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.

FMI: www.pipistrel-usa.com