Who is Steve Fossett?
Updated on 05 September 2007
He's 'only half human' according to his friend Richard Branson. But what else should you know about him?
News that Steve Fossett's plane has gone missing after taking off in Nevada on Monday night might have some UK readers scratching their heads and asking - Steve who?
This is who:
Daredevil Steve Fossett is best known for his solo round-the-world record attempts.
His fearless attitude even led fellow adventurer and friend Richard Branson to brand Fossett "only half human".
First round-the-world solo balloon flight, longest non-stop flight and fastest round-the-world sailing were among the records Fossett set.
The American millionaire has set a total of 116 records during his adventures in sea and air - dozens of which still stand.
Fossett, 63, is a Stanford University graduate who made his fortune in financial services.
But it is his extra-curricular activities which provided him with the greatest challenges.
First round-the-world solo balloon flight, longest non-stop flight and fastest round-the-world sailing were among the records Fossett set.
In 2002, he became the first person to fly around the world alone in a balloon, flying 19,428.6 miles around the Southern Hemisphere in just two weeks.
The record followed five previous attempts, some of which were dramatic failures.
In March 2005, he became the first person to fly a plane solo around the world without refuelling.
Four months later, Mr Fossett completed a transatlantic flight in a replica World War one bi-plane.
In February 2006, the businessman completed the ultimate aviation challenge - smashing the record for flying further than anyone in history.
He and co-pilot Mark Rebholz successfully flew from Newfoundland to Clifden on the west coast of Ireland, repeating the feat achieved by British pilots John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown 86 years ago.
He said the men who had inspired him had taken many chances, adding: "I was very impressed that they didn't really have a good idea of the weather.
"They didn't have a good idea of the things that could go wrong with the airplane so they had it all hanging out risking their lives."
Mr Fossett and Mr Rebholz navigated their way across the Atlantic using only a sextant and compass - the instruments available to Alcock and Brown in 1919.
The wood and canvas bi-plane landed to cheers from thousands of spectators.
Mr Fossett and a co-pilot also claim to have set a world glider altitude record of 50,671ft during a flight in August over the Andes Mountains.
In February 2006, the businessman completed the ultimate aviation challenge - smashing the record for flying further than anyone in history.
The adventurer, who lives in Beaver Creek, Colorado, said he was "attracted by a challenge that is at the very edge of my ability and endurance".
He flew 26,389.3 miles during a journey that lasted 76 hours and 45 minutes, beating the former record of 25,361 miles set by the Breitling Orbiter balloon in 1999.
Mr Fossett was supposed to land at Kent International Airport but a massive electrical failure forced him to divert into Bournemouth Airport.
He was flying over Reading - having just been congratulated over the radio by sponsor Sir Richard Branson - when the generator on board malfunctioned, giving him 30 minutes to land the plane before its batteries ran flat.
Three-and-a-half days after taking off from Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre carrying more than 18,000lbs of fuel, he landed with a little over 200lbs remaining.
Fossett is married but has no children.
