James Stephen Fossett

On April 22, it was the 80th birthday of James Stephen "Steve" Fossett, an American billionaire and extreme aviator who set 116 world records.

He was born in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1944. After completing his secondary education, he enrolled at Stanford University, where he studied economics. Upon graduating from the university, he earned a Master of Business Administration from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. At the age of 24, Steve married Peggy Viehland, who would be his lifelong partner. The couple had no children.

Fossett began his career at IBM and then switched jobs several times. He became a successful broker at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and later founded several of his own companies, which brought him millions in profits. However, after 1990, he sold most of his shares, amassed a vast fortune, and spared no expense in pursuing his passions for aviation, ballooning, and travel.

Fossett made history as the first person to complete a solo around-the-world flight in a hot air balloon. On June 19, 2002, he took off in the Spirit of Freedom balloon from Northam, Western Australia, and returned to Australia on July 3, having traveled 33,195 km.

Among Fossett's greatest achievements were also three around-the-world flights in a special jet aircraft called the GlobalFlyer. In particular, on February 8-11, 2006, he set the absolute world record for flight distance without landing or refueling in the air. Fossett took off from the Kennedy Space Center (Florida, USA), crossed the Atlantic twice, and landed at Bournemouth Airport (Dorset, England). He spent 76 hours and 45 minutes in the air, covering a distance of 41,467 km.

On September 3, 2007, fans of the world-renowned adventurer were disturbed by worrying news. Fossett mysteriously disappeared over the mountains in Nevada during a routine flight in a light aircraft, the Super Decathlon. Searches involving professional rescuers and later volunteer groups yielded no results. For over a year, Fossett's fate remained unknown. It was only at the end of September 2008 that some of his belongings were accidentally found, just 100 km from his last departure point. This led to another large-scale search operation, and the wreckage of the plane and some human bones with signs of wild animal bites were discovered. DNA tests confirmed that the remains belonged to Steve Fossett.

An investigative commission released its findings in July 2009. It stated that the crash occurred due to the aircraft encountering a strong downdraft over the mountains. The pilot was unable to handle the situation.

Photo

1 – James Stephen Fossett.

2 – The Spirit of Freedom hot air balloon.

3 – Fossett in the GlobalFlyer cockpit. February 8, 2006.