Steve Fossett | The Man. The Legend. The Man. The Legend. / stevefo / Uncategorized Steve Fossett was an American entrepreneur and traveler best understood for circumnavigating the world in a hot air balloon in 2002. Steve Fossett was an American entrepreneur and traveler born on April 22, 1944, in Jackson, Tennessee. Fossett is a record holder for the very first solo air travel throughout the Pacific Ocean in a hot-air balloon (1995), very first solo journey around the world in a hot-air balloon (2002), fastest travel around the world in a sailboat (2004), very first solo continuously trip around the world in an aircraft (2005) and greatest altitude took a trip in a sailplane (2006). In September 2007, Fossett vanished while flying an airplane over the Sierra Nevada. A Successful Businessman and Adventurer Traveler James Stephen Fossett, much better referred to as Steve Fossett, was born upon April 22, 1944, in Jackson, Tennessee however matured in Garden Grove, California.

Fossett finished from Stanford University and got a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He made his fortune trading futures and alternatives on Chicago markets with his brokerage business Lakota Trading, Inc. and Marathon Securities, Inc. He ended up being well-known for putting his wonderful wealth into even more than 100 efforts and successes in setting records in sailing, ballooning, gliders, jets, watercrafts and other daredevil ventures. He climbed up a few of the world’s tallest peaks, consisting of the Matterhorn in Switzerland and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. He likewise swam the English Channel in 1985. He likewise put 47th in the Iditarod canine sled race in 1992 and took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans vehicle race in 1996. Record-Breaking Feats His round-the-world balloon efforts in August 1998 and August 2001 were the lengthiest solo air travels in a balloon for range and period, and, in truth, by any sort of plane.

He made the very first balloon crossings of Asia, Africa, Europe and South America, along with the South Atlantic, South Pacific and Indian Oceans. He likewise made the very first solo air travel throughout the Pacific Ocean. In July 2002, Fossett was the very first individual to circumnavigate the world alone in an unmotorized balloon. The Spirit of Freedom balloon introduced from Northam, Australia, and the trip lasted 13Â 1/2 days. It was Fossett’s sixth effort. In 2005, he ended up being the very first individual to fly an aircraft solo around the globe without refueling in 67 hours. He and a co-pilot likewise assert to have actually set a world glider altitude record of 50,671 feet throughout an air travel in August 2006 over the Andes Mountains. He likewise set round-the-world records for medium weight planes, in addition to U.S. trans-continental records for non-military plane. In addition, Fossett is the world’s most achieved speed sailor, setting 23 main world records and 9 range race records.

He was invested into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in July 2007, informing a crowd collected at the Dayton Convention Center in Ohio that he would continue flying.”I’m wishing you didn’t provide me this honor due to the fact that you assume my occupation is total, due to the fact that I’m not done,” Fossett stated. Disappearance and Death In September of 2007, Fossett vanished throughout a satisfaction air travel over the Sierra Nevadas. He did not have a parachute, nor did he take a watch that had a transponder and might have sent a warning signal. There was a transponder aboard however no signal was gotten. Fossett’s disappearance triggered a search that eventually consisted of countless volunteers, hundreds of officials and lots of airplane poring over a location more than two times the size of New Jersey. The search was ultimately cancelled. On November 26, 2007, Fossett’s partner asked a court to state her other half legitimately dead.

Her legal representative stated while the demand was unpleasant for Peggy Fossett, it was required to start to fix her other half’s large estate, which exceeds “8 figures in liquid possessions, different entities and realty.” A Chicago court of probate judge stated Fossett dead on February 15, 2008. Searchers discovered human remains at the crash website of his aircraft on October 3, 2008. Many of the airplane’s fuselage broke down on effect, and the engine was discovered a number of hundred feet away at an altitude of 9,700 feet. NOVA Online | Balloon Race Around The World | Steve Fossett Interview Steve Fossett Will Steve Fossett's third attempt to be first to fly around the world non-stop in a balloon prove a charm for the mild-mannered American multi-millionaire and adventure addict? (Read about Fossett's record-breaking attempt in August 1998.) That same month also saw two near-disastrous attempts by rival teams—also covered by NOVA; one headed by Virgin Atlantic tycoon and balloonist Richard Branson, the other by a European duo backed by the Breitling watch company.

Undaunted, all teams are planning to launch again this winter, the prime season for catching jet stream winds that circle the northern hemisphere. Only Fossett is flying solo on the estimated two to three week trip. In addition, three other teams have announced their plans to join the race, including a team who will make their attempt from Australia, ascending to an altitude of 130,000 feet. In all, six teams are scheduled for attempts in either December 1997 or January 1998. The initial long-shot underdog, Fossett's persistence and low-budget, incremental approach took him one-tenth of the way around the planet on his trouble-plagued first flight in 1996, nearly half way around on his impressive 1997 attempt, and makes him the odds-on favorite to go all the way this time. And if he doesn't, he's sure to try again. Fossett recently briefed NOVA on his past, present, and future adventures from his Colorado ski home. NOVA: When do you launch? FOSSETT: Probably this January, with a small possibility of a launch in the last half of December.

NOVA: Given the close calls that you and your competitors have had, do you consider this a high-risk endeavor? FOSSETT: Yes, it is a dangerous sport. In recent years we've done distance ballooning safely, by and large. But in the 'seventies many people were lost trying to make the first flight over the Atlantic. NOVA: Why were there so many fatalities then? FOSSETT: They didn't understand the meteorology very well back then. We're far more sophisticated in predicting our flight paths now. They were also flying gas balloons, which have some problems. But we're not immune to the danger with the equipment we're now flying. Richard Branson had a rather desperate situation this last year. It's still dangerous. NOVA: What improvements in ballooning have made these long-distance attempts feasible? FOSSETT: It's the invention of the Rozière balloon in the early 'eighties by Donald Cameron that makes it possible to stay up long enough to go around the world, which hot air or gas balloons can't really do. A hot air balloon requires a great deal of fuel to keep it aloft, so that you can't fly it even for one day.

A gas balloon, which usually uses helium, has the problem that the helium cools at night when the sun is not on it, and you have to throw ballast overboard to keep it from going to the surface. The next day, when the balloon warms as the sun comes up again, it actually starts to fly too high, and you have to valve out helium. Practically speaking you can't make a gas balloon big enough to do that cycle for more than about five days, and an around-the-world flight could take up to three weeks. The Rozière is basically a gas balloon, but instead of ballast we carry fuel and a hot air burner to warm the helium at night, which is much more efficient than carrying ballast. NOVA: What's different about your balloon this time? FOSSETT: My balloon is twenty-eight percent larger, which enables me to carry fifty percent more fuel. Last year the reason I had to land was that I didn't have sufficient fuel to make it across the Pacific, and I chose to land in India. This new configuration allows me to carry a buffer of fuel, so that there won't be any question about having enough.

NOVA: Are you shooting for the same altitude range as last time? FOSSETT: No, I'll fly a little bit higher. My initial altitude will be 20,000 feet, instead of 18,000 last year, although my eventual cruising altitude is likely to be the same, which is 24,000. NOVA: You'll be using oxygen? FOSSETT: I have full time oxygen available to me by mask. Last year I only had to use it half the time in the early days of the flight, until I got more adjusted to things. NOVA: I don't know how you felt at the end of the last flight but you looked like you'd just gotten off of Apollo 13. FOSSETT: Yes, I was very tired. I got two hours of sleep a day, which is not enough, although four hours would be sufficient. In order to get more sleep this time I'm going to try to reduce the amount of air-traffic control communication that I have to do, so that I'm not constantly on the radio. NOVA: Your last flight lasted a little over six days.

Do you think you can handle a three-week flight? FOSSETT: Yes, I'll be capable of staying aloft for twenty-two days. Just a year ago August I sailed across the Pacific alone. That took twenty days and nine hours. That was, in fact, the solo record for sailing across the Pacific. I've also sailed across the Atlantic solo. So I've been exposed to these kinds of psychological problems before. NOVA: Can you think clearly when you've been going for days? FOSSETT: So far I have, I've made good decisions. But there's a risk of making judgment errors because of fatigue or because of the altitude effects. At one point on my last flight my team thought that I wasn't very coherent—or suspected I wasn't fully aware of the situation. NOVA: At what point was that? FOSSETT: That was soon after leaving Libya, over Sudan. But that was dispelled right away when I laid out a whole new set of objectives for the flight, and they immediately recognized that I was still up there working and thinking. NOVA: What do you see as the biggest danger? FOSSETT: I think the shoot-down risk is the biggest danger.

It was just two years ago in a balloon race when two American balloonists were shot down and killed in Belarus. In fact, they had permission to fly over the country but the military base over which they were flying wasn't aware that they had permission. NOVA: What route will you take? FOSSETT: The alternatives, depending on the weather, will be first, the northern course, which would take me from the United States, up to southern England, then over to south of Moscow, Kazakhstan, China, to southern Japan—or the southern route, which I took last time, which was straight across northern Africa and India in order to get to southern Japan. But southern Japan is where I want to be when I start across the Pacific. NOVA: Why is that? FOSSETT: That's just where the wind stream is proper, so that I won't get stalled while midway across the Pacific. NOVA: If you do end up going over Libya, as you did last time, have you been able to line up permission in advance? FOSSETT: I think the fact that Libya granted permission last year, finally, makes it more likely that they'll grant permission in advance this year, although I don't have it yet.

NOVA: Since you could end up anywhere in the northern hemisphere, do you carry maps for the entire northern half of the world? FOSSETT: Yes, about twenty pounds of aeronautical charts altogether. NOVA: Someone in the NOVA program mentioned that you take War and Peace. Is that a joke? FOSSETT: Must have been a joke. I do have some books, but in all the distance flights I've made I've never opened the books. I've been too busy. NOVA: Do you have time to be a tourist? FOSSETT: Oh, yes, and it's fascinating. Last time I flew right over Cape Hatteras. That night I flew directly over Hamilton, Bermuda, which is an interesting sight because it looks like a regular city except you're out in the middle of the Atlantic. We flew over Gibraltar. When I went down through Algeria I flew across the sand dunes of the Sahara which are vast and trackless; there are no dirt roads like in deserts you fly over in the United States. I went directly over the Aswan Dam, and directly over the Strait of Hormuz. So the sights are spectacular.

NOVA: What is the pleasure you get from one of these extremely strenuous, lonely trips? FOSSETT: I'm not doing it for the pleasure. This is an endeavor. It's something that hasn't been done. And it's an opportunity to earn a place in aviation history. NOVA: When you make this around the world balloon flight, what's next for you? FOSSETT: I've given a lot of thought about what to do in the future. I have a lot of ideas. Probably the next that I'll work on is sailing around the world for the speed record. NOVA: I understand you've climbed the highest mountains on six of the seven continents. Mount Everest would make it seven out of seven. Are you going to go for it? FOSSETT: No, that's off my list. I've been on two expeditions and don't plan to go back. I was never comfortable with the risk of climbing in the Himalayas, or the amount of time in idleness that is involved in the Everest expedition. NOVA: Is long-distance balloon flying any safer? FOSSETT: No, I wouldn't say that balloons are necessarily safer than Himalayan mountain climbing.

They're both dangerous sports. I finally decided that Everest wasn't for me. NOVA: Do you ever feel like Lindbergh? He had a similar approach to yours. FOSSETT: I suppose there are a lot of parallels. I've chosen my way of doing this because I think it's the best way for me to do it. But the parallels are apparent—from taking less-complex equipment, which proved to be more reliable, to flying solo. NOVA: Good luck, I hope you make it. FOSSETT: I hope so, then I don't have to try again. NOVA: There'll be ticker tape parade at the end of it I'm sure. FOSSETT: No there won't. Times have changed. The My Hero Project - Steve Fossett Steve Fossett completes his Solo Journey Around the World July 4, 2002 On March 3, 2005 after covering 23,000 miles in 67 hours, Steve Fossett became the first person to fly around the world alone in a plane without stopping or refueling. Fossett, 60, holds many other records as a balloonist, pilot and sailor.

In June, 2002, Steve Fossett began his sixth attempt to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon called the Solo Spirit. He launched the Solo Spirit from Northam, Western Australia. Visitors watched his progress at the mission control Web site at Washington University in St. Louis, Solo Spirit, and at Fossett's Challenges Web site, Steve Fossett Challenges. "Steve Fossett's successful 14-day, 19 hour and 51 minute round the world quest came to a stunning finish at dawn today as Bud Light Spirit of Freedom landed smoothly near Lake Yamma Yamma (dry lake) in the east Australian 0utback, 725 miles northwest of Sydney. Having traveled 20,602 miles (32,963 km) since his launch from Northam, Western Australia, on 19 June, the American adventurer was ecstatic as he discussed this aviation milestone in a press conference scarcely 15 minutes after he emerged from his capsule. 'This was my most important objective in ballooning to complete the first solo round the world balloon flight,' said Fossett. 'I feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction.

I've worked towards this goal for 10 years. This is the reason I took up ballooning.'" Fossett has donated the gondola of his balloon to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. I didn't think it was that big a deal. EXPLORER HERO: STEVE FOSSETT On August 17, 2001, Steve Fossett's fifth attempt at solo circumnavigation of the world ended when he faced a "minefield" of thunderstorms and was forced to land in Brazil, 20-25 miles south of Bage, near the border of Uruguay. After facing weather challenges, lack of oxygen, and slow traveling speeds, Fossett and his control team decided to abandon the attempt. In May, 2002, according to Reuters, Fossett announced he would make his sixth attempt to circumnavigate the globe solo in a hot air balloon, one of aviation's last unaccomplished feats. Depending on the weather, Fossett would launch in mid- to late-June from Northam, Western Australia.

He aimed to fly 17,000 to 18,000 miles, mostly over the world's oceans in the Southern Hemisphere as he did in a 2001 attempt. Steve Fossett is one of America's greatest living adventurers. In early 1997, he attempted to be the first person to go around the world nonstop in a balloon. Fossett used a Roziere-style mylar balloon, which operates on helium and hydrogen. This particular design helps to regulate the temperature of the balloon, which in turn conserves fuel. The balloon, the Solo Spirit, launched from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 13, 1997. That journey lasted six days, two hours and forty-four minutes. This was the world distance record, as well as the absolute world duration record. Although he did not achieve his goal, Fossett broke two records in the attempt. He tried again on December 31, 1997, but a faulty heater ended his journey in Novokiporovskaya, Russia, where he safely landed his balloon Solo Spirit.

He had traveled approximately 7,300 miles in four days, eleven hours. Steve Fossett has set many records. On August 7, 1998, with a full moon as his backdrop, he lifted off from Mendoza, Argentina, hoping once again to be the first person to circumnavigate the earth nonstop in a balloon. The Solo Spirit was larger and carried more fuel than previous missions and all involved hoped that would make the difference in this first attempt in the Southern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, on August 16th, soon after the halfway point, bad thunderstorms and hail over Australia ruptured the balloon, forcing an emergency rescue mission. Steve himself was uninjured and in good spirits. Although he was unable to meet his goal, several records were set, including the longest manned balloon flight continuously over water. Fossett, quiet and modest in person, also races cars, climbs mountains, and sails catamarans. His passion for adventure has taken him all over the world. He has not always won, but testing his own strength and endurance is a way of life for this exceptional explorer.

In 1992 he traveled 1165 miles across Alaska in the Iditarod Dogsled Race where he placed 47th. In 1985, he swam the English Channel from France to England. He has set eight official world records for sailing. He set the Pacific Ocean record from Yokohama, Japan, to San Fransisco, California, in 16 days, 17 hours and 21 minutes. On September 7, 2007, Steve Fosset disappeared on a routine flight between Nevada and the California coast. An extensive search was conducted which lasted over a year. Fossett's friends, including Richard Branson and Peter Cohen of Amazon, engaged the assistance of Google Inc to use high resolution satellite imagery and coordinate it with a beta website using "crowdsourcing" - hoping that this might turn up some clues. After a long and frustrating search, they finally gave up. On September 29, 2008, a year and a month after Steve Fossett's disappearance, a hiker near a remote area of Mammoth Lakes came across some weathered items belonging to Steve.

DNA tests conducted on some nearby bone fragments proved conclusively that Steve Fossett had indeed perished. Steve Fossett was a man full of determination and goals. His vision inspires and excites the imagination of those of us who dream, but dare not go on such fantastic journeys. HERO'S HERO One of Steve Fossett's heroes is Fridtjof Nansen from Norway. Nansen led a polar expedition from Norway in one of the earliest attempts to reach the North Pole. Steve Fossett explained that his hero "never lost a member of his team - and in later years was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize." Fridtjof Nansen was born in Norway in 1861 and died in 1930. He was an explorer, scientist and humanitarian. He was also Norway's delegate to the League of Nations and the initiator of the Nansen Passport (for refugees). Round the World Flights Search Cover In 2002 Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo round-the-world, nonstop in a balloon. Steve is a millionaire businessman-turned-adventurer who is known for his record-breaking balloon flights. In 1995 he made the first solo crossing of the Pacific Ocean.

He then tried and failed to become the first to circle the globe nonstop in a multi-person balloon. His attempts included a 1998 flight with British businessman, Richard Branson that ended with the balloon ditching in the Pacific near Hawaii. The first round-the-world circumnavigation was accomplished in March 1999 by Swiss pilot, Bertrand Piccard and Englishman, Brian Jones. Steve also failed in five solo circumnavigation attempts, including one in August, 2001 which began in Australia and ended when bad weather forced him to land in Brazil. The next year he triumphed , launching his balloon from Northam Western Australia on June 19, 2002 and returning to Australia on July 4, 2002. On February 28, 2005 Steve departed the Municipal Airport in Salina KS in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer (manufactured by Scaled Composites for Virgin Atlantic) in an attempt to fly a jet powered aircraft around the world non-stop without refueling.

67H 1M 46S and 22,877 miles later on March 3, 2005 Steve landed the Global Flyer back at the Salina Municipal Airport after completing his circumnavigation round-the-world and carving his name once again in history. One Man, One Plane, One World! Steve Fossett, Global Flyer, Round-the-World! On February 8, 2006 Steve Fossett took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida in his Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer single-engine jet. His takeoff used 11,500 feet of the 15,000 foot runway as his aircraft weighed over 22,000 lbs on takeoff. He headed east across the Atlantic Ocean reaching an altitude of over 40,000 feet and speed of 379 mph. His solo non-stop Round-the-World route was across North Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, China, Japan, across the Pacific Ocean to Mexico and over his take-off point at Kennedy Space Center FL.

After he completed his global circumnavigation, Fossett continued his flight up the US east coast, past Newfoundland and across the Atlantic Ocean a second time. On February 11, 2006 Fossett began his descent from 40,000 feet intending to land at Kent International Airport, Kent England (aka Manston Royal Air Force Airfield). Thirty minutes before his ETA, the Global Flyer suffered a generator failure. With only battery power Fossett declared a may-day and was directed to Bournemouth Airport, Dorset England where he made a safe landing despite suffering two blown tires. He was met by his close friend, Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways) and shuttled over to Kent International Airport where he received a great welcome followed by a press conference. Steve Fossett set the absolute world record for "distance without landing" by flying from the Kennedy Space Center FL, round-the-world eastbound, then upon crossing over his starting point in Florida, he continued across the Atlantic a second time to land in Bournemouth England. The official flight distance was 25,766 miles over 76H 43M.

It was the longest solo non-stop flight without re-fueling by any aircraft in history. After note: Steve Fossett was born on April 22, 1944. His life was one of success and accomplishment. His firsts and records stand as a testimonial to his life. While relaxing on a casual solo flight in a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon aircraft (N240R), Fossett went missing on September 3, 2007. A search ensued and ended unsuccessfully on October 2, 2007. He was declared legally dead on February 15, 2008. A second search was initiated on July 14, 2008. Fossett's crash site was located on September 29, 2008 and on November 3, 2008 Steve Fossett's DNA confirmed his death. This was an untimely end to one of the greatest persons who lived on our earth. His autobiography, " Chasing the Wind " partners the memories of his accomplished life with all who survive him. RETURN to Home Page.

Famous Balloon Flights - First Successful Solo Around the World Flight FIRST SUCCESSFUL SOLO ATTEMPT BUD LIGHT SPIRIT OF FREEDOM BALLOON Steve Fossett is known for being one of the greatest adventurers of our time, with numerous achievements and records to his name, all in the field of aviation. He became the first balloonist to travel round the world by himself in a hot air balloon. The balloon, The Spirit Of Freedom used a combination of hot air and helium, known in the industry as a 'Roziere' balloon. The balloon envelope was 140 ft tall and 60 ft wide. The balloon used a special onboard autopilot system called 'Comstock Autopilot' which can maintain the balloon at a constant altitude by using a computer to control the burners. The balloon was launched from Northam, Western Australia and the projected flight was to cross the Pacific first and then to travel across Chile, down round Argentina and the Southern Atlantic Ocean. From here would then fly towards South Africa, over the Indian Ocean and would finally end up back in Australia at a longitudinal equal to or farther east than where the journey had begun.

The conditions onboard the basket (or gondola as it is referred to in this case) were far from luxurious! The actual gondola itself was no larger than a normal sized closet. Fossett would on average, manage about 4 hours of sleep each day, in broken down segments of 45 minutes naps. It would have been extremely cramped living in such a confined space. On top of all this, the temperature outside the balloon would have been well below zero and Fossett would have had to regularly climb outside the gondola to change fuel or to check on the burners. Below, pilot Steve Fossett standing on the gondola of the Bud Light Spirit of Freedom balloon, just after landing down in Australia on July 4th 2002. He became the first person in the world to complete a circumnavigation of the globe in a hot air balloon, completed in just under 15 days. Here is a brief history of Steve Fossett's attempts at the RTW (round the world) challenge, a total of 5 times before he finally completed the task in 2002.

He also set another 2 ballooning records whilst on his 6th circumnavigation attempt - details below: First Solo RTW attempt Stratobowl, South Dakota to St. John, Canada, approx 2,200 statute miles. Second Solo RTW attempt January 13th - 20th 1997 Absolute World Distance Record set at 10,360.61 statute miles and Absolute World Duration set at 6 days 2 hours 44 minutes superceded. Travelled St. Louis, Missouri to Sultanpur in 6 days 2 hours 44 minutes. Third Solo RTW attempt St. Louis, Missouri to Grechanaya, Russia, total distance of 5,802.94 statute miles. Fourth Solo RTW attempt August 7th - 16th 1998 Absolute World Distance Record-superceded: Mendoza, Argentina to the Coral Sea, a distance of 14,235.33 statute miles (22,910 km). Fifth Solo RTW attempt Northam, Australia to Bage, Brazil 12 days 12 hours 57 minutes.

24 Hour Balloon Distance Record June 30th - July 1st 2002 Distance of 3,186.80 statute miles (5,128.65 kilometers). Fastest Speed by Manned Balloon July 1st 2002 Speed of 200.24 mph (322.25 kmh). First Solo Balloon Flight RTW July 1st 2002 Northam, Western Australia to Queensland, Australia. 13 days 12 hours 5 minutes (14 days 19 hours 50 minutes to landing), 20,482.26 statute miles (32,963 kilometers). Absolute RTW Speed Record-Pending. This was Fossetts 6th attempt at an around the world flight. Around the World by Balloon Alone Admin/Tools Please let me remind all of you--this material is copyrighted. Though partially funded by NASA, it is still a private site. Therefore, before using our materials in any form, electronic or otherwise, you need to ask permission.

There are two ways to browse the site: (1) use the search button above to find specific materials using keywords; or, (2) go to specific headings like history, principles or careers at specific levels above and click on the button. Teachers may go directly to the Teachers' Guide from the For Teachers button above or site browse as in (1) and (2). AROUND THE WORLD BY BALLOON, ALONE Steve Fossett U.S. Balloonist Sets Record in Circling Globe Tue Jul 2,11:14 AM ET By Michael Perry SYDNEY (Reuters) - U.S. millionaire Steve Fossett became the first solo balloonist to circle the globe nonstop, sailing into the record books high above the clouds off Australia's southern coast on Tuesday. "It's an enormous relief and satisfaction," the 58-year-old adventurer said from the balloon, his remarks piped back to a news conference at his U.S. control center in St. Louis, Missouri. "It's been a long trip and I'm really glad to get across," he added.

Fossett, who had failed to make a circumnavigation in five previous and often danger-filled tries, snared one of manned flight's last earthly records at about 9:40 a.m. EDT on Tuesday. He crossed the finish line when he passed 117 degrees east longitude, the same line where he began his trip 13-1/2 days earlier from far western Australia. When he achieved the record after sailing nearly 19,500 miles (31,380 km) he was under a canopy of stars, he reported, with clouds covering the ocean below. His next challenge was to steer the balloon northeasterly for a landing in Australia, a final leg that may take several hours. A likely landing spot was on Australia's desolate outback Nullarbor Plain early on Wednesday Australian time. On Monday, the Colorado-based former Chicago markets trader set a top speed of 186 mph over the Indian Ocean and had hoped to land back in western Australia, but the winds pushed him south.

The Nullarbor is a limestone plateau bordered by the Great Australian Bight to the south, with cliffs plunging into the shark-infested Southern Ocean, and its northern perimeter by the Great Victoria Desert of central outback Australia. Australia's transnational highway which runs along the Nullarbor is one of the world's great long distance road trips, with endless bitumen disappearing into an outback heat haze and no water or petrol for hundreds of miles (kilometers). When Fossett lands, his hi-tech balloon is expected to disintegrate, with only the gondola surviving the descent. "The actual balloon does not normally survive the landing. The capsule will survive and is to be taken to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., to be hung next to Charles Lindbergh's 'Spirit of Saint Louis', which he flew across the Atlantic," said a mission control spokesman. Fossett was lucky to live when he plummeted 29,000 feet into the Coral Sea off Australia's northeast during his fourth attempt in 1998. Ground crew in Australia have a helicopter on standby to reach Fossett if he lands in a remote area.

Under the sport's international rules, a balloonist cannot fly around the poles -- the shortest distance around the world -- but also it is not necessary to fly around the equator, a distance of 25,000 miles. "The flight has to cross all meridians and has to be of a length that as a minimum is equal to half the equator length," says the Federation Aeronautique Internationale Web site. Fossett chose a southern hemisphere route to take advantage of prevailing easterly winds. His path after leaving Australia was virtually straight across the South Pacific, past the remote Easter Islands, and over the southern tip of South America. But once he started to cross the Atlantic his flight path headed south, under South Africa and closer to the Antarctic, the shortest route around the world. "It will take several weeks to validate officially any records set," spokesman Jean-Marc Badan of the Lausanne-based Federation Aeronautique Internationale known as FAI (the World Air Sports Federation) told Reuters. During the years that Fossett tried to make the circuit, the honor of the first such trip ever went to Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard and English co-pilot Brian Jones in March 1999.

Fossett continued to concentrate on the solo mark. The preceding written information was taken from a Reuters article. The original article appeared in Reuters on July 2, 2002. Send all comments to ï¿½ 1995-2017 ALLSTAR Network. All rights reserved worldwide. Funded in part by Steve Fossett Biography (Adventurer/Business Personality) Best known as: The record-breaking aviator who disappeared in Nevada Name at birth: James Stephen Fossett Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett is remembered for his record-breaking balloon flights and for his mysterious 2007 disappearance and death. Steve Fossett made his fortune in American financial markets with his brokerage companies Lakota Trading, Inc. and Marathon Securities, Inc. before turning his attention to aviation and other daredevil pursuits. He made the first solo balloon crossing of the Pacific Ocean in 1995, and in 2002 he became the first person to fly around the world alone, nonstop, in a balloon.

(He launched from Northam, Western Australia on 19 June 2002 and returned to Australia on 2 July 2002.) Fossett then became the first person to fly solo around the world in an airplane without stopping to refuel, landing at Salina, Kansas on 3 March 2005 after a 67-hour trip. According to Fossett's web site, "Long fascinated by endurance sports, he has swum the English Channel, run Alaska's famed Iditarod Dogsled Race, driven the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race and finished the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii." He disappeared on 3 September 2007 after taking off for a short flight in a small plane from a private Nevada airstrip. Despite extensive searches, his plane was not found. On 15 February 2008 a probate court judge in Chicago declared Fossett to be legally dead. That fall a hiker in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California found ID cards belonging to Fossett, and his plane was discovered a few days later -- on October 1, 2008 -- near that spot.

Only a few bones remained at the crash site, but DNA tests later revealed them to be a match for Fossett. The next year, the National Transporation Safety Board concluded that the probable cause of the crash was "the pilot’s inadvertent encounter with downdrafts that exceeded the climb capability of the airplane." Extra credit: Steve Fossett was 5’10” tall, according to his FAA card… He also tried (but failed) to become the first to circle the globe nonstop in a multi-person balloon; his attempts included a 1998 flight with British businessman Richard Branson , which ended with their craft ditching in the Pacific near Hawaii. The first circumnavigation was then accomplished in March 1999 by Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard and Englishman Brian Jones… Steve Fossett also completed the longest nonstop flight in aviation history by flying solo for 26,389.3 miles over 76 hours and 45 minutes in 2006. Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved.

Biography: Steve Fossett (1944-2007): Set More Than 100 World Records in Five Different Sports (VOA Special English 2009-01-20) Steve Fossett (1944-2007): Set More Than 100 World Records in Five Different Sports Download MP3 (Right-click or option-click the link.) I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Doug Johnson with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we tell about the adventurer and explorer Steve Fossett. He was famous for extraordinary efforts setting world records in flying, ballooning and sailing. He set or broke more than one hundred records in five different sports. Many of these records still hold. He also competed in running, dog racing and swimming. Fossett pushed the limits of his abilities to reach his many goals. And, his many projects helped advance the science and technology of flight. Steve Fossett did not really look like or sound like a person who was an extreme athlete and adventurer. But he made a career out of using his energy and intelligence to aim for and reach some of the most difficult goals in sailing and flying.

STEVE FOSSETT: "What really appealed to me was the adventure and the personal achievement. I never tired of the satisfaction of reaching the summit of another mountain peak." Fossett once said that he was most proud of being the first person to fly around the world alone in a hot-air balloon. In nineteen ninety-five he had some practice when he became the first person to fly alone in a hot-air balloon across the Pacific Ocean. To make a trip around the world alone, it was necessary to have an improved autopilot device. Fossett had one of his team members develop a more advanced balloon autopilot that would allow him to safely sleep and do other tasks while flying. Steve Fossett attempted the hot-air balloon trip around the world six times. This was not easy to do. He flew in the balloon's capsule that was so small he could not stand upright. During his fourth attempt in nineteen ninety-eight, he was almost killed during a thunderstorm off the coast of Australia. He fell nine thousand meters into the Coral Sea with his balloon's capsule on fire. He was later rescued at sea. STEVE FOSSETT: Surely, we'd learned from so many mistakes, and I was due to put it all together.

Fossett successfully made the trip in two thousand two. The trip started and ended in Australia. He travelled more than thirty-three thousand kilometers for more than fourteen days. He only slept about three hours a day. Much of his flight took place at an altitude of more than eight thousand meters, so he had to breathe air from a liquid oxygen system. On this flight, Fossett set other records including a speed record of three hundred twenty-two kilometers per hour. One main problem with earlier balloon flights was the threat of dangerous storms. A team of weather experts e-mailed and talked to Fossett by satellite telephone to help him avoid such weather. The capsule of Steve Fossett's hot-air balloon, the Spirit of Freedom, is at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. It is there as an example for other people to try and succeed in doing something important to them. James Stephen Fossett was born in nineteen forty-four in Jackson, Tennessee. He grew up in Garden Grove, California. His father was a supervisor in a soap factory owned by the Proctor & Gamble company. Steve learned to hike and climb mountains.

He said that when he was twelve years old, he climbed his first mountain, and he kept going by choosing bigger and bigger goals. Steve Fossett attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and earned a degree in economics. In nineteen sixty-eight, he received a graduate degree in business from Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri. He married his wife, Peggy, that same year. Fossett became successful working as a financial trader in Chicago, Illinois. He formed his own company, Lakota Trading, in nineteen eighty. He became very wealthy. Fossett was successful as a trader for the same reasons he would become a skilled explorer: he was competitive, smart and careful. Steve Fossett made millions of dollars. But he began to miss the sports he had found so interesting in his youth. So he began climbing mountains and competing in running and skiing races. He used his money to finance his many adventurous projects. Other large projects were financed by companies or individuals. He began climbing mountains with his friend, Pat Morrow, in the nineteen eighties. Pat Morrow was trying to become the first person to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each continent. Fossett climbed the highest mountain on every continent except Mount Everest.

He also trained to swim the length of the English Channel between France and England. It took him four attempts over several years. But in nineteen eighty-five, he became the two hundred and seventieth person to swim across the Channel. Fossett began to spend more and more of his time on adventure sports. STEVE FOSSETT: In nineteen ninety-one, I turned the business career upside down. I decided to make the business secondary and to give my adventure goals the primary focus of my life. I decided to pursue the highest goals in sailing and ballooning. In ballooning, that would be to make the first round-the-world balloon flight. During this period, Steve Fossett began his many attempts to fly around the world in a hot-air balloon. He also started setting sailing speed and distance records. He set a total of twenty-one world sailing records. For example, he set speed records for a race around Ireland as well as the Transpac race, from San Francisco to Hawaii. He hired special boat designers to create a catamaran racing boat made out of aerospace-technology carbon fiber. The boat was called the PlayStation, then later renamed the Cheyenne.

In two thousand four, Fossett and his crew sailed around the world in fifty-eight days, six days faster than the earlier record. Many of Steve Fossett's most extraordinary adventures were as a pilot. In two thousand five, he became the first person to fly a plane alone around the world without stopping for fuel. He flew almost thirty-seven thousand kilometers in sixty-seven hours. The next year he set the nonstop distance record for a plane flying with one pilot. He flew from Florida to England, the long way, covering more than forty-one thousand kilometers in just under seventy-seven hours. He made these flights on the GlobalFlyer, a plane supported by Richard Branson, the owner of the Virgin Atlantic company. The special technologies and inventions used to make this plane helped further the science of flight. Also in two thousand six, Fossett and another pilot set an altitude record for flying a glider, a plane with no engine. They flew the glider into the Earth's stratosphere at a height of more than fifteen thousand meters. That was one of ten world records Fossett set for flying a glider. Steve Fossett did not limit himself to sailing and flying.

He also competed in the one thousand eight hundred kilometer race through Alaska called the Iditarod Dogsled Race. And, he entered the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. Competitors must complete one hundred eighty kilometers of bicycling, forty-two kilometers of running and almost four kilometers of swimming. Steve Fossett once said that he did not like risks. He knew this might sound strange given his activities. But he said what he tried to do was reduce risk with careful planning, technological development and the help of the best scientists and other experts. He said he did not do sports because of the excitement but for the personal success. Yet, no amount of planning can prevent the possibility of risk in life. In September of two thousand seven, Steve Fossett flew a small plane from a private ranch in the state of Nevada. His plan was to return in a few hours. But his plane disappeared. For months, state, private, and volunteer rescue teams searched the area where his plane was believed to have flown. In February of two thousand eight, a judge in Chicago declared Steve Fossett legally dead. He was sixty-three years old. A year after he disappeared, a hiker in eastern California found Fossett's pilot's license.

Rescue teams began the search again, this time finding pieces of his plane. Genetic testing on pieces of bone found near the crash area later identified them as Steve Fossett's. Steve Fossett succeeded in all areas of air travel except space. He once said that flying in a space shuttle would be very interesting, but if he went into space, he would have wanted to be the pilot. This independence, bravery and energy made Steve Fossett one of the great adventurers of modern times. This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Doug Johnson. Solo pilot sets round-the-world record - Technology & science - Science | NBC News Solo pilot sets round-the-world record Fossett ends historic flight where he started, in Kansas Below: Advertise NBC News Sir Richard Branson sprays Steve Fossett with champagne shortly after Fossett landed the GlobalFlyer in Salina, Kan., on Thursday. By Alan Boyle Science editor msnbc.com + - Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett landed safely Thursday at the Kansas airport where he started his nonstop, round-the-world trek — becoming the first man ever to make such a flight solo and without refueling.

"That was a big one," Fossett said with a laugh as he climbed out of the airplane and hugged his wife, Peggy. The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer touched down at 1:50 p.m. CT Thursday — just over 67 hours after it took off from the Salina airport in central Kansas on Monday evening. In all, Fossett traveled 23,000 miles (36,800 kilometers) around the world. Crowds of spectators lined the airstrip and cheered as the plane rolled down the runway. "Fossett, you're a stud," one mission controller told him during the final approach. Sir Richard Branson, who financed the mission, greeted Fossett with hugs and then sprayed him with champagne. The Virgin Atlantic founder is a longtime friend and fellow adventurer of Fossett's. Amid the congratulations, Fossett paid tribute to the team that built his swoopy, composite-construction airplane and supported the mission. "I'm really a fortunate guy to have spearheaded this," he said. Advertise Problem overcome An apparent problem in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer's fuel system had prompted Fossett to consider ending the flight in Hawaii.

As he flew over the Pacific on Wednesday, fuel-tank sensors indicated that he might not have enough fuel to complete the world circuit. But Paul Moore, the GlobalFlyer project director, said favorable tail winds and a shifting of fuel from the plane's outermost tanks gave Fossett the confidence to press on. It was not clear whether the fuel-system problem was due to an actual shortage or false readings from the sensors. In a radio transmission from his cockpit on Wednesday night, Fossett sounded tired and said he felt as if he was experiencing "four nights in two and a half days." But as the finish line loomed closer, Fossett's spirits rose. Public interest in the adventure rose as well: Moore noted that the GlobalFlyer Web site had received 76 million hits as of Wednesday. Mission organizers reported that the Web site was sending out 80 million bits of data per second on Thursday morning. They had to upgrade their computer firepower to cope with the traffic. The history of an adventure Until the fuel crisis arose, the most serious glitch had been an intermittent navigation problem experienced as Fossett was crossing the U.S.-Canada border.

A century of flight During the flight, Fossett survived on diet milkshakes — “low-residue” nourishment that cut down on solid waste disposal needs during the flight, spokeswoman Lori Levin said. Fossett's flight suit was equipped with a collection bag and tubes to deal with nature's call. As for sleep, Fossett tried to take 30-minute "power naps" during stretches of the flight, after passing control over to an autopilot system. But the naps turned out to last only a few minutes at a time, with Fossett anxiously keeping an eye on the plane's indicators. Fossett already is noted for being the first to fly solo around the globe in a balloon, a milestone achieved in 2002, and holds dozens of other aviation and sailing records. Aviation pioneer Wiley Post made the first solo around-the-world trip in 1933, but he took more than seven days and stopped numerous times. Later, in-flight refueling enabled military planes to circumnavigate the globe without stopping. The first nonstop global flight without refueling was made in 1986 by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan, in the propeller-driven Voyager airplane.

That trip took nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds — illustrating how far airplane technology has come in 19 years. Dick Rutan's brother, Burt Rutan, was the designer of the GlobalFlyer and the Voyager as well as SpaceShipOne, which last year became the first privately developed craft to soar into outer space. On Wednesday, Fossett broke the record for the longest nonstop, unrefueled flight by a jet. That particular record — 12,532 miles (20,168 kilometers) — was set by a B-52 bomber in 1962. This report includes information from The Associated Press.

Question: What did Steve Fossett use to travel around the world in 2002?
Answer: Balloon