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GlobalFlyer Aims To Go Voyager One Better

LucidBeast writes "We all remember Voyager, the first plane to fly around the world in 1986 on one tank of gas. Now Voyager pilot Steve Fossett plans to do it solo with a jet powered GlobalFlyer. See also New York Times article about it (registration required). The idea of the solo flight according to this story originated with the Voyager builder Dick Rutan." Update: 12/01 13:25 GMT by T : Note, the original submission reversed the roles of Rutan and Fossett; Fossett is the pilot, while Rutan (and his company, Scaled Composites) is the builder.

4 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Article rewrite by mj_1903 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We all remember Voyager, the first plane to fly around the world in 1986 on one tank of gas. Now Voyager builder Burt Rutan plans to do it solo with the jet powered GlobalFlyer. This is the same Burt Rutan who also built the X Price Winner SpaceShipOne. See also New York Times article about it (registration required). The idea of the solo flight according to this story originated with the Voyager pilot Dick Rutan. Please fact check your articles before posting.

  2. Eh? by avidday · · Score: 5, Informative
    Wanna try again?

    Steve Fosset is a millionaire balloonist who eventually made it around the globe after about 4 failed attempts. He had exactly nothing to do with the X-Prize winner AFAIK.

    Burt Rutan is an aeronautical engineer and the the brains behind Scaled Composites who built the X-Prize winning SpaceShip One and the Voyager.

    Dick Rutan is Burt Rutan's brother and he piloted Voyager around the globe non-stop in 1986.

  3. Voyager pilots by PseudonymousCoward · · Score: 5, Informative

    The point of the GlobalFlyer is a SOLO non-stop round-the-world flight. So it seems the right time to mention that the Voyager non-stop round-the-world flight was piloted by two people: Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager.

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    If it isn't true, don't say it. If it isn't helpful, don't say it. If it's true and helpful, wait for the right time.
  4. BBC article with pictures. by TigerNut · · Score: 5, Informative

    BBC Link to an article that has a partial picture of the beast. Not slashdotted ... yet.

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    Less is more.