Friday, March 17, 2006

STEVE FOSSETT COMPLETES HISTORIC GLOBALFLYER ROUND THE WORLD RECORD-SETTING FLIGHT

SALINA – At 9:05 this morning, Steve Fossett guided the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer to a safe landing at Salina Municipal Airport, completing the closed-circuit distance record. The record is the third that Fossett has achieved in the experimental GlobalFlyer aircraft.

Kansas State University at Salina students worked closely with Fossett and Scaled Composites to support the world record attempt. Mission Control has been housed at K-State at Salina, and in addition to aircraft maintenance and flight operations, students also were responsible for all the Web updates and flight tracking resources available to the general public.

“This has been a tremendous new chapter in K-State’s relationship with the GlobalFlyer and Steve Fossett,” said Dennis Kuhlman, dean of K-State at Salina. “I am yet again amazed at the opportunities our students have had to be such an integral part of this project, and I am unbelievably proud of the leadership, professionalism and enthusiasm they have demonstrated from the beginning.”

It took more than 74 hours for Fossett to circumnavigate the globe.

In his celebratory comments, Fossett remarked on the involvement of K-State and said how grateful he was for the support of the students, faculty and staff of K-State at Salina. This is the third record attempt that has involved students and staff and the second that has taken place with major campus involvement. Upon his return, he also was named honorary captain of the K-State Flight Team.

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