Steve Fossett
Flying solo around the world in 67 hours in the "spirit of Lindbergh"
37,000 kilometres in 67 hours, 2 minutes and 38 seconds without any
stopover or refuelling: this is the new world record set by the 60
year-old adventurer pilot and American billionaire.
The daredevil adventure ended successfully in the early days of March
2005 after the record-hunter realised after halfway through the flight
that he had around 15% less fuel than he originally supposed. A
strong tail wind came to his assistance and compensated for the lack of
fuel. Fosset was only able to take half a dozen two-minute naps
on board his special aircraft, while his hunger was stilled by drinking
12 milk shakes.
The tireless adventurer has many records to his name. Early retirement
is certainly not for him when we consider that he has embarked on his
most outrageous adventures in the last few years:
He swam the English Channel in 1985, travelled through 1,760 kilometres
of Alaska with dog sleds in 1992, crossed the Atlantic in 4 days and 17
hours with a sailing ship in 2001, circumnavigated the globe alone in a
helium balloon in a mere 13 days in 2002 covering a distance of more
than 30,000 kilometres and, in 2004, broke the world record together
with his crew by sailing round the earth in just 58 days...
He has been the “iron man” in Hawaii and has climbed Mount Everest; not
very talented at sport, Fosset couldn’t even make the school team in
his younger years.
62 air, water and land records: an impressive haul for the untiring 60 year-old.
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