Steve Fossett - The Story of a Record Holder Who Conquered Land, Sea and Sky

What do people do when they earn millions? When there is so much money that it starts working for its owner, he usually enjoys life and spends it as he sees fit. And there are many ways to do this. For example, American millionaire Steve Fossett began setting records by making incredible trips.

Steve Fossett made a multimillion-dollar fortune on the New York Stock Exchange. Having become rich, he was finally able to live the way he wanted. And Fossett dreamed of adventure and danger. The eccentric rich man began to test his strength and surprise the world. He swam the English Channel, participated in dog sled races in the Arctic and car rallies in the desert. He ran ski marathons and competed in high-speed yacht races.

The restless Fossett holds the records for the fastest round-the-world flight and the highest altitude glider flight. He also managed to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a restored World War I aircraft. But Steve Fossett's most astonishing record was a round-the-world flight in a hot air balloon. He became the first person in the history of aeronautics to do so.

Steve Fossett prepared thoroughly for the round-the-world flight in a lighter-than-air craft. He was in no hurry, because unlike other records, he had no competitors. Such a journey requires not only courage and skill, but also a solid amount of money. An ordinary balloon was not suitable for this purpose, so it was necessary to design and manufacture a special one.

Speaking to the press, Fossett claimed that he was not particularly interested in the record itself:

It is worth clarifying that this was not his first attempt to fly around the planet. Fossett had previously taken to the skies in a hot air balloon four times for this purpose, but his plans were thwarted by weather or technical problems. The time fortune smiled on him, he took off on June 19, 2002, and completed his round-the-world flight on July 3. The 58-year-old Fossett was alone in the gondola of the Spirit of Freedom balloon.

The record holder covered 31.3 thousand km in a hot air balloon. The flight was uneventful, but problems arose at the end. It took Fossett a whole day to land his apparatus. The landing was hampered by a strong crosswind and a breakdown of the equipment responsible for deflating the balloon. In addition, a small fire broke out on board, which Steve managed to put out.

Having set another record, Steve Fossett has cooled towards hot air balloons. When asked by a journalist whether he was going to improve his result, the balloonist replied:

And why waste time and effort on balloons when a new ambitious plan was maturing in his head. Steve Fossett decided to make the fastest non-stop round-the-world flight in the history of aviation in a single-seat plane. Before that, the record holders were Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who in 1986 circled the planet Earth in the Voyager plane without landing or refueling. But there were two of them in the plane.

To set a new record, Fossett once again spent heavily. He ordered a Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer with unique characteristics from aircraft designer Burt Rutan. From March 1 to March 3, 2005, Steve Fossett circled the globe without landing, covering 36,898.04 kilometers in 67 hours, 2 minutes, and 38 seconds.

In 2006, Fossett took the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer into the sky again, aiming to achieve new milestones. And again, a record – this time for solo flight distance. The pilot covered 41,467.53 kilometers in 76 hours and 45 minutes. As before, he circled the Earth, but along a more complex trajectory. During the flight, Fossett crossed the Atlantic twice.

In total, the brave millionaire set 88 records in the sky. Despite his age, Fossett was full of strength and energy - he had many amazing adventures in the air, on the water and on the ground in his plans. But in September 2007, something happened that every extreme sports enthusiast is subconsciously prepared for. During a simple flight in a light aircraft, of which Fossett had hundreds under his belt, he died.

When Fossett stopped communicating and failed to return to the airfield on time, it became clear to everyone that something was wrong. Nevada authorities launched an unprecedented search. They involved 20 planes and helicopters and more than 600 people. Among the rescuers were athletes and rock climbers, since the search took place in a deserted rocky area.

Despite all efforts, neither Fossett nor his plane were ever found. The millionaire was considered missing until his remains were found in the wreckage of the crashed plane in October 2008. After formal examinations, a Chicago court declared Steve Fossett dead.