Fossett set for next record bid!

[White Cap]

Source: BBC News

Fossett set for next record bid
By Irene Klotz
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Last year, I had a wonderful flight - it was very satisfying, but it left one thing remaining to do
Steve Fossett

Its damaged wing repaired, the record-setting ultra-light GlobalFlyer aircraft swooped through the skies over Kennedy Space Center on Thursday and settled on to a borrowed space shuttle runway.
It was the last stop before millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett takes to the air again to attempt another world record.

Fossett plans to depart later this month or in February on what he hopes will be the longest non-stop ride in an aircraft, eclipsing a record set in 1986 by Dick Rutan and Jeanne Yeager.

Fossett already topped Rutan and Yeager's around-the-world tour by making the trip last year flying solo.

This year, he plans to not only circle the globe, but cross the Atlantic Ocean a second time before touching down, some 80 hours and 41,800-plus km (26,000-plus miles) later, at the Kent International Airport, outside of London.

"For me, it's a challenge," Fossett said. "I want to do something that hasn't been done before, or at least to do it farther than anyone has done before."

Wing damage

Fossett flew the GlobalFlyer, which is owned by Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways, to Florida from Salina, Kansas, where the plane has been since its last record flight.

Fossett originally planned to arrive in Florida earlier in the month, but the plane's wing was damaged when it hit a refueling truck.

The GlobalFlyer team took advantage of Thursday's four-and-a-half-hour flight to test the repair and other aircraft systems. Fossett said there are still some technical issues to be resolved, including possibly a recurrance of the problem that nearly ended last year's record bid.
As GlobalFlyer climbed to its 14km (45,000ft) altitude on 28 February 2005, the plane lost more than 1,360kg (3,000lbs) of fuel, raising concerns that Fossett would have to end the flight short of his mark.

Fuel leaks, evidently, remain a problem. "We're still struggling with this," Fossett told reporters gathered at the shuttle runway.

Next goal

While the point of GlobalFlyer's next goal is to set a new record, Fossett said he doesn't want to see the plane retired before it has reached its limits.

"Last year, I had a wonderful flight - it was very satisfying, but it left one thing remaining to do. During that flight, this plane ... did not fly to its capability.

"I can tell you that the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has requested this plane, and I want it to go in the Smithsonian. But there is this challenge left to do: to fly the aircraft to its capability," he said.

Fosset said it most likely will be two- to three weeks before GlobalFlyer is ready for its next adventure.

The actually day of liftoff will be determined by the weather at the space center and conditions in the high-altitude jet stream where GlobalFlyer soars.

The plane must depart before the end of February while cool Florida temperatures will help ensure that the air is dense enough for GlobalFlyer and its heavy load of fuel to leave the ground.

With the shuttle fleet scheduled to be retired in less than five years, Nasa has been looking for commercial ventures to use the shuttle runway and other facilities.

"I really like the association with Nasa," said Fossett "This is where the great things in aerospace start from."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/s ... 609410.stm

Published: 2006/01/13 12:34:53 GMT

© BBC MMVI

[flugholm]

...und das Perlan-Projekt von Steve Fossett und Einar Enevoldson liegt über'n Winter erstmal auf Eis:
http://www.perlanproject.com/Perlan/

[White Cap]

Source: BBC News

Fossett sets off on record bid

US aviator Steve Fossett has taken off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in an attempt to make the longest non-stop flight in his Virgin GlobalFlyer plane.
His journey will take him around the world once and across the Atlantic twice, landing in Kent, UK.

If the 61-year-old makes it, he will eclipse a record set by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager in 1986.

On Tuesday, the three-day non-stop trip around the world was postponed because of a fuel leak and high winds.

Fossett began his trip from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center shortly before 1230 GMT, and plans to cover 41,978km (26,084 miles) in 80 hours.

The aviator already holds the record for flying solo around the globe in a balloon and for being the first person to circle the globe solo in a plane without stopping or refuelling.

That flight, in March 2005, was also in GlobalFlyer and lasted 67 hours. It was also hampered by a different problem of fuel leaking from the aircraft.

Fossett has told reporters that it remains to be seen whether the fuel venting problem experienced by the plane will reoccur on this flight.

GlobalFlyer, a glider-like, graphite aircraft with a 35m (114ft) wing span, lifted off from a runway at Kennedy Space Center normally reserved for space shuttle landings.

It is the first experimental plane built by the private sector to take off from Cape Canaveral.

During his 80 hours in the air, Fossett will take power naps no longer than five minutes each and drink a steady diet of nutritional milkshakes.

His plane is equipped with a parachute pack holding a one-man raft and a satellite rescue beacon, just in case.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/s ... 693312.stm

Published: 2006/02/08 12:28:03 GMT

© BBC MMVI

[flugholm]

Stets aktuelles gibt's hier...
http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/
...so z. B. die aktuelle Position:
http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.co ... /Tracking/ .

Coole Sache!