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Fossett enjoying 'flawless' flight
Fossett drifts over the Atlantic Over the Atlantic, headed for Europe
January 1, 1998
Web posted at: 3:21 p.m. EST (2021 GMT)ST. LOUIS (CNN) -- Roughly 17 hours into his third attempt to circle the world nonstop in a balloon, the "Solo Spirit" team said Steve Fossett was having a smooth ride above the Atlantic Ocean and all systems were working well.
The first 24 to 48 hours after a launch are the most critical in determining whether the balloon trip will succeed, the team told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.
That is when most equipment problems will arise, mission control director Alan Blount said.
"We're already past a good chunk of that (time frame), and everything looks to be in flawless condition." (
298KK/25 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
A L S O :
Uliassi asks, 'What went wrong?'
Interactive maps of Solo Spirit's flight and science payload from the Solo Spirit Web Site
Watch the news conference
Fossett is trying to become the first person to pilot a balloon nonstop around the world, which would make him $500,000 richer in the contest sponsored by the St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Cos. The brewery is offering an identical sum to the winner's charity of choice. The deadline to complete the flight is December 31, 1999.
Fossett is staying in touch with his ground crew, based in St. Louis, via a fax machine.
Blount said the latest fax from Fossett indicated he'd managed to rest for a couple of hours, and planned to sleep more later Thursday.
"Steve doesn't really sleep," commented one team member. "He just goes into a heavy drowse."
Best launch out of three
Fossett's schedule after dark, Chief Engineer Tim Cole explains 289K/25 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Fossett set out from Busch Stadium in St. Louis about sunset Wednesday on his third quest to circle the globe.
His team said the launch was his best of the three, and that the Solo Spirit got off the ground roughly 90 minutes ahead of schedule. Good weather conditions made an early launch possible, and contributed to the beginning of what looks to be a good flight, the crew said.
Blount said the launch, and the fact that things have gone well so far, have helped put Fossett and the crew more at ease than they have been on Fossett's previous attempts. But, Blount added, that doesn't mean everyone can relax and expect no problems.
"When things start going wrong, it gets real exciting real fast," he told reporters.
The Solo Spirit was flying about 75 mph, 20,000 feet above the coastal city of Savannah, Georgia, about 4 a.m. EST (0900 GMT) when it began heading out over the Atlantic. About mid-morning, his crew said Fossett was about two days from the European coast.
Fossett took off from St. Louis Wednesday Steve Fossett discusses his latest attempt
"This is a great moment ..." 583K/26 sec. AIFF or WAV sound "It hasn't been done yet ..." 437K/20 sec. AIFF or WAV sound On Uliassi: "He's got me worried." 188K/9 sec. AIFF or WAV sound
Watch the liftoff 1.1M/15 sec./240x180
590K/15 sec./160x120
QuickTime movie
Fossett is expected to begin his European crossing in southern England or northern Portugal, but it will be a while longer before the team can more accurately predict where the balloon will arrive on the coast.
By Friday, the crew said it expected to have a good reading on the balloon's fuel consumption, and may be able to project how soon Fossett may complete the transglobal journey.
Fossett has enough fuel, oxygen, and food to stay aloft for more than 20 days, but the trip could be completed in as few as 10 days.
"Our plans are to go pick him up about 100 miles east of (St. Louis) in about 15 days," one team member said.
Concern for a fellow balloonist
Four other balloonists seek the same goal. But as Fossett flew over the Atlantic, he had no competition in the skies.
Balloonist Kevin Uliassi took off Wednesday from Rockford, Illinois, but was forced to land in northern Indiana about three hours later, because of a rip in the balloon's fabric.
The Solo Spirit team said they notified Fossett by fax that Uliassi had to abort his flight.
"Did Kevin make a safe landing?" Fossett responded.
Yes, he did, the team replied.
Related stories:
- Fossett drifts over the Atlantic - January 1, 1998
- Uliassi asks, 'What went wrong?' - January 1, 1998
- Fossett launches 3rd try at round-the-world balloon flight - December 31, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Budweiser Cup to Salute the 1st Successful Around the World Balloon Flight
- PBS's Nova Online Adventure: Global Contenders 97/98
- Richard Branson's Virgin Global Challenger
- Steve Fossett's SoloSpirit
- Dave Melton's Global Hilton
- Bertrand Piccard and Wim Verstraeten and Andy Elson's Breitling Orbiter
- Kevin Uliassi's J. Renee
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