Low wind dashes hopes of record attempt Tuesday

Posted by tourdemars to Airplane at July 23, 2002 12:00 PM

American adventurer Steve Fossett flew a glider over New Zealand on Tuesday in preparation to soar into the stratosphere, but a local pilot warned the weather forecast did not look good for Fossett's bid to break the gliding altitude record. Fossett, 58, and retired NASA test pilot Einar Enevoldson, 70, want to soar to the stratosphere at 19,000 meters (62,000 feet) — nearly twice the altitude at which commercial passenger jets fly. If they succeed, they plan to build a specially pressurized glider and fly it to 30,480 meters (100,000 feet) sometime in coming years. NASA is interested in Fossett's long-term goal of taking a glider as high as 30,480 meters (100,000 feet) because at that altitude, the air density is the same as on Mars, and the agency believes it can learn lessons for any future flight over the red planet.