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GlobalFlyer Completes Record-Breaking Flight
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."
The friendly article mentioned "The journey of 37,000 kilometres took 67 hours".
What is unknown is the amount of fuel left when the craft was landed, I'm sure I'm not the only one eager to find out.
Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
Also FYI (37,000 km) / (67 hours) = 343.145285 mph ... pretty darn fast considering they were expecting an average of 285mph.
Who gives a flying F***!!!? ;-)
I'm wondering how much fuel was left when he landed, given that problem with the missing 2600 lb of fuel. The journey took about 68 hours by my calculations, which was considerably below the initial estimate of 80 hours.
nbc news had this story http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7075972/
Ya think he might want to take a ship back to the U.K.? He's probably not going to want a milkshake for a few days either.
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
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
it will be the best kazoo money can buy...
"Hmm. I am to metaphor cheese as metaphor cheese is to transitive verb crackers!"
I don't know, maybe I'm jaded, but these "record breaking" feats just don't seem to capture my attention or imagination. I have to think it would have been so exciting to have lived, say, a hundred years ago when these things were garnering world-wide attention and people like Lindberg became heroes. But nowadays, for whatever, reason... nothing. Nada. Zilch. Somewhat disappointed that I can't seem to get into this. Anyone else feel the same?
Wasn't Yuri Gagarin "the first person to successfully circle the earth in a nonstop solo flight" in Vostok 1, back in '61? Hyuk.
"Mother, should I run for President? Mother, should I trust the government?"
The only difference between Steve Fosset and myself is millions upon millions of dollars.
/. is just as honorable.
Yeah, that and talent, vision, courage, ability, funding, support, drive, goals, and...well...a record.
But don't worry, trolling on
"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.
Jon Karkow, my neighbor and project manager/designer and chief test pilot of this little airplane. It was his baby from start to finish. (in addition to all the other congratulations all around!)
--M
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."
I'd be one of the first to congratulate him for his flight, but how do you define "Around the earth"?? Especially when:
a) He was 3000 km shy of the circumference at the equator.
b) I don't belive he made it into the southern hemisphere.
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
Believe it or not
George isn't at home...
He took a duck to the face at 250 knots.
We can debate whether Fosset deserves praise, but I think it's pretty clear that it's a huge accomplishment for Burt Rutan.
Mr. Fossett has just set another record for the longest time spent standing in front of a urinal.
This really seems to be overhyped to me. It is, at most, an incremental improvement over the status quo. Lindberg crossing the Atlantic was significant because nothing like it had ever been done; but we first orbited the Earth back in the '60s, military aircraft circle the globe in flight constantly, and there has never really been a commercial need for a plane that could go more than halfway around the world at one time. So, yeah, congratulations and all, but this sounds more like a millionaire sailing around the world in his yacht than the next Magellan.
"Hardly used" will not fetch you a better price for your brain.
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.
Obviously this man has a lot of opportunity in his life. He has obtained enough wealth to do whatever he so chooses, and rather than living a shallow quiet life of no regard, he has chosen to live life to its fullest.
He has decided to break records, to participate in the production of a machine which would allow a human to do something no other human has done before. He has chosen to make history not just as a man with money, but a man with money who decided to live the adventure.
Contrast this with the opposite: gather money, buy, sell, rinse and repeat until you die. Is that what you would have rather seen? Would you have congratulated this man on living a life worth living having done that? I doubt it. This man hasn't do that - he has decided to do something more.
The Richard Bransons in this world are men who have opportunity and take it. They live their lives to a degree that we cannot because of our financial situation. They could easily, EASILY decide to lay back and do nothing at all. These men do not do that, rather they willingly decide to pioneer, to carve a path for the rest of humanity. Whether it is creating extremely efficient aircraft, going into space or more, they are living their lives to its fullest potential.
Remember: All men die, few men really live.
To make a pun demonstrates the highest understanding of a language
Time is worth more than money. The fact that he spent his own personal time and money to make this happen is a testament to the courage and vision and talent.
When Universities spend government grant money to do stuff like this, people fall all over themselves to congratulate them. Some guy spends his own money and years of his life to do the same, and suddenly he is some "rich fuck" in your eyes.
It is obvious that your problem is that you are insecure about your own lack of funds and this is preventing you from congratulating someone who deserves accolades for their hard work. This wasn't some fly-by-night (no pun intended) attempt. This guy has been trying for many years with multiple prototypes and failed attempts. He didn't give up, regardless of how expensive it was.
Get over the fact that you are not rich and see the value that his research brings to the world. (the same value you would see if this was a government funded research project).
-David
Many of his adventures have a big chance in ending in a lethal failure. Yeah he has money, but he is living the dreams of many who do not and inspiring some of them to try to put themselves in the same position.
Losers rarely want to do what winners have to do.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
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."
I wonder how big his piss can was?
IIRC, the USAF's U-2S high altitude reconnaissance aircraft piss can held about a quart.
Sometimes, if we were turning a jet for a second sortie the same day, the crew chief would forget to empty the can (thank God I was an avionics specialist!) after the first pilot had made his contribution. The second pilot would discover this oversight when his urine would fill the can and then back up the tube to overflow in his pressure suit, where it sloshed around for the remainder of the flight. . .
There is no facility for disposing of solid waste though. Every now and then a mission would abort because the pilot was suffering from "gastrointestinal distress." In the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron's (IYAABYAS!) ops shack, there is plaque high up on the wall, with a roll of toilet paper attached, commerating all those brave U-2 pilots who joined the exclusive "Stratoshitters Club." One guy's name was on there twice. . .
"I worked hard for it. I deserve it. And I have it," Campbell said. "It's all mine."