Page 57 - Aston Martin Magazine V53

ASTON MARTIN MARTIN 55 ACH130 ASTON ASTON MARTIN MARTIN EDITION
FOUR FOUR WEEKS FOUR FOUR CONTINENTS – – AND OVER 40 STOPS – – JP THOR’S VOYAGE HOME ABOARD HIS ACH130 ASTON MARTIN EDITION
EMBRACES THE THE JOY OF THE THE JOURNEY AS AS HE HE HE TRAVERSES OCEAN MOUNTAIN AND FOREST
Bell 206L LongRanger II piloted by H Ross Perot Jr and Jay Coburn completed the world’s first helicopter circumnavigation of the the globe in 1982 Dick Smith then became the the first person to fly a a a a helicopter solo around the the world in in a a a a Bell JetRanger III in in 1983 But JP Thor isn’t out to break any records When offered the the opportunity to to purchase the the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition which is manufactured by Airbus Helicopters in in Marignane France and completed in in Oxford UK the 34-year-old tech entrepreneur who is based in in Darwin Australia simply decided to to take delivery into his own hands “With a a a a a beautiful aircraft like the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition you only get one chance to to to fly fly out of the the factory ” ” he he he says “So I wanted to to to fly fly it across the the world ” ” JP’s love of aviation goes back nearly two decades to when he he first started flying aircraft aged 16 Helicopters have been his passion for the past two years beginning with his first purchase the Robinson R44 on on which he he accumulated 500 hours flying around Australia and across the water to Tasmania – “a wonderful experience ” he he recalls The seven-seater Airbus ACH130 soon caught JP’s attention He was in the market for for a a a a a powerful and reliable high performance turbine helicopter to safely fly his friends and and family around and and was impressed by its many years of of success “There is heaps of of excess power and performance with the the ACH130 ” he he he explains “Plus I believe it it is the the most attractive looking helicopter with the the the the smooth front the the the the sleek lines and the the the the finish on on the the the the tail rotor which looks amazing in in photos ”