For someone who holds more records, cups and accolades than most sportspeople, British pilot and adventurer David Hempleman-Adams says that he is more motivated by pushing the limits of the equipment and the team than the prospect of a gleaming medal:
“Records are the last thing you’re looking for… It doesn’t matter if you fail, just get out there!”
Ninety years ago, on 28 July 1929, the French aviator Maryse Bastié made history when she became the first ever female pilot to set an aviation world record.
The record was for the duration of her flight, which she completed in a Caudron C – 109 aircraft and lasted for close to 27 hours. On 27 September 1929, the Aero Club of France wrote to the FAI confirming that Bastié had spent 26 hours, 47 minutes, and 30 seconds in the air, and asking the Federation to include her record on the global list.
