Steve Fossett missing, presumed to have crashed plane

World aviation record-holder Steve Fossett is missing and a massive search is under way in western Nevada, a Nevada aviation spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Fossett took off from a private air strip known as Flying M Ranch, near Smith Valley, 30 miles south of Yerington, Nevada, on Monday, with enough fuel for four to five hours of flight, according to the Civil Air Patrol. Yerington is south of Carson City, near the California border.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/04/fossett.missing/

 

Serious question: Why would there be a "massive" search for a plane presumably lost in the desert? If pilot Peter Podunk got lost on the same route, would there be a half-dozen or more planes combing the desert?

So is the search in fact massive or routine?

 

I think the "massive" refers to the search area, not the number of search planes in the air.

 

OK, though I supposed you'd start with the route on his flight plan.

 

The Yahoo story says there was no flight plan filed.

 

Somebody get these people some maps! /missteensouthcarolina

 

Most likely, yes there would be. At the very least, a CAP team -- Civilian Air Patrol -- and more often than not, several aircraft from a nearby military installation who would use the search and rescue as a training exercise.

 

Another serious questions: who the hell is Steve Fossett?

 

• Set 115 world records or world firsts

• Still holds official world records in 5 sports

• First person to fly non-stop around the world

• Has also circumnavigated globe in yacht and balloon

 

Has he set a world record in anything anyone cares about?

And Armchair QB is right ... what good does it to do be able to fly non-stop around the world when you can't get to Vegas in one piece?