Steve Fossett Makes It Across the Atlantic (Over Ireland at 10:20 EST)

Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer ^ | 2/11/2006 | n/a

[Pyro7480]

According to the tracking page at the Global Flyer webpage (link above), Steve Fossett has made it across the Atlantic, and is currently over southwestern Ireland. He will be landing at Kent International Airport in England in 2-3 hours.

[Pyro7480]

[ElkGroveDan]

Well Burt Rutan must be proud. The darn thing looks a whole lot like Voyager.

[Marius3188]

Sorry, I've been out of the loop on this. But, what exactly is his goal? Circumvent the globe? Like you said, Voyager did that in what, 86?

[adorno]

Steve Fossett Makes It Across the Atlantic

Yippee.

[oxcart]

[oxcart]

Mission Control here;

http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/MissionControl/Tracking/

[Dog Gone]

I think it's to set the record for the longest nonstop flight in history. Of course, he could have just circled over Florida for a day and a half to accomplish that, but he likes the media blitz that accompany his stunts.

[ElkGroveDan]

He's out to break the distance record.

[adorno]

I think it's to set the record for the longest nonstop flight in history.

Excuse me, but I remember a story about two weeks ago about a former Marine who decided to walk across America in an attempt to combat his problem with obesity.

I think the progress of that Marine's journey is far more significant than this Fosset nonsense.

Let's cover that Marine's journey across America. It is far more interresting.

[Moonman62]

I like seeing people like Fossett, Branson, and Rutan putting excitement back in aviation, especially when the government is running a big wet blanket of a Shuttle program.

[Kirkwood]

I think this must be longest nonstop flight with a single pilot and without refueling. There were endurance flights in the golden age of aviation where planes were up for weeks at a time and being refueled in flight.

[Dog Gone]

I'll bet you're absolutely correct.

[billbears]

Oh yes, someone making a mileage breakthrough and doing something no one has ever done is far less important than a fat guy who decides to use a tried and true way (walking) to lose weight

[bert]

there is no valid comparison. The Marine made one walk.

These aviators are making world history as a result of their cumulative pioneering efforts. They have shaken up the aviation world by producing daring new aircraft designs and actuallly risking their own funds to build, test and then go to the limits of the possible.

[oxcart]

Amen to waste my money NASA. The last aircraft of any leap in technological interest was the A-12/SR-71, IMO.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Landing scheduled for 1700 UTC at Kent International.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Touchdown!

[oxcart]

DIVERTED: Landed, Bournemouth - Record Broken!

[A.A. Cunningham]

DIVERTED: Landed, Bournemouth - Record Broken!

Fossett had to declare MAYDAY and divert due to generator problem.