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Steve Fossett flies into record books

MANSTON(England): Adventurer Steve Fossett (61) completed the longest non-stop flight in aviation history on Saturday after flying around the globe — and then some — in roughly 80 hours.

He was forced to land his lightweight experimental plane, Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, at Bournemouth International Airport, in southern England, instead of his planned landing point in nearby Kent, after encountering generator problems.

Ground control said he broke the distance record of 40,210 km set in 1986, as he flew over Shannon, Ireland. He flew 42,467.5 km in approximately 76 hours, his ground team said.

That surpassed the 1986 record set by the lightweight Voyager aircraft, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. It also beats the balloon record of 40,812 km set in 1999 by the Breitling Orbiter 3.

Over three days, the millionaire adventurer completed the 43,450 km journey despite losing about 340 kg of fuel during takeoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida because of a leak.

Weak winds over the Atlantic and severe turbulence over India — which, at one point, forced him to strap on a parachute — prompted fears he would have to ditch his record-breaking attempt in Newfoundland.

Instead, his flight team altered his projected route, having him cross Florida, where he had begun his non-stop journey on Wednesday, and take a southerly path on the flight's last leg to take advantage of better winds. Early on Saturday, he decided to try to finish the trip after reaching the middle of the Atlantic.

He already holds the record for flying solo around the globe in a balloon and for being the first person to circle the globe solo in a plane without stopping or refuelling. That flight last year lasted 67 hours and also was hampered by a fuel leak.

A fuel leak on Tuesday delayed Mr. Fossett's takeoff and the plane's ventilation system malfunctioned midway through the trip, causing temperatures in the two-metre cockpit to rise to as much as 130 degrees Fahrenheit. He was forced to drink a large part of his water supply earlier than planned because of the heat, his team said.

While in the air, he took power naps no longer than five minutes each and drank a steady diet of milkshakes. His plane was equipped with a parachute pack holding a one-man raft and a satellite rescue beacon.

— AP

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