He made it:
Solo pilot Steve Fossett has completed a daring bid to circumnavigate the globe in a single flight, overcoming a fuel scare and extreme fatigue.
The GlobalFlyer aircraft touched down just before 1:50 p.m. local time Thursday in Salina, Kan. (11:50 a.m. PT), where its journey had begun two days earlier.
Fossett's goal was to complete the mission in 80 hours--and to make aviation history with the first solo nonstop flight around the world. Less than four hours after takeoff, however, there was an early threat of failure when the plane's fuel tank registered a 2,600-pound loss of fuel.
Now that's cool.
I thought I was the only geek who thought that this was the coolest thing of the day.
This is very cool, but am I the only cynic that thinks the fuel story was just a story line to keep the media interested? I mean for such a professional endeavour, how does one lose all that fuel?
I'm certain that the fuel loss was really just misplaced fuel. Due to trying to cram a very sophisticated fuel management system into a little space. I'm sure the system was light years ahead of Voyager's, but still way behind that of a 777.
ed
ed, the fact that he made it, means you're probably correct, still.....
I'm sure my friend who was racing at Gimli that day is glad nothing like that went wrong with this flight.
"Less than four hours after takeoff, however, there was an early threat of failure when the plane's fuel tank registered a 2,600-pound loss of fuel."
Fuel Tank. Make that fuel tanks. As in 13 of em. One in the fuselage to feed the engine, and 12 in the rest of the structure to feed the main tank. As with Voyager, one of the main jobs of the pilot (besides staying awake) is fuel management. Keep the fuselage tank full, keep the aircraft balance right (feed from the right, feed from the left). Feed too much fuel from the wings into the main, and it's gotta go somewhere. Through the vent.
ed
The coolest part, I thought, was that he and Sir Branson didn't use a dime of taxpayers' money.
An incredible feat indeed.
Of course, as with all great endeavors:, pond scum arise from the muck of the MSM and try to tear the great man down:
Mike Thompson's Envy Filled Cartoon
I live in Salina and it was quite a show. While there may have been no taxpayer funding of the development and construction of the GlobalFlyer, there was a cost to the Salina/Saline County taxpayer. The airport authority spent almost $38,000 in hosting the flight. A good portion of this wasn't absolutely necessary (i.e. promotional banners, press kits, etc.) but some was required due to the size of the Virgin Atlantic charter plane that supported the flight - an Airbus A340-600 or 747 I don't recall which. The larger than normal (for Salina) plane required leasing additional firefighting equipment, de-icers, etc. There were also costs for fencing and law enforcement officers for crowd control. I still think it was worth the expense - it just wasn't free.
