Balloonist tries again Balloonist tries again Chicago adventurer lifts off on solo trip Chicago adventurer lifts off on solo trip

NORTHAM, Australia--American adventurer Steve Fossett took off atdawn today on his latest attempt to fly solo around the world in aballoon.

The helium-filled "Solo Spirit," after weeks of delays andsetbacks, slowly rose from an Outback airfield in the small town ofNortham, 60 miles east of Western Australia state capital Perth.

Before liftoff, the 57-year-old Chicago millionaire said he wasconfident.

Fossett plans to cruise eastward around the world, spending mostof his time flying at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet in a crampedcanary-yellow capsule.

Jet stream winds will propel the balloon at speeds of up to 130mph.

If successful, the trip should take about 15 days.

Now that he's airborne, Fossett will discover whether all hispreparation had paid off.

"In the first night I will have to find out whether the equipmentis working," he said.

"That's when I'll find out whether there are any leaks in theballoon, whether there's failures in the communication equipment andwhether the all-important cabin heaters work. So I have good reasonto be nervous about the first night of flight."

Project manager Tim Cole said the team and Fossett were eager tomake another launch after the disappointment of June 17, when a freakgust of wind blew over gas tanks attached to the balloon's capsuleand ripped the silver-colored envelope.

AP

NORTHAM, Australia--American adventurer Steve Fossett took off atdawn today on his latest attempt to fly solo around the world in aballoon.

The helium-filled "Solo Spirit," after weeks of delays andsetbacks, slowly rose from an Outback airfield in the small town ofNortham, 60 miles east of Western Australia state capital Perth.

Before liftoff, the 57-year-old Chicago millionaire said he wasconfident.

Fossett plans to cruise eastward around the world, spending mostof his time flying at altitudes of up to 30,000 feet in a crampedcanary-yellow capsule.

Jet stream winds will propel the balloon at speeds of up to 130mph.

If successful, the trip should take about 15 days.

Now that he's airborne, Fossett will discover whether all hispreparation had paid off.

"In the first night I will have to find out whether the equipmentis working," he said.

"That's when I'll find out whether there are any leaks in theballoon, whether there's failures in the communication equipment andwhether the all-important cabin heaters work. So I have good reasonto be nervous about the first night of flight."

Project manager Tim Cole said the team and Fossett were eager tomake another launch after the disappointment of June 17, when a freakgust of wind blew over gas tanks attached to the balloon's capsuleand ripped the silver-colored envelope.

AP