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

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message ...

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

Actually, lets hear it for Rutan's design team!

In a previous article, Bob Engelhardt said:
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

If they'd miscalculated the fuel, who would have been sitting in the ocean
fighting off sharks until the rescue helicopter arrived, Fossett, Rutan or
Branson?

I'm not saying that this record is as important as Charles Lindberg's NYP
flight, but they used to dance the Lindie hop, not the Ryan hop.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the
instruments of tyranny at home." - James Madison

I'm not saying that this record is as important as Charles
Lindberg's NYP flight, but they used to dance the Lindie hop,
not the Ryan hop.

Yep. And even stranger, Lindbergh was praised even though he was what,
about the 100th person to cross the Atlantic by plane? But he was the
first solo, just as Fossett was the first to solo round the world.

Some people must be getting jaded with technology, not to at least
celebrate his daring. Or perhaps some people will just never get the
concept of adventure. A few have even said, "Well, that's just like
climbing Everest, what's the point?" Heck, perhaps our genetic
ancestors should've never climbed out of the water and slime :-)

I say, thank goodness there are still adventures to be had, new places
to go, and a few willing to do it !

Cheers, Kev

"Kev" wrote in message ups.com...
I'm not saying that this record is as important as Charles
Lindberg's NYP flight, but they used to dance the Lindie hop,
not the Ryan hop.

Yep. And even stranger, Lindbergh was praised even though he was what,
about the 100th person to cross the Atlantic by plane? But he was the
first solo, just as Fossett was the first to solo round the world.

snip

Cheers, Kev


Lindbergh was praised because he won the prize, he satisfied the parameters, he flew non-stop New York to Paris. None of
the other crossings could go that far. Just because he did it solo was icing on the cake, but it was not part of the
prize specification.

"Kev" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm not saying that this record is as important as Charles
Lindberg's NYP flight, but they used to dance the Lindie hop,
not the Ryan hop.

Yep. And even stranger, Lindbergh was praised even though he was what,
about the 100th person to cross the Atlantic by plane? But he was the
first solo, just as Fossett was the first to solo round the world.

Some people must be getting jaded with technology, not to at least
celebrate his daring. Or perhaps some people will just never get the
concept of adventure. A few have even said, "Well, that's just like
climbing Everest, what's the point?" Heck, perhaps our genetic
ancestors should've never climbed out of the water and slime :-)

I say, thank goodness there are still adventures to be had, new places
to go, and a few willing to do it !

Cheers, Kev


It is not even close to climbing Everest. Everest is something that YOU do.
You can't go get a pair of magic boots than will march up the peak. Flying
an airplane around the word that can fly nonstop around the world is
something that any one of a million pilots could do. Breaking sailing
records by hiring the best designers to design the boat and then hiring the
best crew (including captain) to sail it could also be done by anyone. Same
thing for ballooning. Breaking soaring records by flying the finest glider,
in the best conditions with a champion glider pilot in the back seat is also
something that could be done by anyone. The difference between Fossett and
everyone else is that he seems to be driven to break records.and has the
money to make it happen.

Mike
MU-2

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 02:50:25 GMT, "Mike Rapoport"
wrote:

Flying
an airplane around the word that can fly nonstop around the world is
something that any one of a million pilots could do. Breaking sailing
records by hiring the best designers to design the boat and then hiring the
best crew (including captain) to sail it could also be done by anyone.

I'm not sure I agree with the first (millions? nah; hundreds, sure)
and I know I disagree with the second. For one thing, the sailor
mentioned in this thread didn't have a crew: she was solo.



-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
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the blog: www.danford.net

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 02:50:25 GMT, "Mike Rapoport"
wrote:

Flying
an airplane around the word that can fly nonstop around the world is
something that any one of a million pilots could do. Breaking sailing
records by hiring the best designers to design the boat and then hiring
the
best crew (including captain) to sail it could also be done by anyone.

I'm not sure I agree with the first (millions? nah; hundreds, sure)

I said "million" singular.

and I know I disagree with the second. For one thing, the sailor
mentioned in this thread didn't have a crew: she was solo.


I should be pretty obvious that I wasn't talking about a solo sailor, I was
talking about Steve Fossett's sailing records which have also been mentioned
in this thread..

Mike
MU-2

"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
nk.net...

Flying an airplane around the word that can fly nonstop around the world
is something that any one of a million pilots could do.

Hmmm, I wonder if there is a million pilots in the world.

I admiit to using some windage and guestimation to arrive at that figure. I
started with the ~640,000 pilots in the USA and figured that there were
probably another 360,000 somewhere.

Mike
MU-2


"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
nk.net...

Flying an airplane around the word that can fly nonstop around the world
is something that any one of a million pilots could do.

Hmmm, I wonder if there is a million pilots in the world.

"Kev" wrote in message
ups.com...

Yep. And even stranger, Lindbergh was praised even though he was what,
about the 100th person to cross the Atlantic by plane?


At least 84 men crossed the Atlantic by air before Lindbergh, but not all of
them did it by airplane. The crew of the British dirigible R.34 did it July
1919, a month after Alcock and Brown's first nonstop crossing. The
dirigible LZ-126/ZR-3 was flown nonstop from Germany to New Jersey in
October 1924 by Hugo Eckener and crew.



But he was the first solo, just as Fossett was the first to solo round the
world.



Yes, Lindbergh was the first solo across the Atlantic, but that was just
incidental to his flight. The goal was to be the first nonstop flight
between New York and Paris to win the Orteig prize. The prize did not
require a solo flight.