Engineering soldier plans to autogyro round the World

Sergeant Andrew Wilson, a REME mechanical engineer from Glenrothes, is chief engineer for Army expedition 'Global Eagle' - an attempt to circumnavigate the world in an autogyro. Expedition Global Eagle was the brainchild of Army and expedition pilot, WO2 Jones. The attempt will take approximately three months, covering 25 different countries. Weather permitting, the record attempt will begin next month from the start-finish point in Farnborough. The autogyro is the last remaining class of aircraft yet to circumnavigate the globe. Autogyros have existed since the early days of powered flight and were the predecessors of helicopters. Sgt Wilson said: "Expedition Global Eagle is a thrilling project. I have been able to use my trade to help build an aircraft that will hopefully set a world record! The project is a real challenge - I've had to come up with a host of engineering solutions. The expedition team works really well together as we all work on our specialist areas like logistics, piloting, route planning - it's a real team effort". Sgt Wilson has been in the Army for 15 years and has served in Northern Ireland and the Balkans. He was initially in the Territorial Army, but he enjoyed it so much that he joined the regular Army. Currently based in Dishforth, North Yorkshire, his hobbies include flying and restoring vehicles. He is married and has two children, Austin (12) and Callum (8). Expedition Global Eagle was launched in 2003 when the World Autogyro Range Record of 543 miles, held for 30 years by Wing Commander Ken Wallis was broken. General Sir Michael Walker, Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the Armed Forces, is the patron of Expedition Global Eagle. For more information: Global Eagle web site or call Jon French (0207 218 7908) or Claire Pay (0207 218 6758) Directorate of Corporate Communications (Army) TS