Fuel loss crushes Fossett's global expedition

American adventurer Steve Fossett said he may be forced to abort his mission to circle the globe without stopping after experiencing significant fuel loss on takeoff.  Fossett called the previously undetected loss of an extra 2,600 pounds (1,181 kilograms) of fuel "a huge setback."  Click on Read More for full story.

American pilot Steve Fossett's experimental Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer was more than half-way home but running low on fuel, endangering his bid to make the first solo flight around the globe without refueling.


Fossett, speaking by radio to reporters at Mission Control here, called the previously undetected loss of an extra 2,600 pounds (1,181 kilograms) of fuel in the first three and a half hours of the flight "a huge setback" that could force him to abort his quest.

"I don't have a very high level of confidence at this point," Fossett said Wednesday after his plane flew over China and headed towards Japan at altitudes of more than 45,000 feet (13,000 meters). "I'm going to do the best I can."

The American adventurer said he would have to rely on tailwinds of at least 67 miles per hour (180 kilometers per hour), the average up to now, to finish his attempt.

"Without that tailwind we won't be able to get back," said project manager Paul Moore. "Steve is quite literally at the mercy of the winds."

Organizers said the fuel loss appeared to be contained and may have been the result of inadequate venting of the fuel tanks. The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer had not been tested at the full fuel conditions Fossett experienced on takeoff.

"It's still not clear to us how or why the discrepancy has occurred or how or why the fuel disappeared," Moore said.

Mission Control will be carefully monitoring Fossett's fuel consumption and tailwind speeds.

An unscheduled landing would not in and of itself pose a risk, Moore said.

"Although Steve required a huge runway to takeoff, there are a number of airstrips that Steve can safely land on," Moore said, adding that the two critical "go-no-go" points will be Japan and Hawaii.

At 1400 GMT Fossett had just 5,500 pounds (2,495 kilograms) of fuel remaining.

Earlier Wednesday, Fossett passed the halfway point in his effort to make the first solo, non-stop flight around the world without refueling and with almost no sleep.

Fossett took off from this midwestern US state on Monday and was to return here Thursday after spending between 60 and 80 hours in the air. The 3,350-pound (1,522-kilo) single-engine aircraft was to burn nearly 19,000 pounds (8,636 kilos) of fuel.

The attempt is being bankrolled by Virgin Atlantic founder and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, who has set a number of aviation and sailing records of his own.

The three-day journey will test the endurance and piloting abilities of Fossett, a 60-year-old millionaire who has set dozens of world records with jet airplanes and gliders, hot air balloons and sailing.

Interest in the record-setting attempt has drawn journalists from all over the world to Salina, and the mission's website, virginatlanticglobalflyer.com, has drawn more than eight million hits the past 24 hours.

The GlobalFlyer was designed by aviation legend Burt Rutan, who recently made headlines when his SpaceShipOne won the 10 million dollar "X Prize" for sending a privately-designed craft into space twice in two weeks.

Rutan also designed the Voyager, which was used by his brother Dick Rutan and Jeanne Yeager in 1986 to set a nine-day record for a non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world.

Fossett hopes to beat that record by making it in less than 80 hours, and by doing it on his own.

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