A Spanish aviator performs the first pilot flyby of Antarctica without stops

Michel Gordillo turned his plane into a "laboratory" from which to measure black carbon (soot) levels in remote areas

  The Spanish aviator Michel Gordillo has been the first in history to make a manned flyby of Antarctica without making any stop. He has done it with a plane "featherweight" (less than 1,500 kilos) that he built himself in his garage with the help of some friends and the "feat" took 22 hours, as explained by the ENAIRE Foundation.

The overflight of Antarctica is one of the stages of the journey that the Spanish aviator has completed this Thursday around the world, crossing the two poles, as part of the scientific project 'Sky Polaris' to combat global warming. In total, it has covered 45,000 miles over two months of flight that began in February and has been carried out in two phases, the second of which ended this week at the Madrid-Cuatro Vientos aerodrome.

  Gordillo turned his plane into a "laboratory" from which to measure levels of black carbon (soot) in remote areas, with the aim of using this information to contribute to the investigation of its impact on global warming.

The ENAIRE Foundation, sponsored by the Ministry of Development, has congratulated the aviator for the journey, which he described as "proeza" in an act at the Real Aero Club of Spain.

Among other data, throughout the different stages of the trip, Gordillo has faced temperatures of -31 degrees Celsius in Antarctica and 45 degrees in Africa, and has been forced to make landings and takeoffs in "inhospitable areas" , according to the foundation. In total, it has flown over 25 countries in Europe, America, Australia and Africa.