Quirky Town...


The Ninjya Boot - Ninjya typically wear baggy coverall outfits, robed from head to foot. However, to remain nimble on their feet and to perform all their rooftop leaps and overly dramatic high kicks (into thin air) they much prefer to wear boots that have very flexible soles and that prove very sticky for clambering around the rooftops on secret missions.
Rather surprisingly you can buy your very own set of Ninjya boots in regular shops without showing any ID proof of your real (or imaginary) special superhero status. 
This boot was spotted in a large hardware store and rather helpfully was on offer in the shop as a 'buy one get one free' deal (which is very useful for fitting out your other foot!).

In Tsuruoka I was fortunate to witness several Ninjya going about their every day 'cover' jobs. Typically it appears that they disguise themselves as Roofing Contractors - as seen here. 
However, the baggy trousers and tell-tale Ninjya boots give away the fact that they are obviously on a top secret spying mission rather than simply photographing a broken roofing tile...

The Ninjya Nest - Again, on my travels on foot around the backstreets of Tsuruoka during the late summer I kept my camera handy and kept a keen and watchful eye on the rooftops. My ongoing vigilance paid off on one of my regular trips back from the shopping centre when I spied a very clever construction that could only be described as a 'Ninjya Nest'. This wooden igloo structure would make a fine operational base for a Ninjya hiding out in town; it looks innocent enough until you spot the satellite communications dish sticking out of the top...used for innocently watching the Sumo Wrestling World Championships??? I don't think so!! Interpol, CIA, MI6, NASA...all take note! The nest proved temporary however as it disappeared overnight shortly before a period of heavy rain was forecast...very clever these Ninjyas...


More 'Official GGG Essential Guides', on various subject designed to help your ongoing survival in everyday Japan, coming soon...


Norman


                    *     *     *


Please note...No Ninjya was harmed during the writing of this article.
We at the GGG Team look forward to the next installment from Norman's Essential Guides as we are sure they will brighten up the winter months until the spring arrives and the serious business of circumnavigating globe continues.


The Gyrox Team


                    *     *     *

For More Information go to the Website

Follow us on Facebook

Consider Donating to Norman’s Chosen UK  Charity: Bowel Cancer UK

Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen North American Charity: Livestrong

Follow us on Twitter

December Round-up 2011

December 2011

Winter arrives - Norman poses with snow capped Mount Chokai in the background
Note too, the now harvested rice fields in the foreground

Here we are again! For the second year running I have found myself in an unavoidable position of preparing Roxy for another long winter 'rest' period. I have recently returned (during November) to Tsuruoka and Shonai Airport to perform some ongoing (and annual) maintenance tasks on Roxy - background jobs that need to be done to every aircraft in order to keep it fit and healthy. Performing these works, on a UK registered aircraft whilst sitting in rural Japan however has given their own complexities, especially when you are also obliged to work to the exacting UK CAA standards throughout the process.

Mr Kanda getting to grips with a
big torque-wrench during maintenance

Ever up for a collective challenge however, between the airport Management Staff, ANA maintenance Department Manager (Mr Kanda) and the collective muscle of the airport fire station personnel we were able to source all the requisite tools and equipment needed to complete the tasks in hand.
Happily I can now report that Roxy is well prepared to weather the bitter winter conditions that can see 6ft (2 meters) of lying snow as 'normal'

Green is the colour! And not
 just the work overalls,
temporarily replacing the famous
'Red Suit', coolant is made
 highly visible so leaks can
be detected more easily.

 One of the important jobs has been to replace the summer coolant in the engine.
This had been introduced in Thailand and of course was still perfectly suitable last winter in the tropical 30 degrees 'winter' of the Philippines.
But now with the harsh Japanese winter conditions approaching and with the next stop being Russia and the Arctic Circle, it was an essential task to change the coolant for a version containing much more anti-freeze properties.

Test running the engine up to operational temperature on the apron at Shonai Airport after coolant exchange -
November 2011






You can see from the picture here - of a recent overnight snowfall in Tsuruoka - good anti-freeze is obviously quite important!

No wonder with this amount of snow that some other precautions are taken for the onset of winter. One of the more interesting activities that takes place every year (and highlights the ingenuity of the Japanese in protecting their treasured natural environment) involves protecting all the ornamental trees from these very heavy and sudden falls of snow. The method involves erecting a strong pole up through the branches of the tree, off which an intricate array of rope supports are attached to hold up each of the boughs. In this way when the tree is heavily laden with snow the support pole and ropes take most of the additional weight and the tree doesn't suffer from any broken branches.




And Finally...

With Christmas time fast approaching, it has been fascinating to watch the ongoing preparations in Japan for this festive season. Iconic features that are known the world over, such as the traditional Christmas Tree, is of course very much in evidence. However, this being Japan, things don't always turn out quite as first expected...and the splendid tree seen in a Tsuruoka shopping mall is a case in point. On first glimpse you are impressed by the fine array of decorations on this classic tree, however, on further and closer inspection the wording of the Christmas message at the base of the tree can't help but leave you feeling slightly bemused...




For me, this slightly wayward Christmas message sums up something of the character of such a fantastic, quirky, dynamic, optomistic, unique society that Japan exhibits in abundance.

Circumstances beyond my control have dictated that I have spent a lot more time here than expected - I am very please to report however that this extra time has turned out to be a fascinating experience.

Hopefully the Russian Red Tape will be cleared away to allow a late Spring continuation of the Circumnavigation. In the mean time, during the winter months, I will be kept busy writing up the full account of the numerous adventures that have happened so far in this unpredictable global expedition; situations that you couldn't have even imagined prior to the take off day back in March 2010. Who would have thought then that the flight would still be ongoing right into 2012!!


It only remains for me to wish on behalf of everyone at Gyrox Goes Global, all the best for a happy festive season and hope that we all have a peaceful (and non-bureaucratic) New Year.

Norman

                    *     *     *

For More Information go to the Website

Follow us on Facebook

Consider Donating to Norman’s Chosen UK Charity: Bowel Cancer UK

Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen North American Charity: Livestrong

Follow us on Twitter

                    *     *     *

New World Records

It has been a while since we have been able to post any news to this blog page but rest assured, Norman has not let the grass grow beneath his feet and has been very busy with preparations for the resumption of the flight next spring.

Norman has also been busy compiling some blog posts that will be run over the Christmas and holiday period, but first we are excited to announce that the F.A.I. (Federation Aeronautique Internationale) has awarded Norman with four new World Records for Autogyro flying.

The records awarded are…

Claim number: 16277 Course/location: Laoag (Philippines) - Okinawa (Japan)
Performance : 127.9 km/h
Date :20.07.2011

Claim number: 16278 Course/location: Okinawa (Japan) - Goto (Japan)
Performance : 111.2 km/h
Date :21.07.2011

Claim number: 16281 Course/location: Goto (Japan) - Oki (Japan)
Performance : 116.1 km/h
Date :22.07.2011

Claim number: 16280 Course/location: Larne, NI (UK) - Oki (Japan)
Performance : 0.79 km/h
Date :22.07.2011

'FAI congratulates the Pilot on these splendid achievements.'

                    *     *     *

Obviously some of the speeds may appear to be very slow but this is because the record includes time spent on the ground. Even so, Norman has been breaking and creating records for autogyro flying for nearly two years now and we are sure there are many more to follow, including the main one…First Flight Around the World by an Autogyro.

The F.A.I. World Record Attempt logo on the nose of Roxy.

Everyone at the GyroxGoesGlobal team congratulates Norman on his record breaking achievements and look forward to writing about the next awards. Until then we can look forward to some entertaining and descriptive blog posts from Norman himself coming very soon.

The Gyrox Team

                    *     *     *

For More Information go to the Website

Follow the adventure on Facebook

Consider Donating to Norman’s Chosen Charity: Bowel Cancer UK

Consider Donating to Norman's Chosen North American Charity: Livestrong

Follow us on Twitter

                    *     *     *

An Important Message From Norman

It has been a while since we have been able to post any news from Japan, this is mainly because of the stalemate with the Russian authorities concerning permits for Norman to enter Russian airspace and fly across their country.

As many people will remember from last year, any hold up at this time of year can have a knock-on effect with weather problems further along the route. Because of the length of the delay and because of Norman’s expediency in all matters concerning safety a decision had to be made.

Norman has decided to tell everyone in his own words the decision he has made and why…

 

Wintering in - yet again….

Who would have thought when recommencing the circumnavigation flight in May this year that I would still be facing the prospect of seeking to overwinter ROXY in yet another far off land only a few short months later in September. Yet this is exactly what has come to pass in the past few weeks while I’ve been waiting oh so patiently for permission to fly on from Japan to Russia and thence onwards to Alaska. The Bering Sea (as happened last year - and of course which happens every year….) has once again begun to pull its all enveloping,  winter cloak of snow and ice around itself as an extremely efficient, protective deterrent against any would be open cockpit flyers who would dare to challenge it at this most volatile and changeable time of the year.

This has of course left me with the problem of what to do next? The actual decision to halt the flight (again) has been the relatively easy part. Further north in Russia, the increasingly changeable recent weather patterns combined with early reports from Alaska that the weather there had also already started to turn, meant that by the time mid- September appeared it was quite evident that the Bering Sea crossing would have to be deferred for a second winter. Once again I found myself facing the prospect of finding a safe haven for the aircraft that could logistically accommodate us for the coming months. Various options presented themselves and all then had to be considered.

Flying back South and West towards the warmer climes of the Philippines looked to be one possibility. However on closer inspection, the prospect of making the long open sea crossing between the Japanese Island chain and Luzon Island in the Philippines against the prevailing winds would have proved to be a hugely uncertain physical undertaking, never mind the added logistical minefield of trying to obtain Japanese overflight permission for a second time (when the first time was something of a triumphant achievement in itself). Or a third time for that matter for, of course, if I was back down on Luzon Island I would then have to re-fly the Japanese route back up to Shonai next spring. All in all, it seemed too risky and too complicated to consider any further.

Onwards to (just) enter Russia was another option to consider, however, the blinding and break neck speed that the Russian Permission is still being pushed through their ultra slick Bureaucratic system (“Blinding” as in, catching a glimpse of the welding arc used to weld the box presumably containing my whole permission application to the floor, “Break Neck” as you then trip over it…and  “Slick” might just be a typo error…) has meant that we still haven’t got the definitive word from Russia to proceed with the flight. This, after 2 months of waiting and on top of the fact that outline permission had already been given, way back in March 2010 (and before I had commenced the flight at all). This original permission, subject to some easily achieved provisos (such as carrying a Russian speaker, emergency satellite phone and conducting all flights in daylight hours), had been the catalyst, the “green light” if you will, to set off in the first place as I knew full well that without transiting Russia and the Bering Sea this type of circumnavigation would otherwise have been impossible to complete. To be then subsequently told (once we were sure of a realistic date of entry - late July this year) that we would then have to effectively submit the whole application again, as things (and perhaps people?) have moved on since last year, has been very, very, frustrating to say the least… 

So, without the onward final permission from Russia (yet) even the prospect of simply flying as far as Vladivostok to overwinter there hasn’t been an allowable option (yet…). This situation may change if the permission does now come through miraculously soon, but on current form it’s perhaps better odds to back me achieving all out victory in the All Japan Sumo Wrestling championships that are being screened on TV at the moment…

Therefore, with both the Philippines and Russia ruled out for these various reasons, it was then left to our obvious first choice option, namely to seek permission to overwinter the aircraft precisely where it is now: - Shonai Airport, Yamagata Prefecture, East Japan.

The facilities at Woodland Airpark (where the aircraft wintered last year) and the special care and attention given there by Jay Cook, will prove to be a very hard act to follow, but the very capable and imaginative staff at Shonai Airport are certainly hoping to rise to the challenge! The flight restrictions placed on the aircraft generally in Japan mean that most ongoing activity at Shonai will likely be ground based maintenance and taking measures to guard against the much colder winter weather (after all, 6 feet of drifting snow is not that common in the Philippines…) and we can expect more updates on this new chapter of Roxy’s already very chequered (!) history in the coming weeks and months.

Indeed so much has been happening on the ground in Japan since my arrival here 2 months ago, that I feel there are many more fantastic stories to tell to the blog as we collectively gather around our online winter fireside*,waiting for the late arctic spring to appear once again. Varied topics will feature here, such as “how to spot a Ninja living in your town”, “living with techno toilets (and other gadgets)”, “plastic has never looked so tasty!” and “Rice harvesting for beginners”.

*with apologies of course to all our followers who happen to live in hotter parts of the world and who perhaps have no concept of what a “winter fireside” is, lucky you!  

Now, where did I leave that Sumo Belt…?!

Cheers N.

                    *     *     *

Norman arrives at Shonai where Roxy will now spend the winter.

It is sad news that once again bureaucracy has brought this magnificent adventure to a grinding halt. The fact that our brave aviator is doing something unique and for such a good cause seems to go over the heads of these faceless pen pushers in so many countries, but they haven’t reckoned with the tenacity of Norman Surplus.

Norman hasn't been idle whilst in Japan. Here, he is giving talks to local schoolchildren.

You can guarantee he will be back in the spring, equipped with the necessary documents that will allow him to finally finish the first ever circumnavigation of the globe by autogyro. We hope you, Norman’s faithful followers, will all be back next year, cheering him on and showing your undying support that Norman has appreciated so much over the last 18 months.

Norman has actively been promoting "Ganbarou Tohoku !!" Tohoku is the region directly affected by the Tsunami back in March and Ganbarou means "Go on! We are with you!" Here Norman applies a "Ganbarou Tohoku !!" sticker to Roxy at Shonai.

Norman will be returning home to his family very soon, after a sad farewell to his new friends in Japan and of course Roxy, with the promise of returning soon. We at the Gyrox team will still be working hard to keep everyone informed and entertained during the winter months until the day arrives when we can announce that the adventure is on again.

Thank you all for your past support and we hope you will stay with us until the flight of a lifetime has reached its goal, next year.

The Gyrox Team

                    *     *     *

(Unless otherwise credited, all images on this blog are the property of GyroxGoesGlobal and may be used with prior permission from gyroxgoesglobal@gmail.com)

For more information, go to our website

Follow us on Facebook

ConsiderDonating to Norman’s Chosen UK Charity: Bowel Cancer UK

Consider Donating to Norman’s Chosen North American Charity: Livestrong

Follow us on Twitter

Relive the early stages of the flight via the Timeline website

                   *     *     *