Steve Fossett – Losing Hope Is Losing The Battle

The American aviator-cum-sailor, more known for his world record-setting adventures – James Stephen Fossett is missing since September 3, 2007. He left the Flying-M Ranch, a private airstrip near Smith Valley, Nevada at 8:45 am in a Bellanca Super Decathlon fixed-wing, single-engine airplane - Tail number N240R. Reported to be flying over Nevada desert the plane has failed to return. While the Civil Air Patrol and others continue their search, Fossett’s fate remains uncertain.

The founder of Lakota Trading, Fossett made his fortune in the financial services industry, which he engaged in his adventures. Later on, he moved to Beaver Creek, Colorado, selling out most business interests to continue with his adventure sports.

An adventurer by nature, Fossett took off his first adventure at the age of 12, ascending a mountain. At 13, he claimed the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, and as an adult earned the repute of Distinguished Eagle Scout and was awarded a Silver Buffalo by the Boy Scouts. Presently, he is the President of the National Eagle Scout Association and a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts.

The diehard adventurer holds the credit of five-world record for circumnavigations of Earth in balloons, gliders, powered aircraft and sailboats. An aviator of exceptional caliber, he was the first to take a solo balloon flight around the world. Fossett is credited with 116 records in five different sports, out of which 60 are still unbroken. Some of his achievements as a jet pilot in a Cessna Citation X are records for Australia Transcontinental, Round-the-World westbound non-supersonic flights and U.S. Transcontinental.

However, the speculation over Fossett’s fate still continues as the sources reveal that the plane’s emergency locator transmitter (ELT) predicted no signs of a crash, but of an older type notorious for unsuccessful operation after a crash. Google Inc. got involved into the search on September 7, 2007, providing satellite imagery to help in locating the aviator.

The multi-aircraft operations by CAP’s soon followed from Minden-Tahoe airport. Mark Marshall Fossett’s staff pilot and search coordinator is all set to fly with 12 aircrafts for the mission. The operation would be focus on the sighting reports that predict that Steve Fossett’s Super Decathlon light aircraft was within a 20 - 30 mile radius of the Flying M, since it went down on Monday. However, Mark is still looking forward to additional aviation assets - turbine helicopters and additional trained helicopter observers to strengthen his assignment.

Those of you who are inclined to help the search may visit http://www.mturk.com/mturk/preview?groupId=9TSZK4G35XEZJZG21T60&kw=Flash