Andy's praying for a wing off the pier (From Stroud News and Journal)

Andy's praying for a wing off the pier

IS it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Quedgeley's Andy Bill, returning for his second attempt at being crowned the Birdman of Bognor.

The annual madcap contest sees dozens of pilots hurling their self-powered contraptions off the end a pier at Bognor Regis and flying as far out to see as they can manage before they plunge into the waves.

Last year Andy was pipped to the post and despite flying an impressive 73.4 metres only managed second place.

"This year I have built a new aircraft based on the lessons learned from last year's attempt." he said.

"It is designated The Beast of Bognor." The new flying machine borrows heavily from last year's entry but has a second wing which Andy is hoping will carry him to victory.

"I'm hoping to beat my arch nemesis, Ron Freeman," said Andy. "He's won every year for the past six years with his hang-glider."

This year's line-up of 37 brave birdmen and women includes a Top Gear presenter and a NASA employee.

Proving that Britain does not have a monopoly on eccentrics, pilots will fly in from as far afield as Japan, America, Canada and the Czech Republic.

"There are some serious contenders this year," said Andy. "The guy from NASA could be a worry and the Japanese have birdmen competitions too so they might be bringing some skill and experience.

"But there again, maybe they'll just be wearing chicken outfits and jumping off the end of the pier for the fun of it. "You get a lot of that."

The event will be held this Sunday, July 4, weather allowing. "It looks pretty windy at the moment and if the wind is more than 20 knots it has to be called off," said Andy.

"Most of the entries are so light the wind will rip them up into a ball of rubbish and there is a risk they will be blown back into the pier.

"Safety has to be paramount." Last year Andy's entry raised £900 for Cancer Research UK by running a competition to guess how far his plane would get.

"This proved very successful as a lot of friends, colleagues and families were interested in our attempt," he said.

"This year we are once again raising money for Cancer Research UK and are hoping to equal that amount raised last year through sponsorship. "The competition is very weather dependent and so its anybody's guess how far I will fly this year."

Anyone who would like to sponsor the intrepid Birdman of Quedgeley or have a go at guessing how far he will fly can e-mail him at andrew.r.bill@airbus.com or call him on 0117 936 2166.