Riccardo Mortara’s mission to beat the record for the fastest flight around the world is facing a minor delay, due to operational reasons and to allow more time to accommodate the growing interest of potential sponsors. Take-off is rescheduled for March 19, 2010.
Swiss energy company Selectra has thrown its weight behind what could turn out to be the aviation event of the decade.
Take-off had previously been set for January 29. The mission will now get underway fifty days later. As planned, Mortara and his crew will take-off from Bucharest, Romania.
In close coordination with the sponsors, the team has decided to delay departure until mid-March, so as to allow sponsors to utilize the full marketing potential of this event. The additional few weeks of preparation is also to the benefit of those parties that expressed an interest but found the original timeframe too tight to fit their needs.
If the Sabreliner can circumnavigate the globe in under 67 hours and one minute, it will fly into the history books. The record is currently held by Steve Fossett, who completed the course in his Virgin GlobalFlyer in 2005 in this same category, with a take-off weight of between 9,000 and 12,000kg.
Riccardo Mortara: “We’ve had a great response to the announcement of our mission and it’s fantastic that Selectra has joined us. We hope to engage other partners to join us on this adventure as we approach take-off. March 19 seems to suit both our commercial and operational goals, and therefore the decision to move the date is a logical one. It is to the advantage of our partners and our mission in general. The weather at this time seems likely to suit us, and we will therefore be faster and are more confident in the successful outcome of our goal.”
