Instructor begins across-the-country glider flight

MAKURAZAKI, Japan - A glider operated by Toru Ikeda, an instructor in Hokkaido, begins a flight across the Japanese archipelago from Makurazaki airport in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima on March 31, heading for Takigawa, Hokkaido. The 2,140-kilometer flight is the brainchild of a sky sports promotion group in Takigawa, Hokkaido, to promote gliding.