A Northern Irish entrepreneur who is attempting to become the first person to fly round the world in a gyrocopter has clocked up over 5,000 kilometres so far.
Norman Surplus (47) decided to take on the epic challenge after beating cancer. The father of two from Larne, Co Antrim, took off from his home town last month and has now navigated Europe and the Middle East. While he has flown 5,100km to date, he still has almost 38,000 to go.
“I’ve negotiated mountains, sea and arid desert and found interest and offers of help wherever I’ve landed,” he said.
"Weather and local bureaucracy have been the only things standing in my way." No one has ever managed to circumnavigate the globe in the flimsy predecessor to the modern-day helicopter, also known as an autogyro, which was made famous by an appearance in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice.
“I have travelled through the UK, France, Italy, across the eastern Mediterranean, Greece, Egypt and Saudi Arabia,” said Mr Surplus.
“I’ve crossed mountains, with the Apennines in Italy being the first real mountain challenge. Because of the low altitude flying of an autogyro I was particularly impressed by the arid desert of the Egyptian interior juxtaposed with the lush flood plains of the Nile River,” he said.
PA