Fossett, Fossett, Fossett, .... is he really that great?

I don't get it: Burt Rutan designed and built the GlobalFlyer and
Branson financed it - why is Fosset getting all the attention and why
was he the pilot? Is he really that great of a pilot? It seems that
his real fame is as "adventurer". Maybe what he brought to the project
was his name and fame.

Was the "job" really that hard? Other than sitting still for 67 hours,
what is Fossett's accomplishment? With the auto pilot and ground crew
it doesn't seem like it would have been that much of a challenge. That
the real challenge was the design. Let's hear it for Burt Rutan!!

Bob

Bob Engelhardt wrote:

I don't get it: Burt Rutan designed and built the GlobalFlyer and
Branson financed it - why is Fosset getting all the attention and why
was he the pilot? Is he really that great of a pilot? It seems that
his real fame is as "adventurer". Maybe what he brought to the
project was his name and fame.


I have been wondering what the big deal about this flight is from the
beginning. First flying around the world non stop doesn't sound like
much of an adventure to me, it sounds pretty boring. Second hasn't this
been done before and aren't there several planes in existence that, if
filled with fuel instead of people and or cargo, could fly non stop
around the world? Third, what's the point? If you can fly half way
around the world, you can get from anywhere to anywhere.

--
Chris W

Gift Giving Made Easy
Get the gifts you want &
give the gifts they want
http://thewishzone.com

I have been wondering what the big deal about this flight is from the
beginning. First flying around the world non stop doesn't sound like much
of an adventure to me, it sounds pretty boring. Second hasn't this been
done before and aren't there several planes in existence that, if filled
with fuel instead of people and or cargo, could fly non stop around the
world? Third, what's the point? If you can fly half way around the
world, you can get from anywhere to anywhere.

--
Chris W

I had a chance to ask someone involved in this stuff. The guy's name
is Dick Rutan. Yep, one of the Voyager pilots and brother of Burt Rutan.
Rutan said, in effect, that he will leave it to the historians to determine
the significance of Fossett's oddesey.
He, Rutan, did however say that the trip is important for a number
of reasons. For one, advancement of technology. Materials, equipment, and
instruments have made significant improvements since he and Jeana Yeager did
their thing.
Then there is competition. Rutan pointed out the not-too-long-ago
solo trip around the world by a woman in a sailboat. Rutan thinks interest
could be generated in transglobal air racing. Heck, I can see where it might
lead to another Miss Budweiser.
Perhaps he has something there. After all, what's the point of going
roundy-roundy on an asphalt oval for 500 miles? Or thrashing about pylons
at Reno, for that matter? Or zipping across the water at 200 MPH?
It ain't all about logic.

Chris W wrote:

Second hasn't this been done before ...

No. Fossett is the first to fly around the world solo without stopping.

George Patterson
I prefer Heaven for climate but Hell for company.

Actually, I thought I read that Branson financed it.

In a previous article, "Robert M. Gary" said:
Actually, I thought I read that Branson financed it.

Considering that the post you're following up to says exactly that, I'm
unsure what your point is.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"I don't care who your father is! Drop that cross one more time and you're out
of the parade!"

Linberg didn't design his airplane but he got all the credit.

Same could be said for Howard Hughs's around the world flight
and he had the latest technological bells and whistles available
in his airplane.

I think its De-facto standard to give credit to the individual
at the controls for all the accolades. That notwithstanding, I
think that flying an airplane solo for 60-some hours is pretty
impressive.... it does take "the right stuff".

That being said, I'd pay money to have the chance to do it!

)

Robert M. Gary wrote:

Actually, I thought I read that Branson financed it.

And was the backup pilot as I remember...

Steve couldn't have done it without Burt Rutan. However, Steve is a
very talented individual:

Steve Fossett is among the world's greatest adventurers - and holds
current official World Records in 5 sports.

His First Solo balloon flight Round The World is a milestone in
aviation history. During this extraordinary 2002 solo, non-stop Round
the World flight Steve also covered 3,186 miles in a single 24 hour
period - and hit a top speed of 200 miles per hour - flying faster than
anyone ever had by manned balloon. On previous global attempts he made
the first balloon crossing of the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe
and South America, and the first ocean crossings of the South Atlantic,
South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Steve Fossett is also the most successful Speed Sailor in the history
of Sailing. His Round The World Record of 58 days 9 hours in 2004 and
TransAtlantic Record of 4 days 17 hours in 2001 were dramatic
improvements over the previous records. Between 1993 and 2004 Fossett
set 23 official world records in sailing, including 13 which still
stand.

In gliders he has made the first 1500 Kilometer Triangle flight and the
first 2000 Kilometer Out-and-Return flight. In the last 2 years he has
set 10 of the 21 Glider Open World Records.

Steve also holds Round The World records for medium weight airplanes
(in both directions) as well as the U.S. transcontinental records for
non-supersonic airplanes and unlimited turboprops. And in October 2004
Steve set the Absolute World Speed Record for airships!

In addition, he has completed premier endurance sports events including
the Iditarod, Ironman Triathlon, and the English Channel swim.
--
Gene Seibel
Gene & Sue's Aeroplanes - http://pad39a.com/gene/planes.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.

"Gene Seibel" wrote in message
oups.com...
Steve couldn't have done it without Burt Rutan. However, Steve is a
very talented individual:

Steve Fossett is among the world's greatest adventurers - and holds
current official World Records in 5 sports.

There are adventures that change the way we look at the world-- Think
Columbus, Drake, Magellan, and Hudson. Lindbergh is in a similar class- his
flight catalyzed a general awareness that "flying machines" were ready to
become commercially-viable transportation and book-ended the era of
barnstorming.

Fossett's accomplishments are technically impressive, but to my mind they do
not advance the state of the art in all that profound a way. Yes, we are
learning the wring a few more percent of efficiency out of an airfoil and
that sort of thing, but that isn't going to fundamentally change the way
aviation works. By contrast, Space Ship One may (or may not) mark the
beginning of a decade or two that sees private manned spaceflight moving
forward the way aviation did in the 30s.

I'll give Fossett respect for the fact that unlike say a lot of those guys
who finance Americas' Cup boats that are sailed almost entirely by
professionals, he actually does the driving. Sure, the hard work was done by
Burt Rutan, but if they really did come up 2600# short of fuel, it wouldn't
have been Burt's butt bobbing in the Pacific.

-cwk.