Norman Surplus

In 2010, Surplus commenced his global trip in an autogyro departing from Larne, Northern Ireland and flying over Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, finally reaching Japan after flying for approximately a year.[2] While flying in Thailand he had to crash land in a lake.[7] During his 2010 trip, his overflights included France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, and Japan.[1] After landing in Japan, Surplus planned to fly through Russia on his way to the United States.[1] His flight plan at the time included flying to Vladivostok, and then to Chukotka in the Russian Far East, followed by an entry to Alaska on the way to the contiguous United States.[10] Although he had obtained permission from Russia to fly over its territory, due to subsequent delays, the permit expired and he had to reapply. In the interim, the international political climate involving Russia had worsened, and that led to bureaucratic delays from the Russians, who now withheld flight permission from Surplus.[2][11] This led to Surplus's autogyro remaining in Japan for the following three years.[2] Surplus considered various other circumnavigation routes, but, in 2014,[12] he finally decided to ship the autogyro to Tacoma, Washington from where it went to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, to be stored for the winter.[2] In 2013, Surplus appealed directly to Russian president Vladimir Putin, during Putin's visit to Northern Ireland, asking to be given permission to fly through Russia.[13] The trip was also delayed further due to strong winds and inclement weather.[6]

On 1 June 2015, Surplus resumed his flight around the world starting from Oregon, flying through Wyoming and other US states, Canada,[1][9] and across the North Atlantic, reaching Greenland and the Faroe Islands.[6] From there, he made a brief stop at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis on 11 August 2015,[1] after which he flew to the island of Gigha and then to Sandy Bay,[12] near Larne, his hometown, landing there on the same day.[6] In the 2015 leg of the trip, Surplus flew a distance of 7,500 miles (12,100 km).[6] At the time, Surplus set 19 FAI world records,[7][12] including "the furthest distance flown by a gyrocopter in aviation history",[1] and becoming the first person to cross the Atlantic in an autogyro.[3][6][7] The latter record is known as the "Blue Riband record", and was awarded to Surplus for crossing the Atlantic from the North American exit point of Belfast, Maine with final destination Larne, Northern Ireland.[12]

In 2019, Surplus finally obtained permission to fly through Russian airspace.[3] He launched the final stage of his world trip, by leaving from Sandy Bay,[12] Ireland on Easter Monday in 2019, flying through England, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia, before eventually entering Russian airspace.[7] He flew 5,000 miles (8,000 km) through Russia, and on 28 June 2019 he landed at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon, United States, completing maiden circumnavigation flight of the world in an autogyro.[3] During the Russian flyover, he was accompanied by adventurer James Ketchell who flew in his own autogyro.[14] Ketchell subsequently went on to set a new record in September 2019, for the fastest time to circumnavigate the world in a gyrocopter.[5]