BALLOONISTS WAIT FOR RIGHT WINDS.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Daily News Staff Writer Dick Rutan Richard Glenn “Dick” Rutan (born July 1, 1938) is an aviator who piloted the Voyager aircraft around the world non-stop with the assistance of Jeana Yeager. He was born in Loma Linda, California, where he gained an interest in flight at a young age. and Dave Melton have moved their space-capsulelike gondola from Mojave to New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). for the start of their round-the-world balloon trip. But they remain on the ground waiting for weather to improve, while world distance record holder Steve Fossett's balloon is over the Atlantic and heading at 150 mph toward Europe. The quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the what the National Geographic Society National Geographic Society U.S. scientific society founded in 1888 in Washington, D.C., by a small group of eminent explorers and scientists “for the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge. calls ``the last great aeronautical aer·o·nau·tic also aer·o·nau·ti·cal adj. Of or relating to aeronautics. aer  o·nau prize of the century'' - floating nonstop around the world in a balloon - has become a race. ``Ironically, we've been moving just as fast as we can since gaining funding 4-1/2 months ago,'' said spokesman Patrick Barry Patrick Barry may refer to:
``We're confident in Dick and Dave, not only in their skills but in the way they've engineered the envelope and the crew capsule. There are a lot of components that add up to a successful flight. We think there are a lot more positive checks on our list than on other teams'.'' Rutan, the Mojave pilot who gained fame 11 years ago when his experimental aircraft circumnavigated the globe on just one tank of gas, is teaming with veteran New Mexico balloonist Melton in a $1 million expedition financed by Hilton Hotels
But already in the air is a solo effort by Fossett, who left Wednesday from St. Louis' Busch Stadium This article is about the current sports venue in St. Louis, Missouri that opened in 2006. For the stadium in St. Louis that operated from 1966 to 2005, see Busch Memorial Stadium. For the ballpark known as "Busch Stadium" from 1953 to 1966, see Sportsman's Park. . On Friday, Fossett was 800 miles southwest of England - and heading for Libya, while his ground crew scrambles to get him permission to fly over that nation. This is Fossett's fourth attempt to fly around the world. The last one landed him in India, 10,000 miles short of his goal, when he ran out of fuel. Two round-the-world efforts ended in failure in the last month. British millionaire Richard Branson's balloon took off without him in Morocco, wrecking itself in the North African desert. Solo balloonist Kevin Uliassi left Wednesday from Illinois, but a burst helium container ended his trip the first day. Rutan and Melton had hoped to launch as early as Monday morning, but the weather forecast called for winds Sunday night in Albuquerque at 10 mph or so, twice the safe level for the 17-story-tall helium balloon. Now the earliest they will depart is Tuesday morning, but even that might be pushed back if forecasts don't improve over the weekend. Lifting off from Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta Park overlooking the Rio Grande, Rutan and Melton will spend nine to 15 days at altitudes of 30,000 to 35,000 feet - as high as commercial jetliners fly - where they plan to hitch along on the jet stream at 200 mph. They will live crammed inside a hermetically her·met·ic also her·met·i·cal adj. 1. Completely sealed, especially against the escape or entry of air. 2. Impervious to outside interference or influence: sealed 8-foot-diameter capsule insulated with five inches of foam to protect the two men from outside temperatures of 55 degrees below zero. Built by Rutan's brother Burt at his Scaled Composites Inc. plant in Mojave, the carbon-fiber capsule is fitted with a pilot station and private sleeping quarters, satellite communication and navigation systems, a radar altimeter and satellite beacon. The Mylar balloon envelope, fabricated in England, will be filled with helium and equipped with propane-powered burners to heat it at night and keep up its lifting power. A former Air Force test pilot and Vietnam War Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. veteran, Rutan, 59, made aviation history in December 1986 when he and co-pilot Jeana Yeager became the first to complete a nonstop, unrefueled around-the-world flight. They flew a spindly spin·dly adj. spin·dli·er, spin·dli·est Slender and elongated, especially in a way that suggests weakness. spindly Adjective [-dlier, -dliest , unconventional twin-engine plane called Voyager, designed by Burt Rutan. Melton, 39, was a member of 1993 and 1994 expeditions, also sponsored by Hilton, to fly around the world in a unique double-balloon system. The attempts were cut short because of equipment malfunctions. CAPTION(S): Box, Drawing Box/Drawing: (Color in AV Edition only) UP, UP AND AWAY Research and graphic by Bradford Mar / Daily News SOURCE: Global Hilton, National Geographic, World Book. |
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