Fri, Feb 17, 2012
Landed On The Southernmost Continent February 16th
The Slovene pilot Matevž Lenarcic, who is flying around the
world in his modified Virus SW 914 Turbo with an Intercooler unit,
made a succesfull landing in the Antarctic February 16th at 1800
CET on the antarctic base of Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva.
This historic moment is the first-ever landing of a Pipistrel
airrcaft of the 7th continent.
File Photo
Matevž started his epic flight on January 7th from
Ljubljana, Slovenia. On his route he is planning to cross the
equator 6 times, will cover almost 50,000 miles, fly over 7
continents and over almost 60 countries, as well as 120 National
Parks and 3 oceans. He will also fly over 5 of the world's tallest
peaks, including Mt. Everest. So far, he has flown about 15,500
miles, covering approximately one third of the way.
To be able to accomplish this feat, Matevž needed a
specially modified aircraft able to withstand the temperatures
reaching -50°C. He will have to brave similar temperatures once
again when he attempts to fly over the world's tallest mountain,
Mt. Everest later on his journey.
After returning from the Antarctic, Matevž will be faced
with the toughest, most challenging part of his flight: crossing
the Pacific ocean. This leg of his flight will include several
ocean crossing in excess of 2,500 miles without a possiblity of
landing. Extreme distances and severe weather above the Pacific
will be by far the toughest challenge for the pilot and his
Pipistrel aircraft, only weighing a little over 660 pounds.
The entire Pipistrel team congratulates and thanks Matevž
and his ground support team for this amazing achievement. Now the
company can truly say that its aircraft fly on all continents of
the world.
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