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Wednesday 25 August

The Nova Network today announced that Wippa (Michael Wipfli) will attempt to pull a 70,000kg A320 Airbus on Friday 27 August from 9.30am at Brisbane Airport.

Wippa from Nova’s Ryan, Monty & Wippa was devastated when his first scheduled attempt to pull the 70,000kg (70 tonne) A320 Airbus on Monday, at Tullamarine Airport, was cancelled due to the plane no longer being available.

Yesterday Ryan, Monty & Wippa put the call out to listeners to come up with a solution. Paul O’Brien, Commercial Manager for Australia’s newest airline Strategic Airlines, came to the rescue with the offer of an A320 Airbus and upped the ante. Wippa will have three attempts to move the A320 Airbus and if he is successful a 220,000kg (220 tonne) A330 Airbus will be available for him to attempt to pull.

Wippa said, “With focus, hurdles are just something you learn to get over. Let’s not forget Jessica Watson hit a tanker when she fell asleep on her training sail, she then became a national hero. No prizes for guessing who we’ll look up to next.”

Wippa will be supported by professional stunt coordinator Russell Frost and his Nova co-hosts Ryan Shelton and Monty (Katie Dimond) at Brisbane Airport on Friday.

Russell has researched the best way to increase Wippa’s chance of success and is quietly confident. Wippa will be rigged up with a pull rope so he can use his hands to pull himself along and will be harnessed from the hips to allow him to pull the plane from the centre of his body to provide the best possible chance of success. He will also wear a kidney belt so his insides stay where they are meant to be!

Wippa’s mum Christine weighed into the argument, “I am very concerned about this. I’m concerned about his health and well being. He has had no training, stunt men do this, Wippa thinks of himself as a bit of a stunt man but he is certainly not. He has always liked to have a go and has a huge heart but this is ridiculous.”

Wippa’s attempt to pull a 70,000kg Strategic Airlines A320 Airbus will take place on Friday 27 August at 9.30am at Brisbane Airport. 

Ryan, Monty and Wippa will have the full details on the outcome of the attempt on Friday 27 August from 4pm to 6pm on Nova nationally and all the footage and photos from the morning will be available on novafm.com.au.

26/08/2010 by janeelliott