GlobalFlyer Lands in Florida

Kennedy Space Center, Florida, January 13, 2006 — Weather may now be the only thing to delay the GlobalFlyer’s “Ultimate Flight” after damage to a wingtip didn’t do it. The aircraft made its repositioning flight Thursday from Salina, Kansas, to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the launch site for the record-breaking flight attempt that will take pilot Steve Fossett around the world and then some. The flight will take about 80 hours and cover nearly 26,100 miles, about 700 miles further than any aircraft or balloon has ever flown. The repositioning flight to Florida was delayed nearly a week after one of the aircraft’s wingtips struck a fuel tank during fueling for a test flight on Jan. 4. Damage was “considerable,” and Virgin Atlantic officials said then they didn’t how long it would take to repair and retest the aircraft. But employees from Scaled Composites LLC of Mojave, Calif., which built the aircraft, quickly completed a series of complex repairs and the GlobalFlyer took a short test flight over Kansas Wednesday afternoon, much to the delight of local residents. The special military-grade jet fuel required for the GlobalFlyer will arrive at Kennedy in a few days and the team expects the aircraft to be ready for take-off on Jan.19; however, weather and jet-stream conditions will determine just when the attempt will begin. The window extends to the end of February. This won’t be the GlobalFlyer’s first record-breaking flight. In March 2005, Fossett flew the aircraft solo non-stop around the world, or 22,928 miles without refueling .

The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer prepares to land at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, January 12, 2006. NASA Photo. The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer and pilot Steve Fossett will soon launch on what is called the Ultimate Flight. Fossett will attempt to fly farther than any other aircraft or balloon has traveled – non-stop For More Information Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer

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