Whereas a typical person with a bent towards flight collects model airplanes or stamps bearing historically significant aircraft, adventurer and pilot Steve Fossett collects world records. Aside from two dozen or so land and water-based records, he can lay claim to a comparable number of records while slipping "the surely bonds of earth" (to paraphrase poet/pilot John Gillespie Magee - here & elsewhere). On Friday, 17 March 2006 at 9:06 AM, another world record was added to his accomplishments, and GPS equipment from FreeFlight Systems was there playing a role.

Starting and finishing in Salina, Kansas, Steve logged 25,293.9 statute miles in 74.27 hours, setting a closed-course distance record in an aircraft and beating a previous record set in 1986. This is a significant accomplishment, not least because of dangers inherent in solo flight in a realm "where neither lark nor eagle fly"; surely crossing the Pacific at 51,000 feet with outside air temperature of -77o C falls into this risk category. This record, however, was not achieved without notable contributions from modern technology. Foremost was the aircraft itself, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer from Scaled Composites. Weighing roughly the same as a Mercedes Benz SLK 350 Roadster (but costing more, if you can believe it), the requisite lift and thrust for the round-the-world jaunt were provided while sheltering the pilot in a protective cocoon of graphite/epoxy and Aramid honeycomb. Of course, altitude and forward velocity may be sufficient for traveling if not too picky about destination, but that isn't an option when flying a closed course. Getting to a particular destination requires something more, especially when the endless monotony of deserts and oceans must be traversed. That something extra is navigation.

With successful full-scale deployment of the Global Positioning System (GPS) in 1995, travelers can determine latitude and longitude from anywhere in the world. With the added benefit of satellite-based augmentation over the United States (WAAS), positioning capability becomes even more precise. FreeFlight Systems is proud to have provided this capability to the GlobalFlyer. Its Model 1201 GPS/WAAS receiver, together with a Chelton EFIS as the navigation display, provided constant knowledge of position despite changes in altitude, weather, or underlying geography, an attribute essential to a safe journey and mission success.

Over three days while "trodding the high untrespassed sanctity of space", Steve Fossett traveled more miles than most travel in a lifetime. The poets amongst us might wonder if he had occasion to "put out his hand to touch the face of God". In doing so he would neither have been the first, nor the last. Regardless of how those lonely hours were spent, it is safe to observe that pilots depend increasingly on GPS for safe passage and return to earth. That equipment often comes from FreeFlight Systems.

FreeFlight Systems, created with the acquisition of Trimble Navigation's Business & Commuter Avionics segment, is an international leader in satellite-based navigation for airborne applications. Based in Waco, Texas, it develops, manufactures and sells a range of products with TSO or PMA approval.

FMI: www.freeflightsystems.com