Fossett makes history: Pilot is first person to fly solo nonstop round-the-world

CNN ^

[Next_Time_NJ]

(CNN) -- Pilot Steve Fossett has become the first person to fly solo nonstop round-the-world. His plane, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, touched down Thursday afternoon in Salina, Kansas, more than 66 hours after he lifted off from the same spot.

[dfwgator]

He just did it for "the miles."

[hunter112]

Besides, its gratifying to know that some folks still have the Right Stuff!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Careful who you give ideas to."

LOL! I have a movie in my Netflix account about a guy who did that:

[jaydubya2]

Did Yuri Gagarin make an orbit? I though John Glenn was the first to orbit. Anyway the title of this article is inaccurate. Fosset is the first to fly nonstop without refueling.

[Calvin Locke]

I was on a commercial flight that went up to 42, maybe 44,000 feet. Denver to Boston. A snow storm was hitting the
airport just as we were taking off.

[Snakeyes2]

Eh. I just can't get that excited about it.

[thag]

With Cialis any erections over 4 hours require immediate medical attention.

I saw it on the commercial...

I would just notify the local media!

[Aeronaut]

[Eric in the Ozarks]

He beat Bob Dole's record...

[rwfromkansas]

Awesome.

I bet there were lots of spectators.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Google (or Snopes) "Lawnchair Larry". He did it in real life. He committed suicide at about 35.

[MindBender26]

>Technically, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first to fly solo non-stop around the earth.

Are you forgetting Timothy Leary in the late '50s?

:~)

("If you remember the '70s, you obviously did not participate in them")

[CarryaBigStick]

Global Flyer Specs.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Did Yuri Gagarin make an orbit? I though John Glenn was the first to orbit.

---

No, the Gagarin first flight was an orbit. Our Shepard sub-orbital flight was just a quickie to get us on the boards.

[gopwinsin04]

'Around the world in 66 hours?'

[RightWhale]

He's only 60. Rutan's test pilot who got the record for breaking the sound barrier was already 61. A lot of times the older ones have their discipline in order so they can do such things no problem.

[C210N]

Hi didn't do this to build cross country time.

Technically, this is not considered a "Cross Country flight" - it was just a local flight, since it sounds like he landed at the same airfield that he took off from.

[spodefly]

I am not 60 (yet) but I need lots less sleep now that I used to. When I was in my 20s, I could sleep for 10 hours. I rarely go over 6 or 7 these days, and I have been able to function fine for 3 days at a time on nothing but tiny "micro-naps" of 10 minutes or so.

[RightWhale]

He had an autopilot and took a short nap.

[hattend]

From the video feed, most of the spectators were parked out on I-70 :-)