A jet plane piloted by US adventurer and millionaire Steve Fossett, aiming to make the first solo non-stop flight around the world without refuelling, has taken off on Tuesday. Photo by www.solospirit.wustl.edu
A jet plane piloted by US adventurer and millionaire Steve Fossett, aiming to make the first solo non-stop flight around the world without refuelling, has taken off.
Virgin GlobalFlyer took to the skies from Salina in Kansas, US, at 0050GMT on Tuesday morning, BBC reported.
The single jet engine aircraft is loaded with more than four times its
own weight in fuel for the challenge, which is expected to last 80 hours.
The flight's departure date had been delayed for weeks due to bad weather.
The route for the circumnavigation bid was changed at the last minute. The jet will now fly over North Africa instead of Europe because winds have shifted south.
Before setting out on the journey, millionaire Fossett, 60, admitted he had little margin for error, with the most dangerous part of the attempt being take-off.