Comments on: Fossett breaks flight record

Adventurer Steve Fossett completed the longest nonstop flight in aviation history before a dramatic emergency landing.

Mission grade: one "B-" and one "F"

There's an old adage that's been copied and even crocheted in sailcloth:
"Flying is the second greatest thrill for a Pilot. Landing is the first."

Mediocre flight, Steve, but the landing stunk.

You set the record, but you pinked the flight, Sir.

One smal step

I prefer the response just before Neil Armstrong took "One small step".

The story (approximately) was - the landing computer had shut down on the final approach to the first manned moon landing. Armstrong had to land by hand. After successful touchdow, Mission Control said "You got a whole lot of people turning blue down here. We're breathing again".

If it was easy - people would have done it years ago. I wouldn't fancy landing from a few feet, after 3 & 1/2 days without sleep. So, I'll give it A for the fligt & B+ for the landing - any one you can walk away from (But I'm generous - I'm a paraglider pilot & they're REALLY tough to launch (and trust me - launching from a ledge is far more scary than a landing :- )& a paraglider is still pretty tough to land).

[rcrusoe]

Posting Grade: One D-

How many emergency landings have you made when dead tired and iced up? I can tell you that final approach in a cripple bird is no fun after a 5 hour flight. I can't imagine what it would have been like after 75 hours.

If you've never been in a similar situation you have no basis to criticise. If you have been, you should know better.

[Earl Benser]

Also one of the first things learned in flight training..

Any landing you can walk away from was a good one....

[Jkub]

around the world..

ok now that airplane is AWSOME! its a marval of engineering by my book for sure...the only thing that realy limits it is the pilot...but as far as i know..he must have done awsome to fly that long!!