Slovenian adventure pilot completes 3rd round-the-world solo flight

Slovenian adventure pilot Matevz Lenarcic successfully completed a 29-day round-the-world solo flight mission GreenLight WorldFlight on Friday, touching down at Portoroz airport after 13 legs and 182 hours in the air.

Accompanied by two other super light aircraft, the veteran pilot made a salute flight with his Dynamic WT 9 ultralight plane over the small international airport at the Slovenian coast of the Adriatic Sea shortly before landing for the press conference.

"These 13 legs have been often pleasant, as the last the one today," the pilot and also alpinist told some 30 reporters at the meeting with press. He looked exhausted and tired, although in good spirits after having flown 42,000 km around the world.

He said the biggest problems during the trip were with air traffic controls in Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile the toughest weather-related conditions he had to brave were strong turbulence, and headwinds in the Gulf of Mexico and over Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to Xinhua, Matevz said he would fly over China and Russia during his next (fourth) round-the-world solo flight in 2018.

Lenarcic embarked on his third solo round-the-world flight in an ultralight aircraft from Portoroz on March 25. One of the purposes of the endeavor was to collect data on black carbon, a major polluter and the second major cause of climate change, and to measure its levels.

"What we've established during the flight is that the levels in some places are surprisingly high and aren't restricted to the developing countries or the under-developed world," said researcher Grisa Mocnik.

High concentrations were recorded over the Gulf of Mexico, most likely due to oil extraction and gas flares, and over the west coast of India.

The sources of pollution can be different. "It may be industry, traffic, combustion of biomass," Mocnik said. "While emissions are local, they spread regionally and have global impact."

Lenarcic successfully completed two solo round-the-world flights in 2004 and in 2012, both flights were with a Dynamic WT 9 ultralight plane made by Slovakian company Aerospool.