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