Pilot may have set gyroplane record

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — After logging 10,000 air miles over the past seven months, Rob Dubin touched down here and possibly set the record for flying a gyroplane through the 48 contiguous United States.

"If you have dreams you should go after them, whatever they are," Dubin, a St. George native, said after landing Wednesday. "It was certainly a dream I had to see the country . . . I'm ready to do it all over again."

A gyroplane is a small, helicopter-like aircraft, that has rotors instead of wings. But unlike a helicopter, a propeller pushes the craft through the air and the rotors are not connected to the engine. As the propeller thrusts the aircraft forward, the rotors spin.

Dubin, of Denver, claims no other pilot in the U.S. has flown a gyroplane through 48 contiguous states. At least one other pilot has flown in each of the 48 states, but not in the way Dubin did.

The Associated Press was unable to confirm Dubin's record through any independent aviation organization.

The Virginia-based National Aeronautics Association tracks U.S. aviation records, including those for gyroplanes. No records for contiguous flight are sanctioned by the NAA, however, said Art Greenfield, the organization's director of contests and records.

Hank Parry, a spokesman for Groen Brothers Aviation, the Salt Lake company that built Dubin's gyroscope, says he believes Dubin's assessment of a record is correct. Parry said the only other person to attempt such a flight trucked his aircraft through some parts of the country.

On Saturday, Groen Brothers presented Dubin with the "Pioneers of Vertical Flight" award at an aeronautics event in Phoenix, Ariz., Parry said.

Dubin took off from Mesa, Ariz., on Feb. 25, making a counterclockwise tour around the country that took advantage of the seasons. He flew south during the late winter and early spring, crossing through northern states during summer months.

Dubin's wife, Dee, followed on the ground in a 34-foot motorhome.

Depending on the terrain below, Dubin flew at between 100 feet and 1,000 feet and captured much of his journey on film.

Among the trip's highlights were the Gulf Coast, the Blue Ridge Mountains and even the open plains of the Midwest, which aren't as boring when one has a bird's-eye view, Dubin said.

"That was some of the most beautiful country I flew over," he said.

Dubin landed in St. George just before 4 p.m. Wednesday.

"Here he comes!" Dee Dubin yelled, watching her husband's descent. "This is 48! He's done it!"

The couple celebrated with a bottle of champagne. Rob Dubin said it was nice to finish the journey in Utah, where he was born.

"It's a nice touch to finish in a place that is special to you," he said.