And they're off.... a round-the-world record attempt has begun

Italian pilot Riccardo Mortara and Romanian Nicolae Buzaianu set off today at 06.30 GMT from Geneva on a mission to set the record for the fastest flight around the world.

The current world record is held by the late Steve Fossett who completed the course in his Virgin GlobalFlyer in 2005 in this same category, with a takeoff weight of between 9,000 and 12,000kg.

The pair along with their crew set off in a 30-year-old mid-size jet, a Rockwell Sabreliner 65 and plan to complete the course in under 67 hours and one minute and 10 seconds, the record set by Fossett in February 2006.

Mortara said of the jet: \"She may be 30-years-old, but an aircraft is just a collection of spare parts constantly being changed. I have every confidence that this plane can get the job done. I'm counting on it.\"

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Other round the world stuff

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• Round-the-world solar aircraft prototype to be unveiled this month
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• Stefan the pilot and ATI's Victoria Moores join Branson round-the-world-in-8-days
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• Picture: Prototype 707 in Qantas colours departs UK on round-the-world voyage to Australian aviation museum