Aviator Steve Fossett missing

OK, I've been tempted to say this. People who no nothing about operating small private planes, and most especially out of small private airports, seem to think that the failure to "file a flight plan" is some kind of cardinal sin. That's a load of crap! Flying for pleasure very often does not involve traveling along a narrow, prearranged course. The "talking heads" of the mainstream media are probably the worst offenders in implying that failure to file a flight plan is the root cause of flying accidents, but, please, let's not fall into their mindset. Yes, a flight plan that's rigidly adhered to would make life a bit easier for search and rescue personnel sometimes, but there are many reasons not to fly along one's proposed course, and most are good ones.
 
RickJ said:
I think if you fly, you should have to have a PLB, Signal mirror, laser flare, VS-17 Panel and some basic equipment for survival such as fire starting methods and water, food, sleeping bag, first aid kit and knife.
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I think that the concern is that he could be incapacitated somewhere, or that the signaling equipment was damaged in the crash.
 
I don't think the Google Earth thing would work. It isn't as though it is a live satellite feed. I've had Google Earth loaded here at home for about 6 months, and the image of our neighborhood is missing several structures that were erected last summer. If there are live satellite feeds of other areas, then dang it, why not ours? :mad:

:)
 
Yes, but why does the Emergency Locator Transmitter, required in all planes for 30 years, not work? They are supposed to be maintained, tested, and survive a bad crash? :confused:ss.
 
The man lived life to the fullest, "devised adventures" or not. Sure, he's a playboy, but at least he's one with balls.

I hope he's still scraping along somewhere in the bush, and I hope he's found.
 
hikeeba said:
I don't think the Google Earth thing would work. It isn't as though it is a live satellite feed. I've had Google Earth loaded here at home for about 6 months, and the image of our neighborhood is missing several structures that were erected last summer. If there are live satellite feeds of other areas, then dang it, why not ours? :mad:

:)
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Updates are sporadic. It's pretty behind on our neighborhood as well, and I'm in a metro area.
 
hikeeba said:
I don't think the Google Earth thing would work. It isn't as though it is a live satellite feed.
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If you will read my post, you will find that friends of Steve Fossett has contacted DigitalGlobe to provide the latest satellite feed (as of Monday) in an overlay format, which you switch on in Google Earth in order to access. If you don't, then yes you are only seeing months-old images.

EDIT: Now made this important part of my original post bigger.
 
Yep, I agree most likely he is incapacitated, I hope he is not Dead, My post was just what I think you should have if you fly,( I know you still need to be able to use it) especially if you are a Multi Billionair who can afford the best survival equipment known to man, If I were rich and was flying, I would have my own operations center just to track me via GPS, but I am an Army guy who kinda thinks like an Army guy.

RickJ
 
RickJ said:
If I were rich and was flying, I would have my own operations center just to track me via GPS,
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There are people with CB stations at home to stay in touch with their trucks on the road. He sure could have had a comm center of his own.
 
straitshot said:
Yes, but why does the Emergency Locator Transmitter, required in all planes for 30 years, not work? They are supposed to be maintained, tested, and survive a bad crash? :confused:ss.
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In the planes I maintained and sometimes flew in we checked the output of the ELT routinely at every inspection, and those inspections were frequently performed. In addition, the battery pack on the ELT was regularly replaced, even though it was nowhere near dead. Both the aircraft manufacturer's inspection requirements and the Federal Aviation Regulations govern the maintenance of a plane's ELT, as well as other onboard equipment. Small private planes not operated for hire are only required to have an annual inspection, and many private pilots are far too complacent about adhering to maintenance (as well as operational) regulations. I only hope the missing pilot in question did not fall into that category. ELTs are mounted inside aircraft and use a gravity or G-force switch to activate them in the event of an impact, but they are also easily removed from their mounts in the event of a survivable crash, and they have a manually operated toggle switch, as well as an extendable, flexible antenna for portable use. ELT signals are intended to be received by satellites that will then alert authorities, giving the coordinates where the signal is coming from. Accidental activation of ELTs is severely frowned upon, and when they are tested during inspections they are operated for only a few seconds and according to the applicable regulations. I would like to think our missing pilot was in a well maintained plane, and that he had a properly functioning ELT, but obviously there is a problem of some kind here. I wish him well, but I expect to hear the worst eventually. I did hear on one of the recent news reports that wreckage from older crashes has been spotted in the search area, so it's not hard for someone to disappear for years under such circumstances.
 
Sorry all, I misinterpreted the site and thought Google Earth was necessary. It is not. You only have to sign up for a (free) amazon account if you don't already. The website I linked to (http://www.mturk.com/mturk/preview?groupId=9TSZK4G35XEZJZG21T60&kw=Flash) will automatically handle the showing of satellite imagery.

Anyone with a web browser can participate in the search. Having Google Earth though will give you more detailed images.

I modified my original post. Refer to that, and the actual site, if you have any confusions.
 
Dr.- I hope the same. A prediction, though is that it was a combination of two or more errors: weather, pilot, maintenance, ELT, navigation. GPS has made navigation a lot simpler, but it's not always used for some reason (maybe complacency). Whatever they were must have been quick since there has been no report of a radio message. Regards, ss.
 
There's a thread in another forum where the issue is what he had and what he didn't have; that Breitling Emergency wristwatch Sir Richard Branson keeps talking about reportedly didn't make the flight.

That said, a small plane like that and a rough landing/crash and lack of equipment would be the least of Fossett's problems. It's possible he can walk out totally unscathed, but I don't have a good feeling about that outcome.
 
znode said:
(http://www.mturk.com/mturk/preview?groupId=9TSZK4G35XEZJZG21T60&kw=Flash)

Anyone with a web browser can participate in the search. Having Google Earth though will give you more detailed images.
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Not only does Google Earth give more detail, but you can also adjust your viewing angle from straight down to an oblique and then rotate to actually see the terrain. Judging by the images I've seen, these guys must think he flew into a mountain at 9-11 KFT. Beautiful scenery though.
 
As an interesting side note, I heard a story on NPR a few days ago saying that no fewer than 6 other downed aircraft have been spotted by searchers. The terrain is very rugged, and Nevada officials say they don't have the manpower to investigate all of the wrecks right now, but they said they will eventually get ground teams in to investigate and ID all of the planes by serial numbers.
 
I hazzard to say his pointless record breaking is over. At least he went out doing what he liked, if only we are all so lucky.

Skam
 
Yep, going out doing something you enjoy is always preferable. I wonder if he had a bad medical exam and just didn't want to deal with it -- we'll never know, maybe that was the point. Then again, maybe a wind gust caught him unprepared.
 
Hey Guys..

Don't know if it has been said on this thread, haven't read all of the posts.. However..

The interesting thing is that they have found several other plane crashes, I think they said something like six others that have been found that no one knew about...

Shows you just how vast their search area and the landscape is....

I heard this on NPR...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
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