SIDE SALAD - Everything crunchy is good.

TOUCHDOWN

After 67 hours and 2 minutes of sleep deprivation and 12 diet milkshakes, Steve Fossett on Thursday became the first person to fly around the world alone without stopping or refueling. He touched down on Thursday on the same Salina, Kan., runway from which he took off almost three days earlier. Thousands were at the airport to watch him land his custom-built GlobalFlyer.
I, however, was stuck in traffic at the time. Unless you were alive during Lindbergh's time, you have no idea how underwhelming it is to listen to a radio account of an historic plane landing. Nothing like hearing history through the words of an underwhelmed afternoon drive-time AM radio hack.
And then the regular talk hosts came on the radio. They didn't know anything about the effort. One thought the pilot was Richard Branson. No, the other said, Branson paid for it because he got to pilot a balloon around the world first before Fossett. Are you sure, the other asked? Not really.
The dialogue of idiots pissed me of.
First, because if you're going to be a talk radio host, you should at least turn on the TV and absorb something of the world beyond your own little fishbowl.
Second, because it again proves the way that shiny, flashy false spectacle has made us immune to true achievement.
By flying 23,000 miles, Fossett broke what was considered to be the last great aviation barrier, breaking several records, including the longest flight by a jet without refueling. The record was more than 12,000 miles, set by a B-52 bomber in 1962.
Consider that Wiley Post made the first solo around-the-world trip in 1933, taking more than seven days and stopping numerous times. The first nonstop global flight without refueling was made in a propeller-driven aircraft in 1986 by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan, brother of GlobalFlyer designer Burt Rutan. That's right, it took two people the last time to pull this off. And from what I remember Rutan and Yeager were not the best of friends before, during or after the effort.
Not to mention the other records Fossett owns:

*His first solo balloon flight around the world in 2002 covered 3,186 miles in a single 24 hour period - and hit a top speed of 200 miles per hour - flying faster than anyone ever had by manned balloon.
*On previous global attempts he made the first balloon crossing of the continents of Asia, Africa, Europe and South America, and the first ocean crossings of the South Atlantic, South Pacific and Indian Oceans.
*Fossett is also the most successful speed sailor in history. The 58 days, 9 hours he spent circling the globe set a record in 2004, His trans-Atlantic record of 4 days 17 hours was set in 2001.
*Between 1993 and 2004 Fossett set 23 official world records in sailing, including 13 which still stand.
*In the last 2 years he has set 10 of the 21 glider flying world records.

Consider that a lot of these records - especially the airflight ones - were achieved at a time when it was difficult to know if he would be shot down while ballooning over places like Libya and Iran. The fact he was allowed to fly over China this week should tell you alone how much the world has changed in recent years.
And that inspires yawns and indifference?
Less than 24 hours later and what is the lead story of the day?
This.
We seriously need to recalibrate our instruments, folks. Posted by Jeff at March 4, 2005 08:02 AM