Silsoesid, Volrider, Missing Lynx, and Gobbie...
What have you contributed to aviation in your lifetimes that is so stellar that we should bow to YOUR "petty level?" From where I sit, you folks have spent an enormous amount of time on personal attacks. To be fair, parts of this thread have been funny from time to time... but the recent comments have become repugnant.
Further, many of your comments have been so negative that it goes WAY beyond gentle humor or good spirited fun... it's clearly personal. Simply put, you've crossed a line and have lost what little respect others may have had for you all.
There are a lot of lessons learned for the GE team and for Barry, as well. But let's not understate the FANTASTIC accomplishments of this venture. One example is Barry's longest flight over open ocean in an autogyro in the history of aviation! Sounds like a time to crack open some champagne and celebrate some REAL accomplishments!
How many times did Steve Fossett attempt to go around the world in a balloon? How many times did he fail? In your view, I suppose this multi-millionaire and generous philanthropist is just another loser. I guess the world would be perfect if we could live up to the standards you propose behind the comfort of your computer console... better to criticize others than to actually do something yourself, eh?