Saturday, March 5 2005 11:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Claiming an aviation feat, US millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett has become the first solo pilot to circle the globe non-stop without refuelling.

"Well, that was something I wanted to do for a long time," 60-year-old Fossett told reporters after guiding his single-engine Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer jet to a flawless landing in Salina in Kansas, at 19:50 GMT yesterday (01:20 IST Mar 4, 2005) on a brilliant sunny day as thousands cheered.

"It was a major ambition. I am a really lucky guy," said the millionaire, who rode a tailwind into America's heartland, from where he took off early Tuesday, to set a new record after three sleepless days and an anxious 24 hours wondering if he would have to ditch the plane in the ocean for lack of fuel.

To achieve the aviation milestone, the aviator flew over the Atlantic, North Africa, Asia, including India, and the Pacific, before returning to the US.

Elated but a bit wobbly, he hugged his wife, Peggy, and Richard Branson, the flamboyant chairman of Virgin Atlantic airline which financed the trip.

Branson promptly hosed down Fossett with champagne, which the aviator then swigged from the bottle.

He looked remarkably fit for someone who had been crammed into a seven-foot cockpit for 67 hours with only fortified milk shakes for sustenance.

Fossett had considered aborting the trip and landing in Hawaii, but he decided to press on because of favourable tail winds.

"What a day," Fossett, who became the first man to fly round the world in a balloon single-handedly in 2002, said as he emerged from the plane.

"Right now I'm not sleepy," he said, adding "Somehow, I think I'll sleep tonight."

In the first few hours of the flight, the plane's navigation system failed, leaving him flying blind. Fortunately, the system came back up before he flew out over the Atlantic Ocean.