Solo Attempt Takes Flight

Millionaire pilot Steve Fossett waited for ideal flying conditions before taking off on another adventure, this time an attempt to become the first person to complete a nonstop, solo trip around the world.

Now, his biggest challenges are staying on course — and awake — during the 66-hour journey in the experimental GlobalFlyer.

"He's rather used to staying up for a long time," project manager Paul Moore said, hours after Fossett's takeoff Monday night. "I think it's not a walk in the park at 30,000 feet."

Fossett, the first person to circle the globe solo in a balloon, launched his single-engine jet from the Salina Municipal Airport shortly before 7 p.m. Early Tuesday, Fossett was over the Atlantic at 43,000 feet and speeding along at about 350 knots.

He planned to survive by slurping diet milkshakes. "I just picked a bunch of flavors off the shelf at the store," he said.

The 23,000-mile flight had already been postponed several times because of shifting jet stream patterns or weather at the airport. Winds delayed Monday's departure until after sunset, when winds calmed to 10 mph.

Hundreds of spectators, braving frigid temperatures, gathered along the two-mile runway. Despite what appeared to be a momentary dip as he started to climb, Fossett had a successful takeoff.

"It was obviously an emotional moment and the most dangerous part of the journey," said Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson, who financed the venture. "It was an enormous relief when it actually came off the ground."

By early Tuesday, Fossett was soaring over Canada. He radioed mission control in Kansas, saying he was comfortable and that the flight was going well. Fossett hoped to return to Salina on Thursday.

Branson said it would be the first solo flight around the world without stopping to refuel.

Besides the nonstop record, Fossett will attempt to break seven other aviation records, including the longest flight by a jet aircraft. The current record is more than 12,000 miles, set by a B-52 bomber in 1962.

Aviation pioneer Wiley Post made the first solo around-the-world trip in 1933, taking more than seven days and stopping numerous times. The first nonstop global flight without refueling by a duo was made in 1986 by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan, brother of Burt Rutan, designer of the GlobalFlyer.

Fossett's trek included heading toward North Africa, then flying over the Middle East, where he will reach his cruising altitude of 45,000 feet above Saudi Arabia. He also will travel over India, Pakistan, China, Japan and the Pacific Ocean.

Fossett planned to fly at an average speed of 287.5 mph and rely on the jet stream. Branson followed Fossett on his leg into Canada in a chase plane and plans to rejoin his friend later in the flight.

In 2002, Fossett became the first to fly a balloon solo around the world after nearly dying twice in six attempts to set the record. He has also tried to break the world gliding altitude record for the past four years in New Zealand, but has failed because of poor conditions.