Plane Carrying Aviation Adventurer Steve Fossett Missing

Plane Carrying Aviation Adventurer Steve Fossett Missing

www.foxnews.com

Rescue crews are in the air searching for the plane of aviation adventurer Steve Fossett, who disappeared after takeoff Monday night.

Fossett, 63, was last seen in a single engine plane heading south of Smith Valley, Nev., from a private airstrip, Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Western-Pacific region of the Federal Aviation Administration, told FOXNews.com.

Fossett departed at 8:45 a.m. Monday from the Flying M Ranch in Yerington, Nevada, but did not file a flight plan so it is unknown where he was going.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Fossett took off from a private airstrip in northwestern Nevada and hasn't been seen or heard from since. He was supposed to just be checking out the aircraft, and according to a friend at the Flying M, was planning to return there after no more than an hour or so in the air.

Interesting area to go missing in. Is the explanation a simple mechanical or other failure onboard the airplane? If so, I hope Mr. Fossett landed safely and will be found by rescue teams shortly. If not, we may never know what happened.

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm gonna go out on a major limb and say he got too close to Area 51 and they shot him down

he is a pretty cool guy, i hope he is ok. It might have gotten shot down, but we will have to wait and see.

i saw this story earlier and thought the very same thing maybe he got too close to something he wasnt supposed to or saw something he shouldnt have and got shot down......he seemed to be an experienced flyer so simple malfunctions i just dont buy...but hey it could have just as easily been something as simple as a bird gettin chunked up in his engine or summin....any who hope the guy is ok

I didn't know Steve but I know the Flying M Ranch very well and flew out of there many times. I was Baron Hiltons personal pilot (Baron owns the Flying M) for about 3 years.

Here is a map that shows the Flying M Ranch (blue reectangle of left) in relation to the Navy Undersea Warfare Center in Hawthorne. The Flying M Ranch is 18 miles due west of NUWC on the East Walker River.

I do not believe that NUWC could have had anything to do with Steve's disappearance its just on the same map I am using to show where the Flying M Ranch is located.

Little bit of detail about his flight.


Steve Fossett was looking for lake beds

Fossett planned to fly over a number of lake beds, to find possible sites for his planned attempt on the world land speed record.

Thirteen aircraft are now searching for the blue and white Citabria Super Decathlon plane. There is no indication as to why a signal has not been received from the plane’s emergency beacon.

Thanks for the map John. I've been using this interactive map to look around, but google earth would probably be even better I suppose. Relying on your knowledge of the area, perhaps you know of some dry lakebeds around there that he may have gone to look at to set a new record? One that may be within the hour or two timeframe he was expected back?


[edit on 9/4/07 by makeitso]

Guys,

As a non-pilot, I really don't know what I'm talking about, but I saw this on the news earlier and it sparked my interest.

I sail a lot, and whenever I sail I always leave a copy of my planned route with local coastguard and check in whenever possible.

The news said they didn't hear from him after take off.

Is this normal? Would he not check in from time time to give postitions etc, if only for a safety point of view, being a solo pilot et al?

Also, would the airport have his planned route, and is that what they will be focusing their seach on?

Just somethings I've thought about. I appreciate flying is totoally different to sailing but at the end of the day - they're both risky...

Still, I hope he's okay and he ain't been caught up in anything dodgy - To be honest - I think if he had seen something he wasn't supposed to they'd play the whole 'lunatic card'...

Wha'd'you think guys?

Paul

Out of Interest, Mr Lear (or anyone else equally intelligent) - are there any Underground bases ot the like in this area?

Originally posted by makeitso


Thanks for the map John. I've been using this interactive map to look around, but google earth would probably be even better I suppose. Relying on your knowledge of the area, perhaps you know of some dry lakebeds around there that he may have gone to look at to set a new record? One that may be within the hour or two timeframe he was expected back?

Thanks makeitso. I can't understand why anybody would use other than Bonneville for any record attempt. It doesn't make sense.

But the only other dry lake suitable would be Mud Lake down by the Tonopah Test Range. The northwestern corner of the Nellis Restricted R-4807A sticks about 3/4 of the way into the lakebed. (Or used to I lost my current Nellis Range chart a few months ago.)

Mud Lake was an emergency strip for the X-15 and was used by Darryl Greenamyer for the F-104 worlds speed record. But I don't know anybody that has used it for a land speed attempt.

Steve was pretty savy so I can't even imagine what happened to him or what kind of trouble he might have gotten into.

But I am hoping he is still with us and there is a good possiblity he is because the ELT did not activate.

Originally posted by johnlear
[
But I am hoping he is still with us and there is a good possiblity he is because the ELT did not activate.

Is ELT like an EPIRB in a yacht? Sorry for my flight ignorance.

Originally posted by more_serotonin_pls

Is ELT like an EPIRB in a yacht? Sorry for my flight ignorance.

Sorry msp, my fault. Emergency Locater Transmitter. Transmits a high pitched squeel on all emergency frequencies when activated. It is activated only when the aircraft crashes or is manual triggered.

Thanks for clearing that up for me, John.

Yeah, it's the same kind of thing, so that's a good thing that it hasn't been activated, espeically considering it activates in a crash. If it's anyting like an EPIRB, it's an incredibly sturdy piece of kit that ain't going to smash on impact...particularly if designed for planes (my God, that sounds a daft statement, but you get my drift, I hope).

Fingers crossed for him, folks...

Just saw this on BBC News24 and popped on here and saw this thread. Lets hope Steve is ok wherever he is!

Apparently he was looking for possible sites for an assault on the land speed record? why not just use the same site/lakebed? as that Thrust SSC jet car used?

Thanks John,

I may have found the answer about Bonneville Flats question. While first looking at Mono Lake and cross-referencing with "land speed record" I found the following:

The Bonneville Salt Flats are world-famous as the site where the land-speed record has been broken several times!

Unfortunately, there is concern that the amount of salt being deposited is decreasing dramatically. This has affected the racing surface and actually slowed down racers. Eventually it may even require abandonment of the site as a speedway.

Some of the most recent land-speed record events, in fact, chose to do attempt their feat in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada partially because of this growing problem.

About mud lake. It has been used for attempting the land speed record. Hal Needham crashed there while attempting the record in '77.



[edit on 9/4/07 by makeitso]

I hope he's o.k. My kids were lucky enough to meet him once, before a hot air balloon show he was participating in. The man has done some truly amazing things.

Edit to add:
I forgot my husband knew the guy who taught Fossett how to fly hot air balloons. I guess he had some pretty neat stories about him and has joined him in many adventures.

[edit on 4-9-2007 by otherhalf]

Originally posted by makeitso

Thanks John,

I may have found the answer about Bonneville Flats question. While first looking at Mono Lake and cross-referencing with "land speed record" I found the following:

Some of the most recent land-speed record events, in fact, chose to do attempt their feat in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada partially because of this growing problem.

About mud lake. It has been used for attempting the land speed record. Hal Needham crashed there while attempting the record in '77.

Excellent work makeitso. My measurements make Mud Lake about 5 miles at the longest. I don't know much about it but that maybe a little short.

He may have got into trouble and had to land at Groom lake for a emergency landing. He may have saw something and they are now debriefing him to make sure he does not talk or he is now playing with their cool toys. I'm sure they would have let him land if there was not another option. I hope he is OK, He did the Ironman so if he gets enough water he can walk out.

5 miles is pretty short. Hal crashed his rocket powered car there when his parachute failed.

Here is an article with a bit more about Steve's new project:
Fossett has extensive ties in Nevada

In late 2006, Fossett said he planned to smash the 763 mph record, rocketing up to 800 mph in a jet-powered vehicle on the Black Rock Desert. The effort was to be based in Reno.

The current land-speed record was set in 1997 in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert by Britain’s Andy Green, driving the twin-turbojet powered Thrust SSC.

The car Fossett was touting is a dart-shaped, 47-foot-long, 9,000-pound vehicle. Power is provided by a single, after-burning J-79 turbojet developing 22,650 pounds of thrust, formerly fitted to a USAF F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber.

I haven't heard any update on Mr. Fossett, but I was wondering if he was just a daredevil or was he someone who had some "technical" knowledge which would be considered advanced?

I only ask because it wasn't but a few months ago that the security software guru for microsoft disappeared of San Francisco in his boat on a clear calm sea.

My conspiracy mind kicking in, forgive me, but I haven't heard that the microsoft guy has been found.

I was just wondering if Fossett could be an asset that might disappear?

I have 2 simple questions:

Wouldn't a wealthy adventurer such as Fossett have more than a single ELT to track him down should such an event like this occur? Even if it was a Breitling watch, it would seem likely someone of his means would have another source of being located.

I am not all that familiar with avionics, would an ELT withstand a devastating crash, or delving into conspiracy waters here, a missile impact?