UK man plans round-the-world trip in rotorcraft

DUXFORD, England — A U.K. man says he plans to make the first round-the-world trip in a customized rotorcraft known as an autogyro.

Norman Surplus says he hopes to kick off his 27,000 mile (43,000 kilometer) circumnavigation from the seaside town of Larne in Northern Ireland.

The Switzerland-based World Air Sports Federation says it has no record of anyone flying around the world in an autogyro, a helicopter-like craft equipped with a rotor and a propeller.

On Thursday, Surplus showed off his small yellow, open cockpit craft before the trip, which is expected to take him through 26 countries, including France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Myanmar, Taiwan, Japan, the United States and Canada.