Bird Strikes Appear To Have Caused Little Damage

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 02.09.06 1700EST: Steve Fossett is now winging his way across the Atlantic towards Africa, after he successfully took off early Wednesday morning for his Ultimate Flight. All appears well... but we're now learning more about two bird strikes that occurred as Fossett took off.

A number of birds were seen in the air as Fossett lifted off at the 11,500-ft mark of Kennedy Space Center's 15,000' runway. Later, two dead birds were discovered on the runway, and there was some concern the bird strikes might have damaged the plane.

Fortunately, GlobalFlyer team members Jon Karkow and Rob Scherer were able to assess the situation from their Beech Starship chase plane, and found that the aircraft had not experienced serious damage.

"The most serious thing with a bird strike is that a large bird is congested into the engine," said Karkow. "That could cause damage which would mean it wouldn't be able to run. In this case the birds appeared to hit the leading edge of the wing and perhaps the nose of the boom tanks. These points are where the plane is extra strong because that's where the skins overlap and there is extra material."

There is a slight chance the birds may have cracked the plane's skin, which could cause a fuel leak to develop when the aircraft eventually lands. The GlobalFlyer team is monitoring the situation, adding it doesn't expect that such a problem would impact the actual global crossing.

ANN Real Time News: 0955 EST -- Millionaire-adventurer Steve Fossett set out Wednesday morning on his journey around the world and then some, hoping to pilot his Global Flyer farther than any airplane or balloon has ever gone before.

Launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at approximately 0730 EST, Fossett's fuel-laden Global Flyer lumbered off the runway and turned east, headed for the open Atlantic Ocean.

The take-off, tension-filled because of the Flyer's full-fuel weight, used more runway than anticipated, said NASA manager Jim Ball.

"The roll was longer than we anticipated but that's why he wanted to use a 15,000-foot runway," he told the Associated Press.

The Rutan-built composite aircraft hit two birds along the way, but Ball said the aircraft wasn't damaged.

If successful, Fossett will fly 27,012 miles -- east across the Atlantic to Africa, then across Asia and the Pacific and back across the US. Over Georgia, Fossett will assess his condition after almost 70 hours of constant solo flight, the condition of his aircraft and his fuel state before deciding whether to cross the Atlantic a second time. If he decides to go, he'll wind up in the UK approximately 80 hours after beginning.

FMI: www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com