1 July 2013
US pilot Jack Weigand, 21, has broken the record for the youngest person to fly around the world solo.


Jack flew a Mooney Ovation GX from Fresno, California across the US, via Canada and Iceland to the UK. He then flew across Europe to Egypt, Dubai, India, Bangkok, Philippines up to Japan. 
Jack landed back at Fresno on 29 June, after departing on May 2 – the trip crossed three oceans and visiting 12 countries, all in 59 days.
Weather and permit delays kept Wiegand from flying from Sapporo, Japan across the Pacific Ocean to Alaska for more than two weeks. After receiving clearance for takeoff, Wiegand was able to ride a 70kt tailwind and reached up to 280mph during the almost 12-hour flight across the International Dateline to Alaska.
 The final leg was from Anchorage south to Seattle then back to Fresno. He made 22 stops, covering 21,000nm.

“The support from my friends and family, and from people commenting on my Facebook, all those nice comments were so inspirational, they kept me going,” Wiegand said.
Jack’s SOLO 20/13 mission aimed to raise awareness and support for two charities: Big Brothers Big Sisters, invested in building relationships with children facing adversity, and the Ag Warriors project of the International Agri-Center, preparing returning veterans for careers in the agriculture industry. 

<a href=’http://www.solo2013.com’ target=’_blank’>www.solo2013.com</a>
