Daring or Foolhardy? Jetting Off

[beano500]

Some time this month, 60-year-old thrill-seeker Steve Fossett plans to climb into the small cockpit of an experimental jet aircraft and attempt to fly around the world without refuelling, without company and without sleeping.




Full story here

[mybrainhurts]

Three days?

Non-stop?

Dear Mr Fossett.....please refrain from crapping as you pass over my house.......

[agent006]

Would it not be a better idea to take teh seats out of a 747 and fill it with fuel tanks instead? That would get you round the world in relative comfort.

[Eric Mc]

A 747 wouldn't make it non-stop.

Fossett is also going to pilot a replica Vickers Vimy biplane bomber across the Atlantic later this year - a re-enactment of Alcock and Brown's pioneering flight from Newfoundland to Ireland in 1919.

[love machine]

Sounds like a nutter. One of my things I will do before I die will be to build my own autogiro.

[vixpy1]

Eric Mc said:

A 747 wouldn't make it non-stop.

Even a cargo with extra fuel tanks?? or would the extra weight of the fuel mean it does'nt make it.

[Road_Terrorist]

60yo? he'll be asleep within the first hour...

[Nevin]

love machine said:

Sounds like a nutter. One of my things I will do before I die will be to build my own autogiro.

Go for it. I have a massive self-build book with details for about 50 DIY autogyro companies if you are interested.

[Eric Mc]

A 747 wouldn't be any good for a "solo" flight - which is what this is. Don't forget, a non-stop circumglobal flight has already been made. Back in 1986 Scaled Composites' Voyager flew around the world non-stop with a crew of two. And a hot air baloon has also done it since as well - but not solo.

Back in 1989, a Boeing 747-400 flew non-stop from Seattle to Sydney on delivery to Qantas. That was a world record for an airliner at the time but it was done with a virtually empty aircraft, albeit using standard tanks. Maybe a specially modified series 400 747 MIGHT just be able to fly around the world (or maybe one of the ultra long range versions of the Airbus A340) but, as I've said above, these aircraft can't be flown solo.

[eharding]

love machine said:

Sounds like a nutter. One of my things I will do before I die will be to build my own autogiro.

...and one of the things to do shortly before you die is try and fly it?

Only joshing.