Record flight attempt cancelled
2006-02-07 14:46
Miami - United States aviator Steve Fossett's record-setting flight around the world aboard the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer was cancelled on Tuesday because of bad weather, organisers announced.
"More information will be available shortly, but the attempted take-off for today, the seventh, has been cancelled," mission control said.
The weather at Cape Canaveral, Florida had been problematic even late on Monday, with organisers saying the forecast was "marginal, but satisfactory for launch".
The newest adventure would take Fossett 1 126km farther than the 1999 around-the-world balloon trip by Brian Jones, a Briton, and his Swiss partner Bertand Piccard on the Breitling Orbiter 3.
Fossett was also expecting to beat the distance record set by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager in their nine-day, non-stop trip around the world without refueling aboard the Voyager aircraft in 1986. That trip logged a total of 40 212km.