from news.com.au 11 Jun
WEALTHY American adventurer Steve Fossett is due to arrive in Perth tonight ahead of his sixth round-the-world balloon flight attempt.
Fossett's team has been in the town of Northam, 100km east of Perth for a week, preparing for the launch and assessing conditions, while Fossett remained in the United States for altitude training.
A spokesman for Fossett said the businessman was scheduled to arrive in Perth tonight before making his way to Northam for a press conference tomorrow morning.
Fossett hopes weather conditions will allow him to launch his helium-filled balloon as early as the wee hours of Saturday, June 15.
If successful, the 58-year-old will be the first person to fly solo around the world in a balloon.
His most recent attempt, launched from Northam last year, ended 12 days later when he was forced by bad weather to land in Brazil.