Fossett's flight flops
2003-09-19 10:45
Wellington, New Zealand - American adventurer and businessman Steve Fossett failed on Friday in his latest bid to set the world glider altitude record, in a flight over the snowcapped mountains of southern New Zealand.
Fossett and former Nasa test pilot Einar Enevoldson set off in the afternoon into mountain wave wind conditions they hoped would lift their glider to heights above the current record of 14 935m.
But their flight to the north of New Zealand's highest peak, the 3 754m Mount Cook, stalled at about 7 620m.
The lift was too slow
"At that point they ran out of lift," Fossett's partner Mary Howard said. "It didn't look good enough to continue. The lift was too slow."
Fossett was planning another attempt early on Saturday morning.
Even before setting off, the millionaire adventurer sounded pessimistic.
"We don't know that it's really that good today, but that's what we're looking for," he told reporters.
Fossett and Enevoldson were flying a German-made glider and wearing Nasa space suits for the record bid. Temperatures plunged to ?37°C during the flight, Howard said.
This is Fossett's second year trying to find the right gliding conditions to break the record set in 1986 by American Bob Harris. Fossett spent 19 days in New Zealand in August but the right conditions for a record bid failed to materialise.
"Tomorrow might be better... and we're well enough organised that we can turn it around and fly again tomorrow morning... at first light," Fossett said.
Fossett hopes eventually to confirm that conditions in the stratosphere can lift a specially modified glider to 30 500m, virtually the edge of space.
In July, Fossett and New Zealand glider pilot Terry Delore broke the world gliding speed record for a 750km triangular course above the Nevada Desert.
Fossett made global headlines when he became the first to fly a hot air balloon solo around the world, landing in Outback Australia on July 4, 2002.
- AP