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Steve Fossett

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Steve Fossett
Born
James Stephen Fossett

22 April 1944
Jackson, Tennessee
StatusDeclared Dead
Diedmissing September 3, 2007; declared legally dead February 15, 2008(2008-02-15) (aged 63)[1]
NationalityAmerican
Known forAviator, sailor and adventurer

James Stephen Fossett (April 22, 1944 – missing September 3, 2007, declared legally dead February 15, 2008[1]) was an American aviator, sailor, and adventurer who became the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon. He made his fortune in the financial services industry and was best known for many world records, including five nonstop circumnavigations of the Earth: as a long-distance solo balloonist, as a sailor, and as a solo flight fixed-wing aircraft pilot.

A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club, Fossett set 116 records in five different sports, 60 of which still stand.[2]

Fossett was reported missing after the plane he was flying over the Nevada desert failed to return.[3] Despite more than one month of searches by the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and others, Fossett could not be found, and the search by CAP was called off on October 2, 2007. However, privately-funded and directed search efforts continued.

On November 2, 2007, Peggy Fossett and Dick Rutan accepted the Spread Wings Award in Steve Fossett's behalf at the 2007 Spreading Wings Gala, Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Denver, Colorado.[4]

On November 26, 2007, Fossett's wife requested that Fossett be declared legally dead.[5] The petition was granted on February 15, 2008.[1]

Early years

Fossett was born in Jackson, Tennessee. His family later moved to Garden Grove, California.[2]

Fossett's interest in adventure began early. As a Boy Scout, he grew up climbing the mountains of California, beginning with the San Jacinto Mountains.[6] "When I was 12 years old I climbed my first mountain, and I just kept going, taking on more diverse and grander projects."[7] Fossett said that he did not have a natural gift for athletics or team sports, so he focused on activities that required persistence and endurance.[8] His father, an Eagle Scout, encouraged Fossett to pursue these types of adventures and encouraged him to become involved with the Boy Scouts early.[6] At age 13,[6] Fossett also earned the Boy Scouts' highest rank of Eagle Scout.[9] Fossett said in 2006 that Scouting was the most important activity of his youth.[6]

In college at Stanford University, Fossett was already known as an adventurer; his Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers convinced him to swim to Alcatraz and raise a banner that read "Beat Cal" on the wall of the prison, closed two years previously.[8] Fossett held various leadership positions at Stanford, including serving in student government and serving as President of a few clubs.[6] In 1966, Fossett graduated from Stanford with a degree in economics.[10] After graduation, Fossett spent the summer in Europe climbing mountains and swimming the Dardanelles.[8]

Business career

In 1968, Fossett received an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where Fossett was a longtime member of the Board of Trustees.[11] Fossett's first job out of business school was with IBM; he then served as a consultant for Deloitte and Touche, and later accepted a job with Marshall Field's. Fossett later said, "For the first five years of my business career, I was distracted by being in computer systems, and then I became interested in financial markets. That's where I throve."[6]

Fossett then became a successful commodities salesman in Chicago, first for Merrill Lynch in 1973, where he proved a highly successful producer of commission revenue for himself and that firm. He began working in 1976 for Drexel Burnham, which provided him with a membership on the Chicago Board of Trade and permitted him to market the services of the firm from a phone on the floor of that exchange. In 1980, Fossett began the process that eventually produced his enduring prosperity: renting exchange memberships to would-be floor traders, first on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.[8][12]

After 15 years of working for other companies,[6] Fossett founded his own firms, Marathon Securities and Lakota Trading, from which he made millions renting exchange memberships.[2][13][10] He founded Lakota Trading for that purpose in 1980.[14] In the early 1980s,[6] he founded Marathon Securities and extended that successful formula to memberships on the New York stock exchanges. He earned millions renting floor trading privileges (exchange memberships) to hopeful new floor traders, who would also pay clearing fees to Fossett's clearing firms in proportion to the trading activity of those renting the memberships. As of 1997, the trading volume of its rented memberships was larger than any other clearing firm on the Chicago exchange.[8] Lakota Trading replicated that same business plan on many exchanges in the United States and also in London.[6] Fossett would later use those revenues to finance his adventures.[2][13][10] Fossett said, "As a floor trader, I was very aggressive and worked hard. Those same traits help me in adventure sports."[8]

Fossett said he did not participate in any of the "interesting things" he had done in college during his time in exchange-related activities: "There was a period of time where I wasn't doing anything except working for a living. I became very frustrated with that and finally made up my mind to start getting back into things."[6] He began to take six weeks a year off to spend time on sports and eventually moved to Beaver Creek, Colorado in 1990, where for a time he ran his business from a distance.[6] Fossett later sold most of his business interests,[2][15] although he maintained an office in Chicago until 2006.[6]

Personal life

Fossett was married to Peggy Fossett (Viehland), originally from Richmond Heights, Missouri, since 1968.[11] They had no children.[14][16] The Fossetts had homes in Beaver Creek, Colorado and Chicago and a vacation home in Carmel, California.[15][11][8]

Fossett became well-known in the UK for his friendship with billionaire Richard Branson, who financed some of Fossett's adventures.[2]

Records

Overview

Steve Fossett was well-known for his world record-setting adventures in balloons, sailboats, gliders, and powered aircraft. He was an aviator of exceptional breadth of experience, from his quest to become the first person to achieve a solo balloon flight around the world (finally succeeding on his sixth 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, the first 1,500 km Triangle and the longest Straight Distance 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.[17] Prior to Fossett's aviation records, no pilot had held world records in more than one class of aircraft; Fossett holds them in four classes.[6]

In 2005, Fossett made the first solo nonstop and unrefueled circumnavigation of the world in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, a single engine jet aircraft.

In 2006, he again circumnavigated the globe nonstop and unrefueled in 76 hours, 45 minutes in the GlobalFlyer, setting the record for the longest flight by any aircraft in history[2] with a distance of 26,389 statute miles (42,469 km).

He set 93 aviation world records ratified by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale,[18] plus 23 sailing world records ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

Balloon pilot

On February 21, 1995, Fossett landed in Leader, Saskatchewan, Canada, after taking off from South Korea, becoming the first person to make a solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.[19]

In 2002, he became the first person to fly around the world alone, nonstop, in a balloon. He launched the 10-story high balloon Spirit of Freedom 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).[19] The balloon dragged him along the ground for 20 minutes at the end of the flight. The control center for the mission was located in St. Louis, Missouri. Fossett's top speed during the flight was 186 miles per hour over the Indian Ocean. Only the capsule survived the landing; it was taken to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where it was to be displayed next to Charles Lindbergh's plane Spirit of St. Louis.[20] The trip set a number of records for ballooning: Fastest (200 miles per hour/322 km, breaking his own previous record of 166 miles per hour/270 km), Fastest Around the World (13.5 days), Longest Distance Flown Solo in a Balloon (20,482.26 miles), and 24-Hour Balloon Distance (3,186.80 miles on July 1).[21]

While Fossett had financed five previous tries himself, his successful record-setting flight was sponsored by Bud Light.[20] Fossett said that he hoped his flight would inspire others to achieve their personal goals in their own lives.[20]

In the end, Fossett actually made money on all his balloon flights; he bought a contingency insurance policy for $500,000 that would pay him $3 million if he succeeded in the flight, and along with sponsorship, that payout meant that in the end, Fossett did not have to spend any of his money other than for initial expenses.[6]

Sailor

Fossett was one of the world's most accomplished sailors. Speed sailing was his speciality and from 1993 to 2004, he dominated the record sheets, setting 23 official world records and nine distance race records. He is recognized by the World Sailing Speed Record Council as "the world's most accomplished speed sailor."[2]

On the maxi-catamaran Cheyenne (formerly named PlayStation), Fossett twice set the prestigious 24 Hour Record of Sailing. In October 2001, Fossett and his crew set a transatlantic record of 4 days 17 hours, shattering the previous record by 43 hours 35 minutes — an increase in average speed of nearly seven knots.

In early 2004, Fossett, as skipper, set the world record for fastest circumnavigation of the world (58 days, 9 hours) in Cheyenne with a crew of 13. Both the Transatlantic and Round the World records have been superseded by Bruno Peyron on Orange II. As of 1997, Fossett held the world record for crossing the Pacific Ocean in his 125-foot sailboat, the PlayStation, which he accomplished on his fourth try.[8][15]

Airship pilot

Fossett set the Absolute World Speed Record for airships on October 27, 2004. The new record for fastest flight was accomplished with a Zeppelin NT, at 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. Fossett was one of only 17 pilots licensed to fly the Zeppelin in the world, as of 2006.[6]

Fixed-wing aircraft pilot

Global Flyer

Fossett at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Shuttle Landing Facility seated in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer cockpit

Fossett made the first solo non-stop fixed-wing aircraft flight around the world between February 28, 2005 and March 3, 2005. He took off from Salina, Kansas and flew eastbound, with the prevailing winds, returning to Salina after 67 hours, 1 minute, 10 seconds, without refueling or making intermediate landings. His average speed of 342.2 mph (550.7 km/h) was also the absolute world record for "speed around the world, non-stop and non-refueled." His aircraft, the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer, had a carbon fiber reinforced plastic airframe, with a single Williams FJ44 turbofan engine. It was designed and built by Burt Rutan and his company, Scaled Composites, for long-distance solo flight. The fuel fraction, the weight of the fuel divided by the weight of the aircraft at take-off, was 83 percent.[22][23][24]

On February 112006, Fossett set the absolute world record for "distance without landing" by flying from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, around the world eastbound, then upon returning to Florida continuing 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 "Distance over a closed circuit without landing" (with takeoff and landing at the same airport). He took off from Salina, Kansas on 14 March2006 and returned on 17 March2006 after flying 25,262 statute miles (40,655 km).

There are only seven absolute world records for fixed-wing aircraft recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and Fossett broke three of them in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer.[25] All three records were previously held by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager from their flight in the Voyager in 1986. Fossett has contributed the Global Flyer to the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent collection.[26] It is on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum. Fossett flew the plane to the Center and taxied the plane to the front door.[6]

Transcontinental aircraft records

Fossett set two U.S. transcontinental fixed-wing aircraft records in the same day. On February 52003, he flew his Cessna Citation X jet from San Diego, California to Charleston, South Carolina in 2 hours, 56 minutes, 20 seconds, at 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 fellow adventurer Joe Ritchie in Ritchie's turboprop Piaggio Avanti. Their time was 3 hours, 51 minutes, 52 seconds, an average speed of 546.44 mph (879.46 km/h), which broke the previous turboprop transcontinental record held by Chuck Yeager and Renald Davenport.

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

First trans-Atlantic flight enactment

On July 2, 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 biplane. Their flight from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada to Clifden, Ireland in the open cockpit Vickers Vimy replica took 18 hours 25 minutes with 13 hours flown in instrument flight conditions. Because there was no airport in Clifden, Fossett and Rebholz landed on the 8th fairway of the Connemarra Golf Course.[6]

Glider records

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

Fossett and co-pilot Einar Enevoldson flew a glider into the stratosphere on August 292006. The flight set the Absolute Altitude Record for gliders at 50,727 feet (15,460 m).[36] Since the glider cockpit was unpressurized, the pilots wore full pressure suits (similar to space suits) so that they would be able to fly to altitudes above 45,000 feet. Fossett and Enevoldson had made previous attempts in three countries over a period of five years before finally succeeding with this record flight. This endeavor is known as the Perlan Project.

Cross-country skiing

As a young adventurer, Fossett was one of the first participants in the Worldloppet, a series of cross country ski marathons around the world. While he had little experience as a skier, he was in the first group of 'citizen athletes' to participate in the series debut in 1979. And in 1980, he became the eighth skier to complete all 10 of the long distance races, earning a Worldloppet medallion. He has also set cross-country skiing records in Colorado, setting an Aspen to Vail record of 59 hr, 53 min, 30 sec in February 1998, and an Aspen to Eagle record of 12 hr, 29 min in February 2001.[6]

Mountain climbing

Fossett was a lifelong mountain climber and had climbed the highest peaks on six of the seven continents.[8][13] In the 1980s, he became friends with Patrick Morrow, who was attempting to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents for the "Seven Summits" world record (which Morrow did achieve in 1985). Fossett accompanied Morrow for his last three peaks, including Vinson Massif in Antarctica, Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania, and Elbrus in Europe.[6] While Fossett went on to climb almost all of the Seven Summits peaks himself, he declined to climb Mount Everest in 1992 due to asthma.[6] He also later returned to Antarctica to climb again.

Other accomplishments

Fossett competed in and completed premier endurance sports events, including the 1,165 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, in which he finished 47th on his second try in 1992 after training for five years. He became the 270th person to swim across the English Channel on his fourth try in September 1985 with a time of 22 hours, 15 minutes.[19][8][6] Although Fossett said he was not a good enough swimmer "to make the varsity swim team", he found that he could swim for long periods.[6] Fossett has run in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii[11] (finishing in 1996 in 15:53:10),[37] the Boston Marathon, and the Leadville Trail 100, a 100-mile Colorado ultramarathon which involves running up elevations of more than 14,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains.[8][10]

Fossett had raced cars in the mid-1970s and later returned to the sport in the 1990s.[6] He competed in the 24 hours of Le Mans road race twice, in 1993 and in 1996,[12][13] along with the Paris to Dakar Auto Rally.[8]

Previous attempts at records

Fossett tried six times over seven years for the first solo balloon circumnavigation. His fifth attempt cost him $1.25 million of his own money; his sixth and successful attempt was commercially sponsored.[20] One unsuccessful balloon flight ended when Fossett plummeted five miles into the Coral Sea off Australia.[26] Two of the attempts were launched from Busch Stadium in St. Louis, and Washington University in St. Louis served as control center for four of the six flights, including the record-breaking one.[11]

In 1998, one of the unsuccessful attempts at the ballooning record ended with a five-mile plummet into the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia that nearly killed Fossett; he waited 72 hours to be rescued, at a cost of $500,000.[11][38][39] The first attempt began in the Black Hills of South Dakota and ended in New Brunswick 1800 miles later. The second attempt, launched from Busch Stadium, cost $300,000 and lasted 9,600 miles before being downed halfway in a tree in India; the trip set records at the time for duration and distance of flight (with Fossett doubling his own previous record) and was called Solo Spirit after Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis.[11][8] Fossett slept an average of two hours a night for the six-day journey, conducted in below-zero temperatures. After taking too much fuel to cross the Atlantic Ocean and circling Libya for 12 hours while officials decided whether or not to allow him into their airspace, Fossett did not have enough fuel to finish the flight. That year, Fossett flew farther for less money than better-financed expeditions (including one supported by Richard Branson) in part due to his ability to fly in an un-pressurized capsule, a result of his heavy physical training at high altitudes.[8] The Solo Spirit capsule was put on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum across from the Apollo 11.[8]

After making an unscheduled landing in a plane, Fossett once walked 30 miles for help.[10]

Awards and honors

In 2002, Fossett received aviation's highest award, the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and in July 2007, he was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame.[2] He was presented at the ceremony by Dick Rutan.

In 1997, Fossett was inducted into the Balloon and Airship Hall of Fame.[6] In February 2002, Fossett was named America's Rolex Yachtsman of the Year by the American Sailing Association at the New York Yacht Club.[15] He was the oldest recipient of the award in its 41-year history, and he was the only recipient to fly himself to the ceremony in his own plane.[15]

He received the Explorers Medal from the Explorers Club following his solo balloon circumnavigation. He was given the Diplôme de Montgolfier by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1996. He received the Harmon Trophy, given annually "to the world's outstanding aviator and aeronaut", in 1998 and 2002. He received the Grande Médaille de l'Aéro Club de France and the British Royal Aero Club's Gold Medal in 2002. He received the Order of Magellan and the Médaille de l'Aéronautique République Française in 2003.[6]

Fossett has also received numerous awards related to his work with the Boy Scouts of America, where he was called a "legend" among fellow scouts.[40] In 2007, Fossett succeeded Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as president of the National Eagle Scout Association. Fossett was a longtime member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America[9] and a former member of the World Scout Committee.[6] Fossett has received both the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and the Silver Buffalo award.[9] He was also a member of the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scouts' honor society.[9]

The Virgin Galactic VSS Spirit of Steve Fossett[41] was named in Fossett's honor by his friend Richard Branson, in 2007. [42]

Disappearance and search

Further information: Disappearance of Steve Fossett
Wikinews has related news:

At 8:45 am, on Monday, September 32007, Fossett took off in a single-engine Bellanca Super Decathlon airplane from a private airstrip known as Flying-M Ranch (38°36′13″N 119°00′11″W / 38.60361°N 119.00306°W / 38.60361; -119.00306 (Flying-M Ranch)), near Smith Valley, Nevada, 30 miles south of Yerington, near Carson City and the California border. It was initially believed that Fossett was searching for a suitable lake bed (a playa) for a world land speed record attempt.[43]

By September 10, search crews had found eight previously uncharted crash sites,[44][45] some decades old,[46] but none related to Fossett's disappearance. About two dozen aircraft were involved in the search. Satellite imagery was also used to assist in the search.[47][48] Survival experts hosted by news organizations, CNN and MSNBC, reported on September 12 that Fossett was likely to be dead.[49]

On October 2, the Civil Air Patrol announced it had called off its search operation.[50] However, privately funded and directed search efforts continued, including the use of a dedicated jet aircraft from High Altitude Mapping Missions Inc. to produce images at significantly higher resolution than available from satellites.

Death

On 26 November2007 Mrs. Fossett filed a petition in Cook County, Illinois Circuit Court to have Steve Fossett declared legally dead.[5] On 16 January2008 a judge said Mrs. Fossett would have to testify in court for her motion before he could rule him legally dead.[51] Cook County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Malak, a probate judge, declared Fossett legally dead on 15 February2008.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Fox, Margalit (February 16, 2008). "Steve Fossett, Missing Adventurer, Declared Dead". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-16. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wilson, Sam (June 6, 2007). "Profile: Steve Fossett". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Hildebrand, Kurt (September 4, 2007). "Searchers looking for world record holder Steve Fossett". The Record-Courier. Retrieved 2007-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Rocky Mountain News: Missing aviator Steve Fossett honored at Wings Over Rockies by Tillie Fong, November 3, 2007. Retrieved 2008-2-16.
  5. ^ a b Haines, Lester (November 11, 2007). "Declare Steve Fossett dead, asks adventurer's widow". The Register. Retrieved 2007-12-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Steve Fossett: Always Scouting For New Adventures". Airport Journal. Retrieved 2007-09-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "Search continues for aviation adventurer Steve Fossett". CNN. September 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Pioneer In the Sky". Stanford Magazine. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b c d "EAGLE SCOUT AND BSA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER SETS WORLD RECORD". Boy Scouts of America. July 3, 2002. Retrieved 2007-09-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ a b c d e "Branson fears missing Fossett is injured". CNN. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Smith, Bill (September 5, 2007). "Steve Fossett's plane is missing". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b Halvorson, Todd (September 4, 2007). "Aviator Fossett tries to break distance record". Florida Today. USA Today. Retrieved 2006-02-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  13. ^ a b c d "Rescuers to Resume Search for Plane Carrying Aviation Adventurer Steve Fossett". Fox News. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ a b Mihelich, Peggy (September 4, 2007). "Adventure defines Steve Fossett". CNN. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ a b c d e "Rich Roberts Reports". yachtracing.com. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Fiorino, Frances (September 6, 2007). "Advanced Recon System Aids Fossett Search". Aviation Week. Retrieved 2007-09-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Fossett Sets Another World Record". Eagletter. Vol:32 (No:2): pp: 11. Fall 2006. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |volume= has extra text (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
  18. ^ "List of records established by 'Steve FOSSETT (USA)':". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
  19. ^ a b c "Some of Fossett's Accomplishments". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-09-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ a b c d "U.S. Balloonist Sets Record in Circling Globe". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-09-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "NOAA helps guide balloonist around the world". NOAA. Retrieved 2007-09-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ Fossett sets record for longest nonstop flight February 11, 2006
  23. ^ "Fossett sets solo flight record" - BBC News article dated March 3, 2005
  24. ^ "Fossett makes history" - CNN.com article dated March 4, 2005
  25. ^ Current Absolute General Aviation World Records
  26. ^ a b "Adventurer Steve Fossett No Stranger to Tall Odds". NPR. Retrieved 2007-09-07. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Free Distance:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  28. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Distance over a triangular course:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  29. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Free out-and-return distance:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  30. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Speed over a triangular course of 1500 km:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  31. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Speed over a triangular course of 1250 km:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  32. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Speed over a triangular course of 750 km:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  33. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Speed over a triangular course of 500 km:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  34. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Speed over an out-and-return course of 1000 km:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  35. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Speed over an out-and-return course of 1500 km:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  36. ^ "Gliding World Records: Sub-class DO (Open Class Gliders) Absolute altitude:". History of Aviation and Space World Records. Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  37. ^ "1996 Ironman Triathlon World Championship". Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  38. ^ "What did Steve Fossett do for us?". Knight-Ridder. Retrieved 2007-09-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ "Steve Fossett Breaks Ballooning World Record". CBS News. Retrieved 2007-09-08. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  40. ^ Beadle, Nicholas (September 12, 2007). "Missing adventurer Steve Fossett has tenuous ties to area". Jackson Sun. Retrieved 2007-09-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  41. ^ "My Friend, Steve Fossett". Time.com. Retrieved 2007-12-20. Richard Branson 10.10.2007 Time
  42. ^ "The Legend of Steve Fossett Takes Root". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-20. Mike Nizza 11.10.2007
  43. ^ "Steve Fossett was looking for lake beds suitable for land speed record attempt". BYM Marine & Maritime News. 2007-09-04. Retrieved 2007-09-04. There is no indication as to why a signal has not been received from the plane's emergency beacon.
  44. ^ Friess, Steve (2007-09-10). "Search for Fossett turns up wrecks of 8 other small planes". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications Inc. pp. p. A-1. Retrieved 2007-09-10. The search for Fossett across a 17,000-square-mile swath of the Sierra Nevada has revealed the wreckage of eight other small planes... {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ Associated Press (2007-09-10). "Searchers frustrated over Fossett search". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-09-14. ... search parties have spotted wreckage of eight other airplanes that had been lost for years in and around the rugged mountains of western Nevada. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ Riley, Brendan (2007-09-08). "Vast, desolate area hinders Fossett search". Monterey Herald. Retrieved 2007-09-10. ... another downed plane Friday that was spotted on a hillside about 45 miles southeast of Reno ... turned out to be an old crash, a plane last registered in Oregon in 1975 {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. ^ Amazon Mechanical Turk, Steve Fossett Missing: Help find him by searching satellite imagery project
  48. ^ 50,000 Volunteers Join Distributed Search For Steve Fossett, Wired News, By Steve Friess, 11 September 2007, 2:00 p.m.
  49. ^ "Steve Fossett likely dead, survival experts say". MSNBC. September 11 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  50. ^ CNN (2007-10-03). "Search called off for adventurous aviator Steve Fossett". CNN News. Retrieved 2007-10-03. The Civil Air Patrol has called off the search for multimillionaire adventurer Steve Fossett, nearly a month after he took off from a Nevada ranch, the agency announced Tuesday ... {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. ^ Robinson, Mike (January 16, 2008). "Missing adventurer's wife must testify". The News-Times. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

Further reading

  • Chasing the Wind: The Autobiography of Steve Fossett, 2006

External links

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