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St. Louis Front Page P.O. Box 1354 St. Louis, MO 63188 Voice: 314-771-0200 Fax: 314-771-0300 To submit news, contact: editor@slfp.com To advertise, contact: advertising@slfp.com  |
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by Bob Moore, SLFP.com © 2002 St. Louis Front Page ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) May 13, 2002 - For the sixth time, Steve Fossett will attempt to make history by completing the first solo round-the-world balloon mission in the Bud Light Spirit of Freedom which will launch from Northan, Australia, in mid- to late June, based on weather conditions. Fossett will fly a helium and hot-air balloon combination, known as a Rozière, containing 550,000 cubic feet of helium and 100,000 cubic feet of hot air. The balloon envelope is 140 feet tall and 60 feet wide. He will be flying in an unpressurized capsule 7 feet long by 5 1/2 feet wide by 5 1/2 foot tall for approximately 20 days. Fossett's upcoming flight is being sponsored by Anheuser Busch. Mission control will again be located at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is a Trustee. After a press conference at Anheuser Busch's headquarters in St. Louis, Fossett spoke with this reporter about his last flight and the difficulty of this flight's route through the Southern Hemisphere. "It was within the first week after my last attempt that I realized that there's an opportunity for success, that I have the team, that I've got the equipment and the experience and that I have to stay with it until I get it done," explained Fossett. Fossett, 58, is president of Larkspur Securities, Inc., an investments company. His round-the-world balloon attempts in August 1998 (from St. Louis, MO to Grechanaya, Russia) and August 2001 (Northan, Australia to Bage, Brazil) are the longest solo flights in a balloon for distance and duration. With numerous official records in balloons, sailboats and airplanes, Fossett noted that this attempt presents an even greater challenge to succeed. "I'm flying in the Southern Hemisphere which eliminates all the political problems because I'm crossing only Chile, Argentine and Australia. It's very easy to get permission to fly over those countries. That's taken care of," noted Fossett. "I have to succeed," emphasized Fossett. "I can't consider not making it in the Southern Hemisphere, because there is little possibility of rescue in the Southern Ocean if I were to go down." Fossett noted that the seas become very rough in the latitude that he will be flying in. "If I were to go down, even though my capsule is seaworthy and I have an auxiliary life raft," he continued, "I maybe 2,000 miles from the nearest boat. Whereas flying over the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, you're generally within 200 miles of the nearest boat to be picked up." "So it does present a big worry because it presents a requirement that I have to believe that I'm going to make it. There's only one place to safely abort the mission and that is crossing South America," stated Fossett. Fossett will be using a Global Positioning System (GPS), flying at an average of 50 miles an hour, but at times may reach 130 miles per hour. Maximum altitude is 30,000 feet. He stated that using a chase boat had been ruled out as it would not be able to keep up with the speed of the balloon and a plane can't land. The balloon is equipped with an international rescue system with a satellite beacon. "If I set it off, they will know where I am and can send a boat," stated Fossett. Laughing, he added "There are no pleasure cruises going on where I'm flying." Fossett will keep in touch with Mission Control and his meteorology team through a laptop computer. News about the flight will be available online at www.spiritoffreedom.com  Doubling of Security Fees Puts Unfair Burden on Air Travelers and Airlines ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire) May 10, 2002 - David S. Stempler, President of the Air Travelers Association, voiced his opposition to the proposed doubling of the maximum airline security fees per ticket from $10 to $20 being considered by the House Appropriations Committee. "Airline security is part of our national security and law enforcement, designed to keep terrorists and other criminals off our airplanes. This is a basic responsibility of government to keep its citizens safe. Nowhere in our government are citizens charged directly for police services. You don't get a bill every time you call for a cop," said Stempler in an announcement. Continental Chairman and CEO Gordon Bethune commented that a proposed 100 percent increase in the security fee charged to airline passengers must be rejected before it gouges airline travelers and pushes the U.S. airline industry further into the red. "Having the effect of a consumption tax, the higher fees will further diminish the current lackluster demand for airline travel," said Bethune. "Legislators have justified taxes on cigarettes and alcohol of up to 18 percent because they are trying to discourage their use. Unfortunately, imposing taxes as high as 53 percent on airline tickets will have the same effect as the sin taxes, thereby threatening the livelihoods of the millions of people working in this industry." The airline also expressed concern that Congress is considering rescinding a portion of the Airline Stabilization Act by limiting payments intended to partially compensate airlines for their $7.7 billion in losses last year, which stemmed mostly from the Sept. 11 attacks and the government-mandated shut-down of the industry.  The Saint Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group . |
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