The man who ate an entire airplane

By Vivek Joshi

Would you believe it if I told you that there was once a man named Michel Lotito who consumed an entire 4-seater Cessna airplane? Yes, it’s true. Michel Lotito, known as ‘Monsieur Mangetout,’ was born on June 15, 1950, in Grenoble, France. He was famous for deliberately eating indigestible objects.

It took Michel approximately 2 years, from 1978 to 1980, to completely consume the airplane. He achieved this by first breaking down the plane into small parts and then consuming and digesting each piece. In addition to the airplane, it is estimated that between 1959 and 1997, Lotito had eaten nearly ‘nine tons of metal.’ His method involved breaking the objects down into small pieces before eating them. He would then drink mineral oil and continue to drink water while swallowing the metal bits, which acted as a lubricant to help the metal slide down his throat.

How Michel was able to consume these strange objects: Michel was suffering from a rare medical condition known as ‘pica,’ a psychological disorder characterised by an appetite for substances that are usually non-nutritive and strange. Michel Lotito began eating unusual materials at the age of 9, and he began performing publicly in 1966.

His stomach lining was also twice as thick as a normal person’s, and he had unusually strong digestive juices that were incredibly powerful and could digest almost anything. This is why he was able to eat and digest these strange objects without harming his body.

And that led Lotito to hold the record for the ‘strangest diet’ in the Guinness Book of Records. He was awarded a brass plaque by the publishers to commemorate his abilities, which he consumed as well.

Throughout his life, it is estimated that Michel consumed numerous objects, including:

• 18 bicycles
• 15 shopping carts
• 7 TV sets
• 6 chandeliers
• 2 beds
• 1 pair of skis
• 1 computer
• 1 waterbed
• 1 Cessna 150 light aircraft
• 500 meters of steel chain
• 1 coffin
• 1 Guinness award plaque
• 45 door hinges
  

Michel could consume and digest these strange materials, such as metal, glass, rubber, and more, but he could not eat soft foods, such as bananas and hard-boiled eggs, which usually made him sick.

Starting at the age of 16 in 1966, Michel performed various shows publicly. Unfortunately, on June 25, 2007, just ten days after his 57th birthday, he passed away from natural causes.