Steve Fossett

Steve Fossett

Steve Fossett (born April 22, 1944, in Jackson, Tennessee) is a United States aviator and adventurer known for his appetite to set world records. Fossett, who made his fortune in American financial markets, is best known for his five world record non-stop circumnavigations of the Earth: as a long-distance solo balloonist, as a sailor, and as a solo fixed-wing aircraft pilot. Fossett is among the world's greatest adventurers - and currently he holds official World Records in 5 sports.

Fossett grew up in Garden Grove, California. In 1966 he graduated from Stanford University with a BA. In 1968 he graduated with a MBA from The Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and today is on the Board of Trustees. Fossett is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club.

Overview

Steve Fossett is well known for his world record setting adventures in balloons, sailboats, gliders and powered aircraft. He is an aviator of exceptional breadth of experience -- from his tenacious quest to become the first person to achieve a solo balloon flight around the world (finally succeeding on his 6th attempt in 2002) to setting, with co-pilot Terry Delore, 10 of the 21 Glider Open records, including the first 2,000 km Out-and-Return and the first 1,500 km Triangle flights. His achievements as a jet pilot in a Cessna Citation X include records for U.S. Transcontinental, Australia Transcontinental, and Round-the-World Westbound non-supersonic flights.

In 2005, Fossett made the First Solo circumnavigation of the world unrefueled non-stop in 67 hours in Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, a single engine jet aircraft.

In 2006, he again circumnavigated the world unrefueled non-stop in 76 hours, 45 minutes in the Global Flyer setting the absolute record for the longest flight by any aircraft in history – 26,389 statute miles.

In 2002 Fossett received aviation's highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).

Balloon pilot

On February 21, 1995, Fossett landed in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada, becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.

In 2002, he became the first person to fly around the world alone, nonstop, in a balloon. He launched from Northam, Western Australia, on June 19, 2002, and returned to Australia on July 3, 2002, subsequently landing in Queensland, Australia. Duration and distance of this solo balloon flight was 13 days 8 hours 33 minutes (14 days 19 hours 50 minutes to landing), 20,626.48 statute miles (33,195.10 km)

Sailor

Steve Fossett is also one of the world's most accomplished sailors. Speed sailing has been Fossett's specialty and, since 1993, he has dominated the record sheets, setting 23 official world records (12 still standing) and 9 distance race records (8 still standing).

On the maxi-catamaran "Cheyenne" Steve has twice set the prestigious 24 Hour Record of Sailing. In October 2001, Steve and his crew set a TransAtlantic record of 4 days 17 hours - not so much beating as obliterating the previous record by a whopping 43 hours 35 minutes - an increase in average speed of nearly 7 knots.

(Note: Many of the records were set by Fossett on the maxi-cat "Cheyenne" when the boat was known as "PlayStation." Also, the 24-hour and transatlantic records have both subsequently been bested by the maxi-catamaran "Orange II")

In early 2004 he, as skipper, set the world record for fastest circumnavigation of the world (58 days and 9 hours) in his sailboat Cheyenne with a crew of 13.

Airship pilot

Fossett set the Absolute World Speed Record for airships on October 27, 2004. This new record for fastest flight with an Airship was accomplished by flying a huge Zeppelin NT with a recorded average speed of 62.2 knots (115.0 km/h, 71.5 mph.) The previous record was 50.1 knots (92.8 km/h, 57.7 mph) set in 2001 in a Virgin Airship.

Aircraft pilot

Global flyer

Fossett made the First Solo Non-stop Fixed-Wing Aircraft flight around the world between 28 February and 3 March, 2005. He took off from Salina, Kansas and flew eastbound with the prevailing winds and returned to Salina, Kansas after 67 hours 1 minute 10 seconds. His average speed of 342.2 mph (550.7 km/h) was also the absolute world record for speed nonstop around the world. The aircraft was named the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer which was a single jet engine of carbon composite construction with a single Williams jet engine. It was designed and built by Scaled Composites for distance solo flight. The fuel capacity was 87% of the total takeoff weight.

On February 11, 2006 Fossett set the absolute world record for Distance without Landing by flying from Space Shuttle runway at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, around the world eastbound, then upon returning overhead Florida continued across the Atlantic a second time to land in Bournemouth, England. The official distance was 25,766 statute miles (41,467 km) and the duration was 76 hours 43 minutes.

The next month, Fossett made a third flight around the world in order to break the absolute record for Closed Circuit Distance where the requirement is to takeoff and land at the same airport. He took off from Salina, Kansas on 14 March, 2006 and returned on 17 March, 2006 after flying 25,262 statute miles (40,655 km).

There are only seven absolute world records for fixed-wing aircraft and Fossett broke three of them in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer. All three records were previously held by Richard Rutan and Jeanna Yeager from their flight in the Voyager in 1986. Fossett has contributed the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer to the Smithsonian’s permanent collection. It is on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithonsian’s National Air & Space Museum.

Trancontinental aircraft records

Fossett set two U.S. transcontinental fixed-wing aircraft records on the same day of February 5, 2003. He flew his Citation X from San Diego CA to Charleston SC in 2 hours 56 minutes 20 seconds for an average speed of 726.83 mph (1169.73 km/h) to smash the transcontinental record for non-supersonic jets.

He returned to San Diego, then flew the same course as co-pilot for Joe Ritchie in a turboprop Piaggio Avanti. Their time was 3 hours 51 minutes 52 seconds for an average speed of 546.44 mph (879.46 km/h) which broke the previous turboprop transcontinental record held by Chuck Yeager.

Fossett also set the East to West transcontinental record for non-supersonic fixed-wing aircraft on 17 September, 2000. He flew from Jacksonville FL to San Diego CA in 3 hours 29 minutes for an average speed of 591.96 mph (952.67 km/h).

Vickers Vimy bi-plane

On 2 July, 2005, Fossett and co-pilot Mark Rebholz re-created the first nonstop crossing of the Atlantic which was made by the British team of John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown in June 1919 in a Vickers Vimy bi-plane. Their flight from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada to Clifden, Ireland in the open cockpit Vickers Vimy replica took 18 hours 25 minutes.

Glider records

The team of Steve Fossett and Terry Delore (NZL) have set 10 official World Records in gliders while flying in three major locations: New Zealand, Argentina and Nevada, USA. Asterisk (*) indicates records subsequently broken by other pilots.

Distance (Free) World Record 2192.9 km--4 December 2004

Triangle Distance (Free) World Record 1509.7 km--13 December 2003

Out and Return Distance (Free) World Record* 2002.44 km--14 November 2003

1500 Kilometer Triangle World Record 119.11 km/h (74.02 mph)--13 December 2003

1250 Kilometer Triangle U.S. National Record 143.48 km/h (89.51 mph). Exceeded world record by .01 km/h--30 July 2003

750 Kilometer Triangle World Record 171.29 km/h (106,44 mph)--29 July 2003

500 Kilometer Triangle World Record* 187.12 km/h (116.27 mph)--15 November 2003

1000 Km Out-and-Return World Record* 166.46 km/h (103.44 mph)--12 December 2002

1500 Out-and-Return World Record* 156.61 km/h (97.30 mph)--14 November 2003

Triangle Distance (Declared) World Record 1502.6 km--13 December 2003

Out-and-Return Distance (Declared) World Record* 1804.7 km--14 November 2003

Perlan Project

Fossett joined pilot Einar Enevoldson for the Perlan Project. This is an program to fly a glider into the stratosphere with an objective of reaching 62,000 feet. Since the glider cockpit is unpressurized, the pilots wear full pressure suits (space suits) so that they will be able to fly to extreme altitudes above 50,000 feet. The current altitude record is 49,009 feet (14,938 m) by Robert Harris (USA) in 1986 and the highest reached by Fossett and Enevoldson to date is 43,000 feet.

Scouting

As a youth, Fossett earned the rank Eagle Scout of the Boy Scouts of America at age 13. As an adult he was named Distinguished Eagle Scout and awarded the Silver Buffalo by the Boy Scouts of America. Today Fossett is a member of the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

Other accomplishments

Fossett has competed in and completed premier endurance sports events including the 1,165 mile Iditarod dog sled race, Ironman Triathlon, the English Channel swim, and driven the 24 hours of Le Mans as well as setting cross-country skiing records. Steve is also an inveterate hiker and has accomplished 6 of the 7 major peaks in the world.

He has set 88 Aviation World Records ratified by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale plus 21 sailing world records ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

References

• SteveFossett.com – Steve Fossett's official site

External links

• "Fossett sets solo flight record" - BBC News article dated March 3, 2005
• "Fossett makes history" - CNN.com article dated March 4, 2005
• "Risky businessman - millionaire Steve Fossett", Success, November 1997, by Geoff Tabin
• Perlan Project - high altitude gliding
• World Scout Committee
• Fossett sets record for longest nonstop flight
• Virtual Tour Inside the GlobalFlyer
• Official Website of the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer