Two Swiss pilots landed in Gulfport, Miss., Saturday to wait out weather as they continue their westward circumnavigation in LSAs. There were no updates on their progress Sunday. Yannick Bovier and Francisco Agullo left Switzerland April 30 to show the capabilities of light sport aircraft and promote “ecological and economical general aviation.” They landed their Flight Design CTLS aircraft in North America at Miami on Thursday and were treated to a welcome reception (click here for photo gallery) at Premier 1 Aviation. After a day’s rest they intended to head to Austin Saturday but Mother Nature had other plans.
The duo ran into a line of storms and headed for Gulfport. “Comfortably seated at the FBO of Gulfport airport in Mississippi, we observe pouring rain falling on our parked and secured aircraft,” Bovier wrote in the online log of the adventure. “Wise decision not to insist today.” The pilots are now headed for El Paso on their way to Las Vegas and Monterey, the launch point for their next long water leg. They crossed the South Atlantic from Dakar to Recife, Brazil on May 5, covering about 1,700 nm in 15 hours and 30 minutes.
