Up in the Air

Norman Surplus,a 47-year-old Irishman,has been staring at an ambition for over three years: fly round the earth and set a world record.

Norman Surplus,a 47-year-old Irishman,has been staring at an ambition for over three years: fly round the earth and set a world record. But,as he disappointingly found out,American aviator Steve Fossett had already set enough records flying in hot-air balloon,glider,fixed-wing aircraft and airship. What was left? Surplus finally spotted the tiny autogyro,a rotorcraft that is lighter,smaller and riskier than a helicopter and flies on automobile fuel,one of the few vehicles that have not yet been used for a world trip. Surplus has now reached India in his yellow autogyro,a stopover on his 27,000-mile journey across the globe covering 26 countries.

Nobody has flown in an autogyro across the globe. These were used briefly in the 20 th century for spying and later for traffic surveillance,but it has never been flown commercially. I want to promote their airworthiness, says Surplus,who landed in Ahmedabad on Sunday afternoon,dressed in a red immersion suit and will be gliding onwards to Bangladesh if wind and weather hold.

The autogyro has a cruising speed of 95 miles/hr and the round-the-world trip should take four months. Having started his journey from his hometown,Larne,Ireland,on March 22,Surplus has already crossed Europe and the Middle East. Crossing India will be a milestone for me.I wanted to leave India before the monsoon sets in. Otherwise,I would get stuck and my journey through Russia and North America will be difficult due to the harsh winter, says Surplus,who runs a business of wind turbines back home. The only other time a circumnavigation of this kind was attempted was in 2005,by a British pilot called Barry Jones,who flew till India and abandoned the attempt due to the onset of monsoon. For someone who has never done anything daring apart from being part of the local lifeboat team,Surplus is flying across the world to make a point.

After recovering from stomach cancer in 2004,Surplus was fixated with the idea of raising money for cancer treatment. Then he saw a documentary on the restoration of an autogyro on TV and found his mission. The only time I saw an auto gyro before was in the Bond movie You Only Live Twice starring Sean Connery, says Surplus. He had one more life to live. After acquiring his autogyro license,Surplus took 18 months to prepare,getting flying permits,modifying the craft and getting his physical endurance up to the mark through Pilates.

He flies for six hours at a stretch during the day,exposed to the elements in his open cockpit,munching on chocolate bars and muesli. Flying is relaxing. Once at 6,500 feet,you are alone and there is a comfortable wind blowing with the horizon in front. What is taxing is getting past the bureaucracy on the ground, says Surplus,who had a tough time convincing airport authorities in Egypt that he needed to get airborne before sunset. But he knows something worse than bureaucracy is awaiting him: the 400-mile stretch over the Atlantic,before stopping over at Greenland . I have two fuel packs to ensure continuous flight, he says,crossing his fingers. Surplus leaves India on April 23.

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