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GlobalFlyer Completes Record-Breaking Flight

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the shoulda-gone-for-two dept.

ikewillis writes "Steve Fossett has successfully landed the GlobalFlyer in Kansas, completing the record-breaking flight and becoming the first person to successfully circle the earth in a nonstop solo flight. The journey of 37,000 kilometres has taken 67 hours, many of them fraught with anxiety over whether the custom-made GlobalFlyer aircraft had enough fuel for the trip. Fossett managed to touch down at 2:48 p.m. EST, to the delight of mission control staff, a small crowd and a marching band that had gathered at the airstrip to welcome him."

29 of 496 comments (clear)

  1. Well, con-frickin-gratulations! by rearl · · Score: 2, Funny

    Really!

  2. Can I just be the first to say ... by B3ryllium · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who gives a flying F***!!!? ;-)

  3. Sad, isn't it? by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
    a small crowd and a marching band that had gathered at the airstrip to welcome him."

    A guy flies all around the world, non-stop, solo in a jet aircraft and that's his reception. He should have landed in France, they knew how to welcome Lindy.

    The first person to fly, solo, nonstop around the moon and back will probably be greeted by a kid with a kazoo.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Sad, isn't it? by entrager · · Score: 4, Funny
      The first person to fly, solo, nonstop around the moon and back will probably be greeted by a kid with a kazoo.
      No, they will be greeted by Ashlee Simpson.
    2. Re:Sad, isn't it? by Coffee+Warlord · · Score: 4, Funny

      He landed in Kansas. That was the entire population of the state that came out. :)

    3. Re:Sad, isn't it? by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah .. especially as the Space Shuttle goes around the world on one tank of gas .. just happens to be a bloody big tank.

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      I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
    4. Re:Sad, isn't it? by garcia · · Score: 2, Funny

      I don't know which is worse. A plastic piece of shit that sounds like a dying honey bee or a figure that will end up looking like a piece of plastic (after years of botox injections and surgery) that doesn't make any sound while appearing to.

      Me? I think I'd pick the little shit w/the kazoo. At least he was trying.

  4. A Great American Hero by yoey · · Score: 3, Funny

    Look at what's happened to me,
    I can't believe it myself.
    Suddenly I'm up on top of the world,
    It should've been somebody else.

    Believe it or not,
    I'm walking on air.
    I never thought I could feel so free eee eee.
    Flying away on a wing and a prayer.
    Who could it be?
    Believe it or not it's just me.

    1. Re:A Great American Hero by Monsieur+Canard · · Score: 4, Funny

      Believe it or not
      George isn't at home...

      --
      He took a duck to the face at 250 knots.
  5. Easy to go faster than that by RedVortex · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why didn't he just took off and re-landed right away, it would've been much faster than going around the world just to land at the same spot... DUH !!! Scientists, always missing the obvious... RedVortex

  6. yeah, but by FirstNoel · · Score: 4, Funny

    it will be the best kazoo money can buy...

    --
    "Hmm. I am to metaphor cheese as metaphor cheese is to transitive verb crackers!"
  7. Re:67 hours no? by iminplaya · · Score: 4, Funny

    You forgot to convert it to metric hours.

    --
    What?
  8. Sleep? by weston · · Score: 5, Funny

    "The 60-year-old millionaire adventurer stayed awake for almost all of the trip, taking only brief catnaps in the jet"

    A 60 year old staying awake for nearly three days straight is as impressive to me as fuel economy. I couldn't make two full days straight, even when I was 19...

    --
    Tweet, tweet.
    1. Re:Sleep? by Greyfox · · Score: 3, Funny
      Even more so, a 60 year old going 4 days without going to the bathroom. I'm only 35 and I'm lucky if I can make it 4 hours without having to take a leak...

      I know, I know, they probably had a waste disposal system on the jet. Though it'd be pretty funny if that was one of the things they'd overlooked... "OK, now I'm going to test the Jet's waste disposal system... Aaah... Er... guys... tell me the jet has a waste disposal system?"

      --

      I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  9. The rest of the story by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 4, Funny

    And his luggage will arrive next week -- at the latest!

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  10. Movemovemove! by Dachannien · · Score: 2, Funny

    Fossett managed to touch down at 2:48 p.m. EST, to the delight of mission control staff, a small crowd and a marching band that had gathered at the airstrip to welcome him ...leaving 47 injured.

  11. In other news.... by tinrobot · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mr. Fossett has just set another record for the longest time spent standing in front of a urinal.

  12. Re:Salina, Kansas by geoffspear · · Score: 5, Funny

    How informative. It's unfortunate the war ended 9 years before a B52 ever flew, or that training would have been a lot more valuable.

    --
    Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
  13. Re:Correction by KUHurdler · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Do you claim that your trip to work this morning involved moving 30,000 miles?"

    Only on my taxes.

    --
    Fix Your Own TV - RiddledTV.com Avoid the Landfill
  14. No B52's in WWII by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    There were no B52's until after 1952, you dummy.

  15. Deserves a small reception by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Why does he deserve a big reception?

    Since the Yeager/Rutan flight already did this, the only novelty here is that he managed to make the flight with one pilot watching the autopilot fly the plane instead of two pilots watching the autopilot fly the plane. Can't get too excited about that.

    On the other hand, if there was an award for staying awake during a long, boring flight he'd have my vote.

  16. Re:67 hours no? by mboverload · · Score: 2, Funny

    How do you take a shortcut circling the globe? Last time I checked there's no holes going through the planet.

  17. Re:Catching up with the Soviets, are we? by kureido · · Score: 2, Funny

    Gagarin wasn't flying, he was falling with style.

  18. Yep, he made it... or never left. by mrdogi · · Score: 2, Funny

    Accordiong to the Live Tracking site he's no longer moving...

  19. Radio chatter by Rorschach1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Did anyone else catch the radio chatter as he switched over to the Selina tower frequency? Lots of congratulations from airlines, and one

    "Fossett, you're a stud."

  20. Those are Canadian hours by simetra · · Score: 3, Funny

    they're smaller, so more... 80 Canadian hours = approx 67 Regular hours.

    --

    "Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
  21. Assistance from the wind by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The total fuel load of the GlobalFlyer was 18100 lbs of jet fuel, and 50 lbs of beans. [tt] [toottoot]

  22. Re:Congratulations to Scaled Composites & Stev by WhiteBandit · · Score: 2, Funny

    Congratulations to Fosset and the folks at Scaled Composites!. I'll bet he's had enough flying for awhile and he's probably wanting to take a shower and freshen up some right away.

    I dunno, based on how much time this guy spends trying to go around the world in vessels with small volumes, I'd be willing to wager that he doesn't enjoy showers. ;)

  23. Re:67 hours no? by Evil+Poot+Cat · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think the mission was looking really thin, until he found that fuel powerup over the Pacific. Then it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.