Few retired people would entertain the idea of spending 81 days in a single-engine aeroplane.
Fewer still would choose to do it guiding the aircraft 59,000 miles around the world, a journey 67-year-old amateur pilot Dave McElroy brought to an end yesterday when he touched down at Perth airport after completing the final leg from Reykjavik.
Mr McElroy's circumnavigation of the globe, a mere 24 hours too long to match the spark of Jules Verne's tale of Phileas Fogg and his valet Passepartout, is the definition of intrepid and merits rich applause.
During his adventure Mr McElroy overcame military coups, extremes of temperature and technical glitches when many of a similar age might struggle with a new smartphone or the layout of the cockpit in a new car.
The former president of the Scottish Aero Club embarked on the extraordinary voyage to raise £150,000 for Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance, formed in 2013 to help the Scottish Air Ambulance Service and funded entirely by donations.
After a dire spell for aviation, it is uplifting to hear a good news story about flying - and the powers of human endurance.
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