barnstorm2
04-05-2004, 10:57 AM
I don't know if any of you read my article 'rotorcraft records abound' in the most recient issue of ROTORCRAFT, or the Barry Jones article on the subject...
In any case the attempt for the first around the world trip in a gyroplane is now a-go! :D
Here is the email I got from the event team:
Global Eagle finally set to go
Yes finally we have a date to go, 21st April 2004 departing from Middle
Wallop home of the
Army Air Corps.
Splitting that down further, some of you will remember that the plan
has been to fly around
the world in a Magni M16 2000; we needed Section T approval as this
would be the first M16
2000 into the UK. This has been progressing but slower than we had
anticipated. With the
weather window closing and no chance of putting the flight off until
the appropriate approvals
had been gained for the aircraft, I was faced with the very real
possibility of the project
collapsing!
This has been a major worry of mine for a few months now. Having stood
in front of,
literally, thousands of school children up and down the length of the
country telling them, 'You
can do anything you want to do so long as you try hard enough,' I
honestly believe that. I
suppose another concern has been the amount of personal money invested
into this project
along with all those who have also donated freely; I just felt it was
not an option to let any of
these people down. Global Eagle would not be where it is today if not
for the wonderful spirit
of the British people and smaller businesses. The successful completion
(hopefully) of this
flight will show the world just how capable the Autogyro is and will
hopefully raise some funds
for the charities we are desperately trying to support.
With all of the above in mind, I have bought a Magni VPM M16, the older
version of the new
M16 2000. The VPM has been flying in the UK extremely successfully for
years. The preferred
aircraft of Roger Savage at his renowned Gyro flying training school in
Carlisle and the
aircraft of choice for ex Wing Commander Dave Bolsover, former leader
of the Red Arrows. I
bought Dave's aircraft yesterday. Dave has done a fantastic job in
building his VPM, so good
in fact that there is very little for me to do to her to get her ready.
There will be a partial
'spray job' and an adjustment to the screen, but not a lot more than
that.
So, at long last, we have a confirmed departure date. Most of you will
remember that I had
planned to start and finish the flight from Farnborough. This was
primarily to gain the extra
publicity of completing the flight during the Farnborough Air Show. The
time table is a little
close to still be able to get back for that date therefore in the
interests of Flight Safety I have
decided to remove the temptation to 'push on' and try and get back in
time for the Air Show
and have instead elected to complete the flight from Middle Wallop, the
home of the Army Air
Corps.
In our attempts to raise money for charities we released the Range
Record DVD/Video this
has been doing very well, so if you have yet to get your copy please
jump on to the shop
page of the site and order one, The more we can raise the more can be
passed across to our
chosen charities.
People have taken on the chance to get their names in the final ledger
of the world flight by
purchasing a mile for the world trip, so if you are yet to get yours,
again take a look at the
shop.
Crossing the 'T's and dotting the 'I's is getting more and more hectic
as my departure date
draws near, so please forgive for ending this News Letter at this point
but there are things to
be getting on with. Keep an eye on the web' for updates on the
departure and tell all your
friends to Sponsor a Mile.
In any case the attempt for the first around the world trip in a gyroplane is now a-go! :D
Here is the email I got from the event team:
Global Eagle finally set to go
Yes finally we have a date to go, 21st April 2004 departing from Middle
Wallop home of the
Army Air Corps.
Splitting that down further, some of you will remember that the plan
has been to fly around
the world in a Magni M16 2000; we needed Section T approval as this
would be the first M16
2000 into the UK. This has been progressing but slower than we had
anticipated. With the
weather window closing and no chance of putting the flight off until
the appropriate approvals
had been gained for the aircraft, I was faced with the very real
possibility of the project
collapsing!
This has been a major worry of mine for a few months now. Having stood
in front of,
literally, thousands of school children up and down the length of the
country telling them, 'You
can do anything you want to do so long as you try hard enough,' I
honestly believe that. I
suppose another concern has been the amount of personal money invested
into this project
along with all those who have also donated freely; I just felt it was
not an option to let any of
these people down. Global Eagle would not be where it is today if not
for the wonderful spirit
of the British people and smaller businesses. The successful completion
(hopefully) of this
flight will show the world just how capable the Autogyro is and will
hopefully raise some funds
for the charities we are desperately trying to support.
With all of the above in mind, I have bought a Magni VPM M16, the older
version of the new
M16 2000. The VPM has been flying in the UK extremely successfully for
years. The preferred
aircraft of Roger Savage at his renowned Gyro flying training school in
Carlisle and the
aircraft of choice for ex Wing Commander Dave Bolsover, former leader
of the Red Arrows. I
bought Dave's aircraft yesterday. Dave has done a fantastic job in
building his VPM, so good
in fact that there is very little for me to do to her to get her ready.
There will be a partial
'spray job' and an adjustment to the screen, but not a lot more than
that.
So, at long last, we have a confirmed departure date. Most of you will
remember that I had
planned to start and finish the flight from Farnborough. This was
primarily to gain the extra
publicity of completing the flight during the Farnborough Air Show. The
time table is a little
close to still be able to get back for that date therefore in the
interests of Flight Safety I have
decided to remove the temptation to 'push on' and try and get back in
time for the Air Show
and have instead elected to complete the flight from Middle Wallop, the
home of the Army Air
Corps.
In our attempts to raise money for charities we released the Range
Record DVD/Video this
has been doing very well, so if you have yet to get your copy please
jump on to the shop
page of the site and order one, The more we can raise the more can be
passed across to our
chosen charities.
People have taken on the chance to get their names in the final ledger
of the world flight by
purchasing a mile for the world trip, so if you are yet to get yours,
again take a look at the
shop.
Crossing the 'T's and dotting the 'I's is getting more and more hectic
as my departure date
draws near, so please forgive for ending this News Letter at this point
but there are things to
be getting on with. Keep an eye on the web' for updates on the
departure and tell all your
friends to Sponsor a Mile.