GLOBAL SOLO FLIGHT TAKES OFF.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer 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 Mojave-built jet took off Monday from a Midwestern airport in an attempt to make the first solo, nonstop flight around the world. Delayed for two hours by crosswinds at the Salina Salina (səlī`nə), city (1990 pop. 42,303), seat of Saline co., central Kans., on the Smoky Hill River; founded 1858 by settlers opposed to slavery, inc. 1870. , Kans., airport, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer The Scaled Composites Model 311 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer (FAA: N277SF) is an aircraft designed by Burt Rutan in which Steve Fossett flew a solo nonstop airplane flight around the world in a time of 67 hours 1 minute from February 28, 2005 until March 3, 2005. took off at 6:47 p.m. Central Standard Time (4:47 p.m. PST PST Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, see there ) on what is expected to be an 80-hour flight for its pilot, adventurer Steve Fossett James Stephen Fossett (born April 22, 1944 - missing September 3, 2007) is an American aviator, sailor and adventurer. Fossett made his fortune in the financial services industry and is best known for many world records including five nonstop circumnavigations of the Earth: as a . ``It's quite a long journey,'' flight official Kevin Stass joked in a briefing for the news media hours before the takeoff. The plane was built by Burt Rutan Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan (born June 17, 1943 in Estacada, Oregon) is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. at his Scaled Composites, where he also built the SpaceShipOne rocket plane, for British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic airlines. Branson invested $2.5 million in the adventure. Fossett will fly to Chicago, then over Detroit, Newfoundland, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, China, South Korea, Japan, Hawaii and Los Angeles. The jet is expected to fly as high at 52,000 feet, or about three miles higher than jetliners. The plane should cross California on Thursday if all goes well. The attempt will follow rules set up by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, the governing body for aviation records. Under the rules, the attempt must start and finish at the same airfield, cross all meridians of the globe and cover at least 36,787.559 kilometers, roughly 23,000 miles. |
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