World record looms for Larne gyro-man

Larne adventurer Norman Surplus has set out on a remarkable journey – to become the first man to fly around the world in a gyrocopter. Each week, the Larne Times will be hot on Norman's trail to keep readers up to date with all the latest developments on his amazing journey.

DAREDEVIL Norman is currently facing what could potentially be the greatest challenge of his entire journey as he attempts to fly his little yellow autogyro over India.

The last person who attempted to circumnavigate the globe in an autogyro back in 2004 faltered at this stage of the expedition, due to the onset of monsoon season in the far east of India. If Norman can manage to successfully navigate the vast sub-continent, he will be on course to set a new world record.

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When we last left Norman, he had crossed the deserts and flood plains of Egypt, been forced to make an unscheduled landing in the Saudi desert due to an approaching storm, and made his way east to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

His last stop before departing the Middle East was Oman, which he reached last Thursday after clearing the jagged peaks of the Hajar Mountains.

On Friday, Norman crossed the Gulf of Oman on route to Pakistan. This presented one major challenge - avoidance of Iranian airspace. But as Norman got closer, his curiosity and boyish naughtiness meant he could not resist encroaching in to Iranian airspace by a few hundred feet.

After crossing safely back out of Iranian airspace, Norman eventually and landed in the city of Gwadar, Pakistan, ready to begin a whole new leg on his epic journey.

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The arrival of a man in red suit and bright yellow machine caused some excitement in a country that delights in displays of vivid colour. Security was noticeably tight, with a plentiful supply of AK47 toting guards and sandbagged guard posts. Norman was met by the head of security of his hotel, who whisked him away to his waiting lodgings.

By Sunday, Norman had crossed the border into India and landed at Ahmedabad in the lush green state of Gujarat, with the knowledge that his trek across India would cover more than 1,450 miles.

The Larne man was forced to contend with steaming heat as he flew through the heart of tropical India this week. When he touched down at Nagpur on Monday, the temperature was a blistering 47 degrees. This heat was a considerable motivation for Norman to set off as early as possible each day.

At the time of going to press, Norman had just touched down at Raipur. It has been a month since he set off from Sandy Bay on his incredible journey and he has flown well over 5,000 miles, with almost 22,000 miles to go before the end of his expedition.

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Interest in the Larne entrepreneur’s journey has continued to grow and he has gathered over 700 Facebook friends from across the globe. Norman has even been immortalized in a Belfast based newspaper, which has drawn up a cartoon of him helping people overcome the current UK airspace flight ban.

n As part of Norman’s amazing round the world journey, he is aiming to raise money and awareness for cancer sufferers across the globe. He has now set up a website for people to donate to his preferred charity, Bowel Cancer UK. Anyone who wants to donate to Norman’s worthy cause can visit www.justgiving.com/gforgyro

n Keep up to date with Norman’s progress on a daily basis via the Larne Times website at www.larnetimes.co.uk

Just click on the Where’s Norman link.

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