Posted on 07/03/2002 12:54:31 PM PDT by HAL9000
A LOOSE burner hose started a fire on millionaire Steve Fossett's Spirit of Freedom helium balloon early today as he hovered above south-western Queensland waiting for an opportunity to land."Just 20 minutes ago a burner hose fitting came loose and a fire immediately started," Fossett emailed to mission control staff in the United States at about 3am (AEST).
"A high-pressure propane fire on board is one of my greatest fears."
In the email, Fossett said he was "fortunately" awake at the time of the fire.
"I instantly dove for the tank shut-off valves," he reported to staff.
"The priority is to shut off everything then figure out the cause. In this case it was as simple as reattaching the hose to the tubing with wrenches."
The American adventurer, who hopes to land early today, also admitted he would remain "really nervous" until he could get the balloon onto the ground.
The fire followed a "rock and roll ride" over a natural gas field.
"The burnoff flares seriously disturbed the air at 1,525 metres where I was flying. I climbed to 2,440 metres. That passed, I'm working my way back down", he wrote.
The 58-year-old Chicago millionaire sailed into the record books on Tuesday night as he crossed east of 117 degrees longitude to become the first person to fly solo around the world in a balloon.
But after crossing the south Australian coast, Fossett met gusty winds and his support crew decided to have him fly through the night in search of better weather for his landing.
Spokesman Stuart Radnofsky yesterday thought Fossett would be able to land between Birdsville and Windorah in Queensland at dawn.
"Daybreak's usually the best time to land because the balloon's cooled throughout the night, making it easier to descend, and the winds are at their lowest," Mr Radnofsky said.
Fossett - who at one stage considered aborting the flight, his sixth tilt at a solo circumnavigation - said he was concerned for his safety as the moment of touchdown approached.
Mr Radnofsky confirmed that after the landing, Fossett would be flown to Sydney on his private jet, and "given a chance to shower and shave" before addressing a media conference at Sydney's Hilton Hotel.
What a farce! If you check the map, he's flying around Antartica, not the world.
Umm... he started in Australia, flew east across the Pacific Ocean, crossed South America, flew east across the Atlantic Ocean, crossed the Indian Ocean and has now returned to Australia from the west, having covered more than 20,000 miles. Yes, he's flown around Antarctica. If you did the same thing anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, you'd be flying around the North Pole. So what's your problem?
They said "a fire started on his third leg." [ouch!!!]
The rules state that he must fly 30 degrees above the South pole or 30 degrees below the North pole. He's done that.
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