James Stephen Fossett (born April 22, 1944) is an American aviator, sailor and adventurer known for his appetite to set world records. Fossett, who made his fortune in the American financial services industry, is best known for his five world record non-stop circumnavigations of the Earth: as a long-distance solo balloonist, as a sailor, and as a solo airplane pilot. Fossett has set 116 records in five different sports, 76 of which still stand.
Fossett grew up in Garden Grove, California. In 1966 he graduated from Stanford University with a BA. In 1968 he graduated with a MBA from The Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and today is on the Board of Trustees. Fossett is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club.
Fossett became a successful commodities broker in Chicago, founding his own firm Marathon Securities & later moved to Colorado.
Steve Fossett is well-known for his world record-setting adventures in balloons, sailboats, gliders, and powered aircraft. He is an aviator of exceptional breadth of experience, from his tenacious quest to become the first person to achieve a solo balloon flight around the world (finally succeeding on his sixth attempt, in 2002) to setting, with co-pilot Terry Delore, 10 of the 21 Glider Open records, including the first 2,000 km Out-and-Return, the first 1,500 km Triangle and the longest Straight Distance flights. His achievements as a jet pilot in a Cessna Citation X include records for U.S. Transcontinental, Australia Transcontinental, and Round-the-World Westbound non-supersonic flights.
In 2002 Fossett received aviation's highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).
In 2005, Fossett made the first solo nonstop and non-refueled circumnavigation of the world in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, a single engine jet airplane.
In 2006, he again circumnavigated the world unrefueled non-stop in 76 hours, 45 minutes in the GlobalFlyer setting the absolute record for the longest flight by any aircraft in history of 26,389 statute miles (42,469 km).
Fossett was reported missing on September 4, 2007,after the plane he was flying failed to return from a trip taken the day before. His fate is currently unknown.
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