Four men in a helicopter took off from Brown Field Monday morning hoping to make it into the record books.
With six years of flying experience between them, the group hopes to fly “nonstop” from San Diego to Georgia and back.
The flight plan starts off in San Diego then on to Casa Grande, Ariz.; to Las Cruces, N.M.; to Midland, Texas; to Fort Worth; to Monroe, La.; to Columbus, Ga., to Savannah and back to San Diego.
Outside of bathroom breaks, they hope to arrive back at San Diego less than 70 hours later.
A pilot hoping to raise $1 million for his charity will set out today to break his own world record for a "nonstop" helicopter flight by flying from San Diego to Georgia and back.
Johan Nurmi, 58, of Corona, is the leader of the project. He hopes to raise $1 million for his charity, the Christian Foundation for Starving Children.
The other pilots are Roy Sciortino, 52, of DeLuz; Tyler Kim, 28, of Murrieta; Bill Laggner, 26, of Fallbrook.
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They have only about six years experience between them, although Nurmi, who owns a helicopter school with his wife, Monica, at French Valley Airport, has been a pilot for 20 years.
Last year, Nurmi broke the record by accomplishing his feat in 70 hours and 19 minutes. He wants to shave off those extra minutes this year.
The cost of the trip is about $40,000, including fuel, maintenance and salaries lost, said Nurmi.
The men will subsist on energy drinks and power bars, Nurmi said.
