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

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

[oxcart]

Web site says something about a generator problem with aircraft, called a mayday and diverted.

[RicocheT]

Fossett, Branson, and Rutan ARE putting the excitement back into aviation. I saw the Global Flyer and Runan's rocket plane w/ mothership in Oshkosh, Wi last August.

These airplanes made the NASA setup there look as exciting as a peanut butter on white bread sandwich. NASA is the past, ideas like what Rutan and Branson are doing will be the future. The new sport aviation license is a good step too.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.
"there is no valid comparison. The Marine made one walk."

Plus, there is the fact that we have known for longer than the obese Marine has been alive that eating less and exercising more will cause you to lose weight. After boot camp, he should have known too. Good luck to him anyway.

Rutan and Fosset, along with the owner of Virgin, are expanding our knowledge and giving us a thrill, too.

Well, some of us are thrilled.

Michael Frazier

[oxcart]

Fossett Breaks Flight Distance Record

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MANSTON, England (AP) -

Adventurer Steve Fossett completed the longest nonstop flight in aviation history Saturday after journeying around the globe - and then some - in about 80 hours, but had to land early because of mechanical problems.

Ground control said Fossett, 61, broke the airplane distance record of 24,987 miles while his lightweight experimental plane was flying over Shannon, Ireland.

He then was force to land at Bournemouth International Airport, in southern England, instead of at a military air strip in nearby Kent because of generator problems.

The millionaire adventurer broke the record during 3 1/2 days of flying despite losing about 750 pounds of fuel during takeoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida because of a leak.

Weak winds over the Atlantic and severe turbulence over India - which, at one point, forced Fossett to strap on a parachute - prompted fears Fossett would have to ditch his record-breaking attempt in Newfoundland.

Instead, his flight team altered his projected route, having Fossett cross Florida, where he had begun his nonstop journey Wednesday, and take a southerly path on the flight's last leg to take advantage of better winds.

Early Saturday, Fossett decided to try to finish the trip after reaching the middle of the Atlantic.

His voyage broke the airplane distance record of 24,987 miles set in 1986 by the lightweight Voyager aircraft piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, as well as the balloon record of 25,361 miles set by Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard in 1999.

---

Associated Press reporter Mike Schneider in Cape Canaveral, Fla., contributed to this report.

[oxcart]

Link; http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/tech/2006/feb/11/021104366.html

[Moonman62]

NASA still does some great things, but only in the areas where the politicians keep there noses out of it.

[MineralMan]

"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."

Free Republic is not a zero sum exercise. There's no reason we can't discuss both situations. So, why don't you go find the story about the Marine and post it, so we can discuss it, too.

This is a pretty exciting story for a lot of us. It may not be so exciting for you. So, post an article that's exciting to you.

[Pyro7480]

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.

One of the burst tires of Steve Fossett's aircraft, parked on a taxi way after landing at Bournemouth Airport Saturday Feb. 11 2006. Fossett completed the longest nonstop flight in aviation history Saturday after flying around the globe _ and then some _ in roughly 80 hours. Fossett, 61, was forced to land his lightweight experimental plane, Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, at Bournemouth International Airport, in southern England, instead of his planned landing point in nearby Kent, after encountering generator problems. Ground control confirmed Fossett had broken the distance record of 24,987 miles (40,210 kilometers) as his plane flew over Shannon, Ireland, after crossing the Atlantic. Fossett flew a total of 26,389.3 miles (42,467.5 kilometers) in approximately 76 hours, his ground team said.(AP Photo/Tom Hevezi)