Record flight bid off again

Press, 29 December 1981, Page 2

Record flight bid off again

PA Nelson Bad weather yeaterday forced another postponement of an attempt by two young Nelson pilots to set a new record for a flight round New Zealand. Low cloud and poor visibility along the east coast of both islands prevented takeoff for the third time. Two earlier attempts by the pilots, Mr Neil Rogers, and Mr Bob Purvis, to break the record for circumnaviagting New Zealand in a single-engine aircraft were called off on December 21 and December 24 because of adverse weather. Yesterday dawned fine and warn over Nelson Airport as Mr Rogers and Mr Purvis studied weather maps and satellite photographs but the two men decided 15 minutes before their planned take-off at 5.19 a.m. not to fly. The route would have taken them up the west coast of the North Island, down the east coast of both islands and back up the South Island’s western flank to Nelson. Unless weather conditions improve during the next three days it will be two weeks before any further attempt is made on the record. The present record of 15 hours 59 minutes was set in 1977 by four members of the North Otago Aero Club.