mart360

Steve Fossett reported missing - news.uk.msn.com

Steve Fossets plane is missing


Mart

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

It does not sound like the start of good news. The states are paranoid about all sorts of terrorist attacks, so losing an aircraft on radar does not bode well if you ask me.

pslewis

Rich boy playing silly bu99ers .............................

As said above - an unidentified plane vanishing over Nevada could be that it was taken down!!

Flatcapdriver

I don't understand your point about radar coverage as its unlikely that he would have been flying IFR.

Odds on

Radar detects planes that are flying VFR aswell. So if it drops off the screen, its not a good sign.

Hopefully the yanks haven't shot him down for not filing a flight plan.

Flatcapdriver

You'll only receive radar coverage if you've asked for a Flight Information Service or similar. You don't have to file a flight plan in the US, particularly if you're departure originates at a private airfield.

Apparition

Who is Steve Fossett?

Apparition

Oh him, beg your pardon .

Odds on

..

Leslie

I also hope he is found safe. Got a deal of respect for him.

Les

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I always say that as rich people have no real natrual predators, they invented private aircraft to keep the numbers down, every year somone crashes a chopper into a pylon or hill, or perhaps a light aircraft into a field, jets get lost over sea usually.
If you get rich,dont get a plane !

Hope they find him safe and well by the way.

bugsti

You dont have to file one here either.

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

I thought that in the states all air traffic was monitored since 9/11 due to the terrorist threat element. I guess not, as if it were then they would know where to look.

I am surprised that the US does not have radar coverage of its entire landmass. Maybe radar is more limited than I give it credit for. I accept that any system is not going to be perfect, eg small planes at low level...but even still.

Flatcapdriver

You could in theory have all groupings of air space 'covered' by radar but various problems exist:

1. It would be prohibitively expensive.

2. Too many operators would be required.

3. Coverage would become cluttered.

Take the airspace round Gatwick. The terminal manouevering area (TMA) is covered by Gatwick - the best way to think of this is a box starting at 2500amsl up to 10000amsl. Everything in that box is covered by radar which is 'aimed' within that box. Anything flying outside of that box isn't covered unless it transgresses into that box (level bust) in which case its transponder will alert the radar of its presence.

Think about the difficulty of handling all aircraft arriving and departing (STAR/SID) within that box and then consider all of the spam cans and other aircraft flying round the TMA - literally thousands on a sunny summer's day. The controllers at Gatwick simply don't want the distraction of aircraft that aren't their concern.

Think of even bigger boxes in the UK/USA and think of the many thousands of aircraft and you begin to see why all flights aren't monitored by radar - for want of a better expression.

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

Ah yes, that is a good explanation of why we don't have that sort of coverage. I was not clear so I should have made my point better. I thought that there would have been automated military radar coverage over their landmass. Not for the purpose of talking or guiding normal civilian aircraft, but for altering defence forces for any transgressions/ monitoring paths of suspect aircraft etc.

I thought that they would have been able to access those records to see where the plane went. Perhaps the technology is just not available to do that at present, but with the US being paranoid I though they would monitor and log traffic in their airspace.

ZIPPY

I think he has turned up, just seen him on SKY news.

speedking

I imagine that the radar coverage of the borders is more comprehensive than inland. So long as you don't let people just do the taking-off module of the flying course then you have most eventualities covered.

The impression that I get is that he set off in a 'stunt' plane to do some loops and barrel rolls etc. and was probably flying from A to A, rather than A to B. Therefore a flight plan would be redundant for the search. Radar would have a job keeping up as well. It seems likely that he came down, and since he hasn't used his emergency beacon watch, I fear the worst

David Lock

I don't know the technical terms but the plane carried a sat nav system that kicked off if the plane crashed and could also be set off manually. So can't see why this wasn't operated one way or the other. Would have been picked up by Langley apparently. dl

Jamie

Jamie

He is dead

Nido

Not reporting that on bbc or sky? Still missing they say?

dpb

So its a publicity exercise ....

David Lock

If you are going to post things like that please provide a source.

Jamie

Brown ??

face the facts david work it out ?

Flatcapdriver

That's why in the UK for flights over water to France you have to file a flight plan (VFR flights, IFR is always accompanied by a flight plan) to aid search and rescue as once the flight plan has lapsed, it needs to be closed by the pilot via the air traffic control unit. If its not, then it triggers a series of events to track the aircraft but again the problem is the amount of flight plans that would be generated if this applied to all flights. Flight plans are also logged with other agencies such as Special Branch and Customs & Excise, so if he'd had one it would have been easier to find him - problem comes back to manpower and paperwork though.

Hopefully, its a simple case of a forced landing as it would be a tragedy to see a bloke like this become a victim of a fairly innocuous flight compared to what he's achieved elsewhere.

David Lock

Sorry - you've lost me.

Jamie

Sauce as in the brown sauce you buy from a shop? as in the shop type place that folks go and buy food? plane them things we fly on with wings ? down plane at 17k you work the rest out david

David Lock

Oh grow up FFS.

I admire/admired Fossett so I don't see why you find it so phucking funny

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

agreed

Leslie

Why does he have to speak in strange riddles I wonder!

Les