Flying a specially outfitted Pipistrel Virus, Slovenian pilot Matevž Lenarčič topped Mount Everest on the Nepal side of the summit at an altitude of 29,344 feet.
The Pipistrel is outfitted with a turbocharged, intercooled Rotax 914 engine and Matevž was breathing oxygen through a custom pressurized delivery system. The team at Pipistrel had calculated that the airplane would be able to reach an altitude of at least 30,000 feet, and Matevž confirmed he could have climbed even higher than his record altitude.
Following his "summitting" of Everetst, Matevž continued on to land in India. He plans to complete his circumnavigation of the globe, which has taken him to all seven continents and over three oceans by returning home sometime next month.
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