A dedicated and active Scout member, Steve holds current official World Records in 5 sports and is always chasing another challenge. "Maybe I am going after awards. You know how in the Scouts you get awards as you go on, as you learn and prove yourself to be worthy of them? Well, I think that each record I break is like earning myself a new and higher Scout award."

And this particular record, when broken by Steve, will definitely be earned. Aiming to fly around 6 440 kilometers further than any plane or balloon has flown, Steve will take the trip on his own, non-stop and without refueling in the specially designed aircraft that will again be proudly sporting the emblem of World Scouting.

Steve Fossett has always been openly supportive of the Scouts and attributes his motivation as an adventurer to his involvement in the Movement as a young boy growing up. "I learnt my values in the Boy Scouts, and I am proud of that. It was in the Scouts that I climbed my first mountain, and where I learnt my leadership skills between the ages of 11 and 18." Skills of which have seen Steve Fossett develop a successful billion-dollar business empire, which in turn helps support his penchant for extraordinary adventures. Steve will claim that it is not pleasure that drives his desire to push the boundaries, but the sense of achievement that it brings when you are successful in finishing or if you have given something your best shot. "The Longest Distance airplane flight is possible with the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer but very difficult. I am attracted by a challenge that is at the edge of my ability and endurance."

The plan is to take off from Salina, Kansas and circumnavigate the globe before flying across the North Atlantic a second time, before landing at an airport in Kent, UK. He will be covering more that 46,000km and flying for more than 80 hours in the single engine turbofan aircraft that is entirely made from composite material, making it extra light.

So as he takes the emblem of World Scouting into the skies with him on the side of his plane, the world over can see that Steve Fossett is an exemplary example of what the Movement can help young people achieve.

Links
http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/
http://www.stevefossett.com/