United States Civil Air Patrol Responds To Media Claims Regarding The Search For Steven Fossett
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS — On Oct. 3, 2007, Civil Air Patrol suspended the search for aviator Steve Fossett following one of the largest and most intensive searches for a missing aircraft in modern history.
Despite CAP’s well-coordinated efforts, Fossett and his aircraft remain undetected. Throughout the search for Fossett, Lt. Col. Cindy Ryan, then Nevada Wing public information officer, served as primary media spokesperson. The search was conducted primarily from Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada. With suspension of the search, media inquiries are now handled by CAP National Headquarters Public Affairs at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
Recent comments attributed to Ryan regarding the search for Fossett contain errors of fact, appear to be taken out of context and were not released with the knowledge or approval of CAP. Civil Air Patrol’s role in the search for Fossett, as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, was limited to search and rescue in coordination with other emergency service providers. Issues pertaining to Fossett’s personal life and/or rumors surrounding his disappearance are entirely unrelated to CAP’s search efforts and, therefore, it would be inappropriate for CAP to comment about them.
Filed Under Civil Air Patrol, Steven Fossett |
Search For Adventure Aviator Steve Fossett Cut Back
I mentioned a couple of days ago that I was getting the feeling that the ongoing search for Adventure Aviator Steve Fossett was going to be cut back if nothing new surfaced in the coming days.
At this time it has been confirmed that the search has been scaled back, in part.
Rescue crews, after spending two weeks searching rugged terrain with little clue and spending over $600,000 on the effort, have decided that it was time for the Civil Air Patrol to suspend efforts in the ongoing air search.
The search for Steve Fossett began on Labor Day, September 3, after his plane did not return from a routine flight to the Flying M Ranch outside of Yerington, Nevada.
The ensuing search encompassed more than 20 aircraft from the Civil Air Patrol making 245 passes over the area thought to be where the plane had vanished. Still nothing has come to light on the what happened to Steven Fossett or his plane.
Most people agree that two weeks into the search, the likelyhood of finding Mr. Fossett alive is small. Some are even suggesting that Mr. Fossett may never be found, leading many people to draw comparisons between this incident and the mysterious vanishing of legendary aviator Amelia Earhardt.
The Nevada National Guard and private pilots flying out of the Flying M Ranch are going to continue their efforts until a later date.
The area encompassing the search is twice the size of New Jersey and runs from western Nevada into California. The terrain is marred by large ravines and strong overgrowth in desert like conditions.
Steve Fossett is a world reknown adventurist and pilot. He was the first man to fly around the globe in a hot air balloon solo. Mr. Fossett has also held over 115 world records in aviation, sailing, and ballooning of which 80 still stand.
Filed Under Amelia Earhardt, California, Civil Air Patrol, Nevada, Nevada National Guard, Steve Fossett, Steven Fossett, search for Steve Fossett |
BREAKING NEWS: ADVENTURIST STEPHEN FOSSETT’S PLANE MISSING
BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS
Stephen Fossett Missing! September 4, 2007
Stephen Fossett, the man who single-handedly flew a hot air balloon around the world in 2002 to set a world record, is missing. The FAA has announced that Mr. Fossett took off in his single-engine Balanca yesterday morning at 8:45 am but failed to make it to his destination. Search efforts for the missing plane are currently being undertaken.
Stephen Fossett, 63, from Beaver Creek, Colorado is a world famous aviation adventurer. After his successful 2002 flight around the world in a hot air balloon Stephen would undertake a few more high-risk challenges in the efforts of pushing the boundaries of aviation. In 2005, Fossett became the first person to fly a plane around the world without refueling and is also credited, along with his co-pilot of setting the mark for the world’s highest altitude reached in a paraglider–50, 671 ft. in August of this year.
Stephen’s big noteriety in the aviation field though still remains his 2002 Hot Air Balloon flight that took him 19, 428.6 miles around the world. Fossett had tried the feat previously 5 times, with more press building for each successive attempt. Two of the failed attempts resulted in Mr. Fossett having to be rescued after the Balloon went down in treacherous waters of the Ocean.
According to FAA personnel, Fossett had failed to file a flight plan. This has hampered the Civil Air Patrol, who is in charge of the search and rescue, from being able to find Mr. Fossett’s plane. It is known that Stephen Fossett was planning on flying from a private airstrip south of Smith Valley in western Nevada, but didn’t return as he had planned.
A friend of Mr. Fossett’s tipped the authorities off to the missing plane and a search is ongoing. The search is being coordinated by the United States Air Force’s Rescue Coordination Center in Langley, VA with help of the United States Civil Air Patrol.
According to the online Encyclopedia site Wikipedia, Stephen Fossett holds or has held 116 different world records in five different sports, of which 80 are still standing. Mr. Fossett was also the founder of his own Securities company based out of Chicago, IL–Marathon Securities.
More from Wikipedia regarding todays news:
According to CNN News, the search for Fossett began about six hours later (from time of take-off). He was flying in a single-engine, Citabria Super Decathlon — a plane capable of aerobatics — with tail number N240R, according to CAP. Fossett, though, had no parachute, which is required for aerobatics. There has been no sound from the plane’s emergency locator radio beacon, which goes off if there is a hard impact.
Fossett took off on Monday with enough fuel for four to five hours of flight, according to Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia S. Ryan. Yerington is south of Carson City, near the California border.
[7] There is speculation that Fossett made an unplanned landing, possibly crashing, in western Nevada.[8] A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson noted that Fossett apparently did not file a flight plan.[9][10]
Please note that this information is from Wikipedia and cannot be confirmed as altogether factual at this time.
