Poor visibility earlier this week put Marcus Furniss’ record attempt in jeapordy, but the 47-year-old completed 36 landings in a row on Thursday 9 April to raise over £1,300 for the North West Air Ambulance.
He used a two-seat light sport Flying School Eurostar EV-97, which required extremely accurate handling to consistently achieve the optimal time possible.
The plane has a maximum speed of 132mph and can climb at a rate of five metres every second.
Each circuit of take offs and landings involved climbing to at least 1000 feet above the airfield and then grounding the plans with all three wheels on the ground.
Marcus chose this activity for his fundraise as it replicates the work done by North West Air Ambulance in “touch and go” scenarios where they have to land and take off again within a short period of time.
He managed 36 take offs and landings in one hour, smashing the previous record of 30. The world record still has to be verified by Guinness, but Marcus is confident he’ll get the prize.
Also based at Barton airport, Air Ambulance paramedics provide vital and life-saving support to accident victims across the North West.
Marcus told SalfordOnline.com: “I see what they have to deal with every day as we are based in the same building.
“They are not part of the NHS, so they are totally reliant on donations and it costs them £3.50 every minute to fuel their aircraft.
“I must also mention the help offered by City Airport, Manchester and Peel Group to make this attempt possible – it is much appreciated.”
Marcus, a ground and flight examiner and BMAA check pilot, started flying paragliders in the mid-1990s before moving up to flex-wing microlights in 2001.
“I loved flying over the white sandy beaches and blue seas of the Scilly Isles,” he said.
“But the scenery over the green fields of Salford isn’t too bad either!”
If you’d like to donate to the North West Air Ambulance you can do so at Marcus’ JustGiving page here.
