Free Republic

Record-setting aviators Dick Rutan and Steve Fossett are forever linked in the record books as holders of historic nonstop around-the-world flights. Last week, Rutan joined in the exhaustive - but so far unsuccessful - search for his one-time competitor. Fossett went missing Sept. 3, when he took off in a single-engine airplane from a private airstrip at the Flying M Ranch, about 80 miles southeast of Reno. The massive search effort ... entered a second week Monday without finding any sign of the experienced pilot and survivalist. Rutan spent 3½ days flying search missions over the rugged Nevada terrain, returning...

Look up. Waaaaaaay up. If the weather cooperates — and if you've got a decent telescope or truly astonishing eyesight, you might just catch a glimpse of history in the faint contrail of a high-flying jet on Monday. At the controls of that jet will be one man, trying to crack arguably the final major aviation milestone: to fly around the world, alone, in a single non-stop flight. "This is the last great aviation record to be had," said Lori Levin, spokesperson for the Virgin Group, sponsor of the flight. "No one has ever flown solo around the world (non-stop)."...