Two pilots have flown around the globe in a helicopter in 11 days, 7 hours, and 2 minutes—an unofficial new world record. Starting from LaGuardia Airport in New York, Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik flew a total of 20,888 miles over 20 countries; averaging 85 mph and sleeping only two hours a night, they easily beat the old record of 17 days, 6 hours, and 14 minutes despite stopping more than 80 times to refuel. “We just approached our schedule very aggressively,” said Kasprowicz, 55, a former state transportation official in Virginia. “We didn’t let anything stop us or slow us down.”
A North Carolina man has hooked a catfish weighing 21 pounds, 1 ounce—a state record—using a toy fishing rod. David Hayes, 56, of Wilkes County was fishing with his 3-year-old granddaughter Alyssa in the pond in back of his house when she said she had to go to the bathroom. She handed him her pink Barbie fishing pole, a Christmas present from her father. Seconds later, the catfish bit. It took 25 minutes to reel in the whopper; at 32 inches long, it was almost as tall as Alyssa and 2 inches longer than the pole—which Hayes says he plans to mount along with his catch.
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