Global Flyer

[4HolerPoler]

Steve Fossett's on his way again. Follow his flight at http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/MissionControl/Tracking/

4HP

[dusk2dawn]

Waste of fuel.

[sp]

[WHBM]

Good on you Steve. Aviation got to where it is today because of people like you, not thanks to the self-appointed negative commentators. Way to go !

[Dani]

Don't missunderstand my question as a negative comment, but what is Fosset actually hunting for again? I thought he has done that already. The internet site doesn't tell anything about the targets and records to be beaten...

Dani

[barit1]

E67 longitude - about to enter Indian airspace @ 1247Z. :ok:

His FP route was over southern Iran & Pakistan, but actual appears over the ocean a few hundred miles south.

[Zaptain]

I believe Mr Fossett is after the record for the longest flight. He has done the round the world bit before but he is tagging on a bit more so he holds the record for distance. One and a bit times round!:)

[barit1]

Approaching Nagasaki (E129) @ 2330Z

[captjns]

Actually it is Burt Rutan who deserves the accolades. It was Rutan’s design, his dream, his vision, and his drive that made this flight truly possible. True Steve Fosse and Richard Branson, with their funds made this trip possible. But lets face, there is no real challenge other than finding a comfortable position to sit for the long duration of the flight… or hmmm what kind of food should I bring for this journey. There’s an autopilot, GPS, and constant ground support… I just don’t see the challenge here. Am I missing something here? Heck, the plane could have been flown as a drone around the world to break the distance record. In fact the weight savings could have put more gas on the jet and it could have flown an even greater distance to really break the longest distant record. Oh I forgot… no fame for Fosse then… Yawnnnnn…. To excited… I guess.

[Aeronut]

I agree with Captjns that Rutan should also be praised for yet another amazing, fit for purpose yet beautiful aircraft.

However, in no way should the pilot be belittled for this terrific, ongoing effort.

A 16 hour Pacific crossing on one engine is quite an undertaking in itself! 80 hours airborne, solo!

Just what does it take to impress you?

Rutan has done a great job and Fossett is now doing his job. Furthermore, you seem unable even to spell his name correctly!
As for Dusk to Dawn - what is someone with zero interest in aviation doing here? What does vaste mean?

Aeronut

[WHBM]

From above :

But lets face, there is no real challenge other than finding a comfortable position to sit for the long duration of the flight… or hmmm what kind of food should I bring for this journey. There’s an autopilot, GPS, and constant ground support… I just don’t see the challenge here. Am I missing something here?

From the VAGF website :

Steve has admitted that during a period of "severe" turbulence he feared a wing might break and had put on his parachute in case he had to abandon the plane mid-air.

The tubulence occurred approximately 14:30UTC Thursday as he flew over Bhophal in India. Although Steve informed Mission Control about the turbulence and said he was "uncomfortable" he did not let the team know the full extent of the trouble.

It was only later in the evening that he revealed he had put his parachute on and that the turbulence had been a frightening experience.

Steve said: "I was afraid it was going to break up. It was a scary time and I had my parachute on and I was prepared to bail out in case a wing broke."

[captjns]

Just what does it take to impress you?


Aeronut

The man has GPS, an autopilot, and ground support every step of the way of his journey. If he circumnavigated the globe without the modern day conveniences of aerial naviation, perhaps I would be more impressed.:zzz:

[jabberwok]

The man has GPS, an autopilot, and ground support every step of the way of his journey. If he circumnavigated the globe without the modern day conveniences of aerial naviation, perhaps I would be more impressed.

It's not just about navigation - it's about endurance.

[dusk2dawn]

Aeronut, 16 hour Pacific crossings are done daily by ferry pilots delivering single engine aircrafts. And that has been going on for more than the 50 years I've been interested in aviation. [Insert spelling disclaimer here]

[captjns]

Aeronut, 16 hour Pacific crossings are done daily by ferry pilots delivering single engine aircrafts. And that has been going on for more than the 50 years I've been interested in aviation. [Insert spelling disclaimer here]

Here! Here! I am one of those ferry pilots who flew both the PAC and ATL. I was never greeted by the KNEWS media... oops sorry for the mispelling... I mean news

[barit1]

Sen. Barry Goldwater was a WWII P-47 pilot, and he was a member of a one-time ATL ferry formation of P-47's. I have his report somewhere.

And I once met a Canadian pilot who flew a Waco CG-4A across the pond in tow behind a C-47.

[Aeronut]

IF you have crossed the Pacific with a single engine.............well done! In my mind this is as much a celebration of the machine as it is of the man prepared to fly it.
Still cannot fathom the miserable attitudes to this effort which goes wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy beyond crossing the Pacific. Take another look at the flight trace and try not to be so miserable you two. Capt & D2D:yuk: :*
He'll be passing overhead some time soon, so I 'm off to catch a glimpse of the contrail. Don't forget you can watch the landing live on Sky news, if you're not too bitter!:ok:

[captjns]

Don't get a stiffy from looking up at the contrails... er that's stiff neck that is.

[Aeronut]

Arousal is clearly an issue for Captjns. Little chance of stiffness for him, as he looks up to no one!:p

[WHBM]

He seems to have come in a straight line to overhead Reading, then doglegged back descending to Bournemouth.

Any reason ?

[doubleu-anker]

Probably they don't want the pilot of a single engined A/C, and single crew who has been on duty for more than 80 hours and almost out of fuel flying over or anywhere near London.

[Man-on-the-fence]

Looks more like a landing at Hurn, that'll piss off the Press!

[172driver]

Looks like he's about to land at Bournemouth. Well done :ok:

[WHBM]

OK, website says he's safely on the ground at Hurn. Sure more will unfold about this !

Well done Steve.

[GBALU53]

With the globel challenger diverting to Bournemouth arriving appro 1710 to day did it create any extra problems for Air Traffic??

It was interesting to watch on the Web and work out the track it was taking untill reading the live lat and long updates and then finding out Bournemouth has had the pleasure:ok: :ok:

WELL DONE TO STEVE FOSSET AND GLOBEL CHALLANGER AND ALL THE TEAM.

The reason for the diversion was i believe due to a generator failure.:O :O

[Loki]

Just been watching the beeb news 24 coverage. Presenter asking some punter at EGHH stupid questions. Said punter only just qualified to operate mobile phone.

[flyboy2]

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=qw1139580901669B224&newslett=1&em=49386a6a20060211ah

London - US aviator Steve Fossett was on the last half of his solo bid to set a new global benchmark for the longest flight as he piloted his Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer over the Pacific Ocean on Friday towards North America.

The 61-year-old adventurer set off Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and has so far crossed the Atlantic Ocean, north Africa, Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Gulf, and most of the Pacific.

"Next sighting of land will be Baja Peninsula" in Mexico, according to his website, wwww.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com.

At 01h00 GMT, "Steve Fossett passed the halfway point over Japan and is now heading over the Pacific towards the Baja Peninsula," his website said.

"Everything's going well at the moment," a spokeswoman at mission control in southeast England told AFP. "But there's a challenging time ahead because obviously as he gets towards the coast of the US, the jet streams are going to change."

At 12h30 GMT, Fossett was flying at 444 kilometres per hour and at an altitude of 13 915 metres, according to his website.

The 41 978-kilometre flight, which could take about 80 hours to complete, involves a circumnavigation of the globe plus a second Atlantic crossing to finish in Kent, southeast England.

Richard Branson, the billionaire British entrepreneur and founder of Virgin Atlantic airlines who is backing Fossett's bid, was optimistic, and has put his friend's record-breaking chances at "50/50".

"In recent hours the jet stream has been, and continues to be, very good which is aiding Steve's progress," said Branson in a statement late Thursday.

"But as Steve and I both know from our balloon trip we were together on (a failed attempt to circumnavigate the world non-stop in 1998), it completely dies away after Hawaii."

"This will be a critical decision point in the record attempt as he will have eight hours with no alternate landing points when he reaches this point.

"Mission control will have to do some recalculations of the jet streams and route to ensure it makes sense to continue," he said.

The flight is the second attempt at the longest flight record for Fossett, who has already set records in sailboats, gliders and hot air balloons.

Last March, he landed in Kansas after flying around the globe solo for 67 hours, two minutes and 38 seconds without stopping or refuelling in a trip spanning 36 989 kilometres.

If successful, he will fly 1 126 kilometres further than the 1999 around-the-world balloon trip by Brian Jones, a Briton, and his Swiss partner Bertrand Piccard on the Breitling Orbiter III.

Fossett will also beat the distance record set by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager in their nine-day, non-stop trip around the world without refuelling aboard the Voyager aircraft in 1986. That trip logged a total of 40,212 kilometres.

The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer was designed by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, creator of SpaceShipOne, the first private manned rocketship to go into space in 2004. Rutan also designed the Voyager flown by his brother Dick in 1986.

Measuring 13,4 metres long with a wingspan of 34,7 metres, it weighs 9,98 tons, including eight tonnes of fuel. The cockpit is equipped with an alert system to rouse the pilot if he falls asleep. - Sapa-AFP

[atplfunda]

According to the BBC

"Fossett flew 26,389.3 miles non-stop, breaking the aeroplane distance record of 24,987 miles as well as the balloon record of 25,361 miles. He landed shortly after 1700 GMT after 76 days and 45 minutes in the cockpit"

Congratulations Steve, I make this just under 14.5 mph!

[King Pong]

So how is a pilot allowed to fly for 76 hours without sleep?
Maybe if he was more awake he might have found Manston instead of Bournemouth. Well done though on setting a new record:ok:

[woodpecker]

I'm afraid you got it all wrong King Pong ..
I always believe the BBC, and as atplfunda quotes from the BBC, he was not airborne for 76 hours but for 76 DAYS!

[Nov71]

76 DAYS! with only a bucket for relief!!

76 hr is bad enough giving an average speed of 342mph not 14.5

He had to take Bournemouth due to alleged electrical failure.

Fly around the World with maths like that and see where you end up!

[Nov71]

I apologise, I missed the BBC 'error'. Guy with camera phone got a lucky shot

[zed3]

Seemingly not enough fuel to reach Manston - the Beeb reports him having landed after 75 days and 45 mins in the air !!!

[TyroPicard]

Burst a couple of tires on landing.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060211-1101-fossettflight.html

[Jinkster]

Well done Steve and Sir RB

[WHBM]

BBC have now beefed up the story with some good detail

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4704762.stm

[diginagain]

Without wishing to detract from the remarkable achievement, land at Bournemouth, ultimate destination Manston? Sounds rather like a low-cost operator to me.

Still goes to show that, while the BBC fails to field an aviation orientated press-pool, they'll continue to shoot themselves in the foot.

[tinpis]

Im struggling with the image of an old coot trying to wipe his bum in a small cockpit.
Bloody humbug...... throw enough money at it he coulda stayed up all month.

[grimmrad]

In the NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/national/12plane.html

or the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4704762.stm

Adventurer Steve Fossett has broken the record for the longest non-stop flight in aviation history, landing in dramatic fashion after power failure.
Fossett, 61, took the record as he flew over Shannon in Ireland. In total he has flown 26,389.3 miles around the globe since lift-off on Wednesday.

Generator failure as he descended to Kent prompted him to make a mayday call and divert to Bournemouth. On landing with limited visibility, two tyres burst, but Fossett was unhurt.

(From the BBC webpage, link above)

Best

[egbt]

The Beeb (or someone) seem to have a problem with the maths

Fossett, 61, took the record as he flew over Shannon in Ireland.

and

Fossett flew 26,389.3 miles non-stop, breaking the aeroplane distance record of 24,987 miles as well as the balloon record of 25,361 miles.


1,402 miles from Shannon to Bournemouth?

[Stoney X]

I couldn't help myself. Had to nip over to Hurn (just around the corner) to have a look. Despite the best efforts of the power-hungery security staff I managed to get within about a quarter of a mile of the aircraft. Strangely I can't decide if the craft is bigger or smaller than I expected. Mobile phone piccies are absolutely cr@p so I won't bother posting them. But at least I've seen a bit of history.

Regards
Stoney

[broadreach]

As one old (1945) coot to another might put it, muscle to your rudder, Fossett, congratulations.

[Martin Barnes]

he probably heard that ginny was on duty at signature eghh.

so who would want to go to manston !!!!

[Creaser]

Three media helicopters within striking distance of this scheduled attempt and not a single aerial shot of the emergency landing.

Could have milked the story... plane surrounded by fire engines ect ect


Watching the diversion unfold live would have been exciting...real news!


Creaser

[Evening Star]

Photos of landing here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4705426.stm).

[ShyTorque]

I'll bet that genny was only under warranty for 75 hours...... :hmm:

[elbarno]

Its great there are still people in aviation like Burt Ruton,as mentioned before this aircraft could basically be flown from the ground with nobody onboard as it could have been in the previous flight.
I worked on this aircraft for Scaled Composites back in 2003 and it was the most interesting contract I have ever worked on with some of the most switched on people I have had the fortune to work with in aviation.As for Burt Ruton what a down to earth bloke he is he looks more like a Country & Western singer than a top aerospace designer.I really dont think Scaled Comosites got enough credit for this aircraft the pr people from Virgin made sure of that.

[aviate1138]

Despite having worked for him, you managed to misspell his name? Twice. :)
Aviate1138

[WHBM]

I found the VAGF website a bit disappointing. The realtime map was great, but the rest of it lagged well behind. Long after he was obviously on the ground at Bournemouth the banner across the top of the page was still streaming "will be landing at Manston at 1700". The webmaster elsewhere was going on about how many million hits they were getting so it would have been good to keep the commentary up to date.

[stormin norman]

Thank god for PPrune, I thought from the press footage it was RB who flew it and that fossett chap was PR man !

[headsethair]

Three media helicopters within striking distance of this scheduled attempt and not a single aerial shot of the emergency landing.
Creaser, it's pretty difficult to get the shot when you only have 5 minutes notice of the divert. One heli (working for Sky News) did make it by 1810 after a rush from Manston - only to be told by ATC at Hurn that the Airfield Manager had refused permission for any filming.......said helicopter landed and was kept waiting 90 mintes for fuel.........still got the shots.

No doubt permission for filming was refused because his own staff were too busy using their camera phones and flogging shots to the media.

This country is being consumed by idiots in hi-vis carrying a clipboard.

Watching the diversion unfold live would have been exciting...real news!

Well - that's why all the sat trucks were at Manston. How would you propose getting a sat truck to Hurn with 5 minutes notice?

[Stoney X]

I think Hurn have lost out on some seriously good PR. There's loads of interested folks just wanting to get a look at the aircraft, but for supposed security reasons it's all a bit of a shambles. If the onlookers were encouraged to park in the pay and display and were directed towards a secure viewing spot (which there is, a very nice one that's "out-of-bounds" :hmm: ), then there wouldn't be people wandering around in places they shouldn't be, and everyone would be happy.

Does anybody know when or how the Flyer is expected to depart from Hurn?

Regards
Stoney

[Send Clowns]

The security staff at Bournemouth were a complete bunch of jobsworths! Must have lost the airport some goodwill. I realise they have to keep the place secured, but they were going way beyond that - I was told I was "not allowed near the perimeter fence"! Well then they put the ******* fence in the wrong place. The whole point is that a fence divides where I am allowed from where I am not allowed (given that my licence and airside pass were in Southend, otherwise I'm sure I could have gone airside), and I was on the permitted side! What was it with that bloke with the cones and the flashing lights on his car keeping people away? I knew the airport so just drove round another route, but he disappeared after a while so I could get closer.

Should have borrowed a BFC aircraft to taxi across!

Unfortunately I only saw the aircraft in the dark, as I had an emergency call back to fly last night, but looked amazing even in the dark. Flight was cool so not too bad.

[captjns]

Its great there are still people in aviation like Burt Ruton,as mentioned before this aircraft could basically be flown from the ground with nobody onboard as it could have been in the previous flight.
I worked on this aircraft for Scaled Composites back in 2003 and it was the most interesting contract I have ever worked on with some of the most switched on people I have had the fortune to work with in aviation.As for Burt Ruton what a down to earth bloke he is he looks more like a Country & Western singer than a top aerospace designer.I really dont think Scaled Comosites got enough credit for this aircraft the pr people from Virgin made sure of that.

Well said... With enough money you can buy scads of PR... Burt Rutan, his company, and his devoted staff should receive most of the accolades. Yes, Fossett and Branson both deserve congratulations for being spending the money for making this trip happen, but for staying aloft for 76 hours?... one takeoff and one landing? But I guess the lime light is still more important than giving credit where credit is due.

[G-KEST]

A really tremendous achievement by all involved with the project. Steve Fossett has yet another aviation record to his credit and Scaled Composites have proved, yet again, that they are the sharpening stone that grinds the cutting edge of general aviation. Heartiest congratulations.
Cheers,
Trapper 69
:ok:

[moggiee]

Sorry, but am I the only person left cold by all this?

What's it supposed to prove and how does it advance the world of aviation any?

Burt has already proven that he can build aeroplanes that stay up a long time, Steve has proven that he can survive long stints in the air and Sir Dick has already demonstrated his ability to take the credit for other peoples achievements.

[barit1]

You could as well ask why anyone would want to visit a sunny Caribbean beach, ski a mountainside, or fly inverted. What do these prove?

[H.Finn]

Moggiee, you are not the only one. I think it only proves that if you have enough money, a flight like this can be done.

[Rocket2]

Can anyone tell me what is happening / what has happened to the Global Flyer since it landed ay Bournemouth?

[Compass Call]

It is sitting in the FRA hangar Next to Majan 553. The engine and pylon have been de-panelled and somebody (FRA fitters?) is working on it.:ok:



CC

[Ripline]

The Global Flyer is destined for display in the Smithsonian. Does that mean that it will be dismantled for the trip back across the Pond?

I suppose that it would be a bit embarrasing to try and fly it back and lose it halfway....:hmm:

...although they seem to have put new tyres on it. :confused:

Ripline

[fradu]

The machine is apparently due to depart Hurn by air on Thursday (23rd) bound for Manston.
It will then be dismantled and shipped back to the USA.

[fradu]

Possibly Saturday or Sunday departure now.
Could be very early though :)

[Twitcher]

Not sure where you got the 'dismantle' bit from. From the official website it seems it may do a test flight today from Hurn then fly tomorrow direct to the USA.

[Compass Call]

My 'leak' at FRA tells me that it will fly direct to the USA. He is not sure if it will depart the UK from Hurn or from another airport.

CC

[Compass Call]

Apparently the Virgin Global Flyer completed a test flight today.
It will depart Hurn for the USA tomorrow. The flight is expected to take about 18 hours. :ok:

CC

[fradu]

She's gone.
Departed Hurn at around 0640hrs this morning, and as a goodbye performed a low flypast :)

:)

Thanks to Howard C for the info!

[Ripline]

From the Mission tracking page at 12:03 UCT :

http://www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com/MissionControl/Tracking/

Heading Speed Altitude Longitude Latitude
270 277.00 46,184ft W38.52068 N56.96094

which puts it just over halfway across.

Ripline

[Kestrel_909]

FlightID: VIR101
Status: FILED
Filed With: LLON - London
Equipment: /GFLY/G
Proposed Departure Time: 0645Z
Departing: EGHH BOURNEMOUTH
Destination: SLN SALINA MUNI
Route of Flight: EGHH..BCN..STU.UN546.MASIT..5530N/02000W..5630N/03000W..5700N/04000W..5630N/05000W..PORGY..HO..YKL.J481.YFM.J480.YTS.J548.SSM.J101.BAE.J 105.BDF.J64.PWE.V533.SLN..KSLN/1600
ETA: 2214
Speed: 0270
Altitude: 430

[BEagle]

Appears to have landed OK at Salina at around 2240Z.

Well done, Steve!

[Ripline]

Ah, good.......

BTW, are we sure that Steve Fossett was the ferry pilot?

Ripline