Norman and Roxy have a memorable time in Nuuk, Greenland

Norman finally arrived in the capital of Greenland, Nuuk after numerous delays caused by weather at his stops in the the wilderness airfields in the far north of Canada.
His lengthy flight from Baffin Island across the Davis Straight to Greenland was one of the most spectacular he has undertaken. He reported back that he flew over many large ice floes as well as the occasional Iceberg, the hidden majority of these watery peaks gleaming blue through the crystal clear icy waters.
He also saw a number of Polar Bears who looked as though a red suited gyronaut would make a lovely snack for them!

Icebergs showing their hidden depths!

But Norman made it safely to the airport at Nuuk where he was greeted and looked after by local pilot Dan Rasmussen. We had arranged for another pilot to meet Norman but the delays meant that he was away on the actual arrival day, but he had sent a heads up to Dan who was more than willing to come out and help Norman.

Dan Rasmussen with Norman

Dan was not only able to advise and support Norman with the aviation details at Nuuk and find 'accommodation' for Roxy but also saw to it that Norman had a good time during his stay in the capital.

They always find space for Roxy when she arrives at a new place :-)

Dan was also kind enough to host Norman and Norman was able to experience the real atmosphere of living in this community at the edge of the icy world.

Enjoying food and drink...Greenland style

Out and about learning how the locals survive in these inhospitable climes

Showing a youngster where Roxy and Norman had been before

There was also a heart stopping moment that lasted 2 days when another pilot went missing.
We at Norman's support team had also been in touch with another circumnavigator, Russian Sergey Ananov, who was flying around the world in a Robinson R22 helicopter. It turned out he was a day behind Norman and was due to arrive in Nuuk the day after Norman's arrival...this seemed a good opportunity to have two rotary circumnavigators at the same spot on the globe at the same time...a great photo opportunity and a chance for the two adventurers to chat about their experiences.

But as Norman waited at the airport for the arrival of this little helicopter it soon became clear that something was wrong as the hours passed and no arrival. Norman contacted us and we contacted the Russian team and it was soon announced that the helicopter had indeed gone down in the Davis straight...the same area Norman had flown across the previous day...complete with Icebergs and Polar Bears.

It was two days before we got the good news that he had been found by a rescue ship, clinging to an ice floe, surrounded by Polar Bears! Norman was happy to receive this news and so prepared to continue to Narsarsuaq at the southern point of Greenland ready for his coastal flight North to then make the jump across the Atlantic to Iceland.
Watch a TV report about the rescue by clicking this link

Norman did depart Nuuk on Sunday for the flight to Narsarsuaq but that is another story...

Filling up the TurtlePac in the usual way

With an eye on the weather, Norman prepares to depart Nuuk

'Good Bye Nuuk, it was great to know you'

We would like to thank Dan Rasmussen for all his help in Nuuk and especially for letting us use his great photos of Norman and Roxy. We would also like to thank all of Dan's friends, the airport staff and locals in Nuuk for making Norman so very welcome.

Nuuk gets a special place on Roxy's rudder :-)

The Gyrox team

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And We're Off!

Yes, we can announce that the Gyrox Goes Global adventure is truly back on track and Norman and Roxy are heading home.

They slipped out of McMinnville yesterday during a break in the weather, catching us all by surprise, headed out to the Ocean so that the flight can truly be called a coast to coast attempt.

Norman sent us his clarification as to what happened yesterday and this is in his own words…

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Hi everyone, yes the weather was still a mixed bag…on the way over to Tillamook I flew around a few big rain bursts. By contrast it was a nice bright breezy day by the coast and I spent an enjoyable 15 minutes or so flying up the beach at 75 mph at 20 feet.

I then waited on the ground for quite some time at Tillamook; the FBO guy was out in his truck on the airfield and I had to wait until he appeared back to sign the FAI forms (these are needed to claim various aviation records). I then took off around 4:00 pm to Scappoose where Sportcopter are based. 

Scappoose Airport

About an hour to fly back into the murky mountains following Highway 6 and I then had to loiter a bit and detour to the north at the last to avoid the worst of getting wet…a great feeling looking down at the still glistening roads after a heavy downpour and yet you are flying in the dry just behind it all…

Norman did notice when passing this newsstand that he has made the front pages!

I was very grateful for the big American sized Forestry logging trucks…being quite large means the forestry access roads are also quite substantial and so where it might appear on the tracker that I have been on occasions flying away from the security (in case of emergency landings) of the local public road network in the heavily forested mountains, it actually has been the case that there are some equally as good logging tracks to follow. These tracks are more temporary of course and probably won’t show on the satellite maps.

I am now in a very pleasant B&B at the end of the runway at Scappoose. Tomorrow, improving weather will allow me an earlier start circa 10-11 am, to head up the Columbia Gorge, following the Colombia River to my next planned stop at Hermiston Municipal Airport in NE Oregon.

The Beautiful Colombia Gorge

The Colombia River

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We will be checking Norman’s tracker and will announce the departure on his Facebook pages.

You can follow Norman’s progress live whilst he is in the air by clicking this link.

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ft5ixJKpvl36j7EUyzbvXy7mnyRRfSND

For latest updates check out and ‘like’ the Gyrox Goes Global Facebook page.

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The Gyrox Team

The Long Wait is Nearly Over!

Most regular readers will be aware that over the past winter Roxy has been enjoying a very relaxing stay in a very exclusive hangar "resort" in McMinnville, just south of Portland, Oregon. This luxury resort normally only accommodates residents who have moved in the highest circles of their society, achieved the very pinnacle of their careers and amassed the most numerous of accolades; an extremely distinguished clientele who are offered permanent residence strictly "by invitation only"... and you can understand why...a light and airy hangar with full air conditioning 24/7 including temperature/humidity/dust control and legions of highly trained staff continually fussing over even the smallest of details to ensure that these pampered guests appear meticulously polished and groomed at all times. Everyone is preened in constant readiness to meet and satisfy their adoring fans when the gated community doors are opened to the public each day.

Roxy shares floor space with the celebrities of the aviation world.

Which must beg the question; how did we ever manage to blag our way in?!

(Note that I say it "normally" only accommodates such guests...in our case, it simply flags up how very, very fortunate we have been to be allowed our temporary winter billet surrounded by such iconic and famous aircraft on permanent display.) Many thanks again to the EvergreenAviation and Space Museum for proving to be such perfect hosts. 

Roxy with The Spirit of St Louis (exact replica) and Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose

It has also been extremely interesting to be able to stop and chat to the many people who have wandered past our own little "enclosure" in the Museum while I have been busy working on various background maintenance tasks....The enclosure is surrounded by a low chain link fence that serves to keep the visitors a safe distance from all the exhibits. However I have now discovered that the chain also has the equal (and opposite) effect of safely keeping the exhibit away from the public... for in my case of course, it is a live exhibit on display (at those times when I happen to be "in residence"), and the view that meets the eye for the passing public is akin perhaps to watching some sort of over active performing monkey struggle and squeeze into a bright red suit in the highly optimistic hope of being finally ready to go off flying any time soon...

 At such times I sense an idea of what it must feel like to be one of the lesser side show attractions at a travelling circus (you know the ones, right at the end of the line and often overlooked) and think perhaps I should really be busy dancing a little jig or telling a few jokes to entertain the folks who happen to be passing by! Our lowly status is very short lived however and is dramatically transformed once the monkey is fully suited and booted, for then, all of a sudden, it's Show Time!... The little chain is removed, heads turn and the once static fixed exhibit now transforms into being a fantastic active flying machine; rolled out and being walked through the concourse to the huge hangar doors at the rear of the display building. Once outside we are no longer a Museum Exhibit, but are free again to take to the wide open Oregon skies.

Norman and Roxy...Star Attractions 

A few hours later sees our safe return to the Museum (often just before closing time) and on rolling Roxy back into her enclosure I often think what must the other exhibits be thinking. Most now are of course permanently grounded but perhaps they would say "Oh to have the same chance of taking to the air yet again! Even just for one more flight..."

Norman arriving back at the Evergreen Museum hangars, McMinnville airport.

And so we should also look toward our next flight, or should I say the continuation of the flight, the one that has kept me focused and occupied for the past 5 years...
The plan going forward is to take off in early June from McMinnville and initially, at least, head west...this is in the opposite direction to where we ideally want to go but it is necessary to backtrack a little to reach the Pacific Coast. From the Coastal airfield at Tillamook (a former Naval air Station and still home to an absolutely enormous wooden Airship hangar - it remains the largest wooden built structure in the world, apparently) we will then be able to turn Eastbound once more to continue onwards on the global circumnavigation challenge.

Portland Oregon to Portland Maine

Both Portland Airports are major transport hubs and as such are very busy, very complicated and very expensive for small light aviation traffic to fly in and out of.

So instead for practicality, we have elected to use smaller more GA friendly airports near to each Portland City and that also happen to be near to the western and eastern US Coastlines.

It means perhaps our route should really be called "Within the very near vicinity of Portland to Portland" but I think everyone will agree that simply "Portland to Portland" has a much better ring to it...

Coast to Coast - Route is subject to change

Broadly speaking from Tillamook, the route will then fly east, pass "within the very near vicinity" of Portland Oregon and up the mighty Columbia Gorge, before turning south east to follow the Snake River and north west to pass by the "Craters of the Moon". Hopefully, we are then able to overfly Yellowstone and then on eastwards to take in the sights of Bighorn, Thunder Basin and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mount Rushmore (with the 4 carved president heads and newly formed Native American head) is also close by here. Crossing the Missouri River the easterly progress is maintained through the wide agricultural expanses of the mid-west, through Minnesota and Wisconsin to reach Oshkosh, home of both a world renowned aviation Museum and a huge Annual Fly-In Air show (alas this is held later in the summer). Passing south of the great lakes then brings us close by Niagara Falls before reaching over to the eastern coastline and "within the very near vicinity" of Portland Maine.

 From this point, the overall route pauses briefly (for a visit to Nantucket Island) before heading north and then eastwards up into Eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Faeroe Islands, Outer Hebrides, Scottish west coast and back home to Larne, Northern Ireland. For a more detailed description of that sector we shall have to wait for a future blog...  

The final legs...then Home at last!

Cheers

Norman

Waiting For News: Norman in Shonai.

It has now been six days since Norman flew his tiny aircraft into the coastal airport of Shonai on the Japanese main island of Honshu. It was hoped that after a day’s rest he would be off again for the major sea crossing to Vladivostok in Russia, but as those of us who have followed the flight since it started last year will know through experience, plans like these can suddenly be scuppered, sometimes because of weather but more often than not because of bureaucracy and the dreaded red-tape.

The approach to Shonai airport with the volcano, Mt Chokai to the left.

This is what has happened this week. Although this part of the flight had been in the planning for 2 years and regularly updated as needs be, when it came to the actual departure it seems that international bureaucratic negotiations work at a different pace to the mile-crunching speed of the little gyro and its intrepid pilot.

Norman disembarks from the tiny cockpit after arriving at Shonai. (Photo courtesy of Andy Edney)

Many people will have been in awe of the distances covered since Norman left the Philippines just over a week ago, but once again, that epic part of the journey falls foul of another wall made of paper.

Norman is greeted at Shonai by the Military Attache to the British Embassy in Tokyo, Andy Edney (Photo courtesy of Andy Edney)

Rest assured that the paper wall that is holding Norman up is not going to stop him; it is really just a slow moving exercise in patience amidst many negotiations with authorities in a number of countries around the world. As you can imagine, time zones and the language barrier are not conducive to speedy results.

Norman talks with airport staff and Aki the translator (grey suit) whilst Andy looks on following the moving of 'Roxy' into the Airport Fire Station 'hangar' (photo courtesy of Andy Edney)

So, whilst this has been going on and each day is spent waiting for the go ahead to continue the journey, what has Norman been doing to pass the time?

Norman's welcoming comitee at Shonai. The marketing manager for Shonai airport, Mr. Muraoka with Military Attache, Andy Edney and Norman's translator Alegria Takano(Aki). (Photo courtesy of Andy Edney) 

It was fortuitous that Norman’s arrival at Shonai had been eagerly awaited and as he touched down there was already a welcome committee to meet him, including a translator, Aki Takano, who would accompany Norman during his stay.

With Aki translating, Norman faces his first press conference at Shonai on arrival day. (Photo courtesy of Andy Edney) 

Norman prepares to leave the airport with Aki and Andy (Photo courtesy of Andy Edney)

The first thing though on Norman’s agenda was to check out the ‘Spot’ tracker. Anyone who was watching the flight from Oki to Shonai via the online tracker will remember the world wide panic when the tracker failed to refresh for 4 hours and had Norman stuck in the middle of the sea. But it did reappear just before he reached the mainland.

Norman with friends Aki and Mr. Muraoka at Mt Haguro (Photo courtesy of Aki Takano)

After a night’s sleep and a check of the battery and connections, Norman, accompanied by Aki, went for a drive into the mountains. Wearing ‘Spot’ on his belt, he was later able to check the track and confirm that it was now working OK, although what he didn’t know was that a lot of followers had been watching too and thought he was flying south east and had landed in the woods!

The famous steps through the forest of 600 year old Cedar trees. (Photo courtesy of Aki Takano)

During this drive into the countryside, Norman was able to visit Mt Haguro, a famous area with many shrines and a walk that takes you through a forest of 600 year old trees!

Norman on 'The God's Bridge' on Mt Haguro (Photo courtesy of Aki Takano)

The shrines and temples on the mountain are classed as a national treasure and although we are not sure how many Norman visited we do have some nice photos from this trip.

At the Sanjin-Gosaiden Shrine on Mt Haguro (Photo courtesy of Aki Takano) 

Something amuses Norman at the Haniyamahime shrine (Photo courtesy of Aki Takano)

Surrounded by 600 year old forest, the 5 story Pagoda is a Japanese treasure (photo courtesy of Aki Takano)

Norman is dwarfed by a giant bell at one of the temples (Photo courtesy of Aki Tanako)

There are 2,466 steps to the Sanzan Gosaiden Temple at the summit, but we haven’t heard if Norman made the full ascent.

Norman brings up the rear on the ascent up Mt Haguro (Photo courtesy of Aki Takano)

Norman looks a lot livelier on the way down! (Photo courtesy of Aki Takano)

The journey up the mountain included a stop at a traditional tea-house where Norman enjoyed the world famous Japanese tea ceremony.

Norman enjoys a refreshing cup of tea at the traditional 'Tea-House' on Mt Haguro with Sachi Sato, another interpreter friend (Photo courtesy of Aki Takano)

The day after, following the usual sending of emails and numerous phone calls to officials in Russia and the UK as well as in Japan, Norman was met by Mr. Muraoka, his 14 year old son, Yui Sasaki (the official interpreter) and her friend Mari Ikeda (also an interpreter) and they were able to take him to the Kamo Aquarium. A bit different from your usual aquarium, Kamo specializes in Jellyfish! Using Neon lights the jellyfish tanks are a sight to see. Another favourite at Kamo are the seals, sea lions and their pups, one of which Norman got very close to.

Norman with Mari Ikeda (left) and Mr. Muraoka's son arrive at the Kamo Jellyfish Aquarium!

Inside the colourful aquarium. From the left...Mari Ikeda, Norman, Mr Muraoka's son and Yui Sasaki.

So that's what a tank full of jellyfish looks like!

Norman makes friends with a Spotted Seal pup.

Luckily the Aquarium does have a restaurant…unluckily for the jellyfish; the main ingredients on the menu are jellyfish! Norman was persuaded to try the jellyfish ice cream but we have no idea if he liked it or not. You will have to guess by his expression.

Jellyfish Ice Cream! Mari, Yui and Norman seem to like the taste!

The next few days consisted of meeting with airport officials, members of the press and even watching a soccer match with local English teacher, Mr Noguchi, where one of his pupil's happened to be playing.

Multi-tasking! Phoning Andy inTokyo whilst eating sushi with chopsticks. A man of many talents!

Aki has been very hospitable to Norman and has shown him as much of Japanese culture as she can. This has meant sampling the delights of Sushi restaurants, sitting cross legged at very low tables, trying out many different types of sea food served in some amazing settings amongst charming company.

A traditional Japanese setting for a traditional meal of sushi. From the left...Yui Sasaki, Mari Ikeda, Mr Muraoka and Norman

A close up of the 'Sushi Bridge' complete with sea urchin, the yellow paste on the far right!

Norman with many of his new friends enjoying a cold beer at the Suzune restaurant.

Dish of the day at Suzune Restaurant: Sea Bass and Turban Shell!

Norman enjoys a family meal at the Kanazawaya Noodle Restaurant.

A happy gathering at the Happo-Zushi restaurant. It's a good job Norman likes sea food! From the left...Mari Ikeda, Mr Muraoka, Norman and Nagasawa Toshihiro

A visit to a ‘Tea-House’ museum was interesting as a pseudo ‘Geisha Girl’ performed the Tea Ceremony, white face and kimono included.

Norman has been very gracious in his respect for the Japanese people and how they have gone out of their way to show him some amazing hospitality but in the long run, his main aim is to continue with his journey and he, like all of us, wait patiently for that good news to arrive from Russia and then the journey can resume once again.

"Come and join us Norman, you are always welcome" From the left...Yui Sasaki, Mari Ikeda, Mr Muraoka and Nagasawa Toshihiro

Of course, as soon as we hear anything then we will let all the followers know through the various social media channels.

The Gyrox Team

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