Fossett Fossilized - Who Cares?
 

I personally don't have any sympathy.

"Fossett is Fossilized" - what the news media doesn't have the guts to declare.

Just another billionaire with too much free time and so much money, doing stupid $****. Is anyone really surprised? Take high risks, sooner or later you will go down.

Another arrogant rich guy who thinks they impervious to disaster. the Superman complex.

Yeah..ON Ramp...tell it like it is and fk em to...

When Fossett said he was going to do something, at least he showed up! :rolleyes:

Randy

On-ramp - you are truly one loathsome f uck.

I wasn't sure who you were talking about so I googled the name.

Dunno, at least he did something worthwhile and exciting with his money... not like some rich guys who blow mountains of money filling warehouses with cars that sit and collect dust or collecting boats and houses that sit around empty and unused or throwing elaborate parties to surround themselves with celebrities.

Seems like a pretty cool dude.

off-ramp, the village called, they want their idiot back.

Steve Fossett took off in an aircraft that was properly designed, probably correctly fueled, and I'm certain that this very proficient pilot probably did a decent preflight inspection/weather check before he left.

He didn't file a flight plan. According to what I've read about this, he was going out "scouting" for dry lake beds on which to make a top-speed run upon. This doesn't imply any sort of aerobatics, but it does imply that he would be flying left, right, over here, over there...a flight that would be basically impossible to plot out for an FAA flight service follower.

-The Champion Decathlon aircraft that he was flying is literally a flying Lotus Elise. Only, this "Elise" makes a Hummer H1 look poorly built. This airplane is rated to fly at 6 g's, or 6 times the force of gravity continuously. That's the certification: in order to meet this certification, the company in Minnesota that built this plane had to prove that it could withstand 50% more than this, or 9 g's.

The airplane didn't "break". My theory is that the 6.0 liter four-cylinder engine that powers his plane had some sort of catastrophic failure, and he was forced to land. Did he survive the landing in rough terrain? You decide. A Decathlon can typically land in about 500 feet, and it isn't hard to find a 500 foot stretch of somewhat-flat terrain out there. I bet he landed the thing after the motor blew, and he's either trying to walk to a road or he hit a stump, flipped over, and was killed when a branch went through the cockpit...and him.

N!

Dunno. Looks like the man had skills.

Following are some of Fossett's aviation accomplishments:

* 1998/2002: Long distance record for solo hot-air ballooning

* 2001/2002: Duration record for solo hot-air ballooning

* 2002: First solo balloon flight around the world

* 2005: First solo nonstop and non-refueled circumnavigation of the world in a single engine jet airplane

* 2002: One of aviation's highest awards: the Gold Medal of the Federation Aeronatutique Internationale

* 2004: fastest sailing circumnavigation of the world

* Ten of 21 Glider Open awards

these are all egotistical accomplishments. nothing to help people with his money, to put it plainly.

I believe he also competed in the 24 Hrs of Le Mans.

And what to-date have you done for the world?

It's his money, right? Why is he obligated to "help people" with his wealth? He pays more in taxes each year than most of us earn in a lifetime. He founded Lakota Trading, the largest of the Chicago trading firms. Have any idea how many employees he had?

This man provided employment for thousands. Our society would be better off with more men like him, not fewer.

Here goes the Steve Irwin thread all over again.

on-ramp I'm sure your new motorcycle is the safest, most economical choice. hope the risks you are about to be taking don't catch up to with you you little b*tch

tough crowd

when one posts moronic things, yes it is...

so what is it again that *you* have done for the world?

I strongly disagree. I have just as much right to post an opinion as Mr Fossett has to burn thousands of gallons of jet fuel to pollute the atmosphere
SmileWavy

NoStatus, this thread is not about me, so I don't need to prove anything

you may have a "right" but that doesn't make it right.

If you have actually done something to make the world a better place, then maybe you have the cred to take the piss out of someone else. If you haven't (and craigslist pranks don't rise to helping humanity), then you're just a tiny little pusillanimous pussy footer hiding behind a keyboard.

So I'll ask a 3rd time. What have you done for the world?

Now, let's see...whaddya think people say when they hear that a guy driving a Porsche 911 gets in an accident and kills himself? Something EXACTLY like this? I hope not.

If he's dead, then that is a personal tragedy to him, his family and his associates. I would have hoped all of us have enough humantiy to understand that; apparently I'm wrong

I, for one do not have so much envy or anger over people more financially fortunate than I to wish him dead or gloat on a tragedy (if that's what has happened) like On-Cramp here. :rolleyes:

Geez dude, pretty loathsome.