Norman Surplus after landing in Stornoway
A gyrocopter adventurer is bidding to be recognised for creating two records after landing in the Western Isles.
Norman Surplus of Larne, Northern Ireland, is on course to become officially recognised to be the only person to circumnavigate the world in a gyro.
He also achieved the distinction of being the first to fly a gyrocopter -
Opting for a gyrocopter challenge is very apt, the cancer survivor says, as the machine was made famous in the James Bond movie, You Only Live Twice.
He says he had a second chance of life and, despite, delays, bad weather and red tape, was determined never to give up on his global odyssey.
Gales and heavy thundery rain held back his last-
Beaming with delight when he landed, his first action was to get Stornoway airport
manager, Duncan Smith, to sign the paperwork certifying the yellow-
His 26,000-
Landing in Stornoway was “quite a special moment, realising I had just flown across
the Atlantic in an autogyro,” said the 52-
Norman added: “It will take a while to sink in.”
He added: “I have flown across a lot of countries and I’ve seen a lot of terrain.
But flying the Atlantic was one of the most right-
“To have that as one of the last part of the whole flight is a bit of a grand finale.
Flying over the Greenland icecap in such a small open-
Raising awareness and money for Bowel Cancer UK is an aim of his worldwide flight.
Initially setting off in 2010, his journey with the flying machine was interrupted
after transversing Europe and Asia, when the Russian intelligence security service,
the FSB, stalled over granting him the go-
Frustrated by waiting in vain for permission for three years, Norman shipped the machine to the west coast of the US and relaunched his venture.
He flew across America, heading northward to Canada before hopping over to Greenland and then Iceland before setting a homeward bound course for Larne via the Hebrides.
Adventurer in round-
13 August 2015