That Caused The Leak That Almost Stopped GlobalFlyer

Say, where DID that fuel go -- you know, the 2,600 pounds of Jet-A that went missing during Steve Fossett's successful attempt to fly solo and unrefueled around the world?

Fossett said it went right out the fuel vents.

The adventurer-pilot told reporters on a conference call Tuesday afternoon, remembering the fuel shortage that almost cost him the world record on his 67 hour-long flight from Salina, KS, to... Salina, KS aboard the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.

"We were having some problems with our fuel gauges," he said during the conference call, which was arranged by EAA to announce that Fossett and the GlobalFlyer will be at AirVenture 2005.
"We thought, at first, that it was just a gauge problem. But as we tracked the fuel through the first half of the flight, we realized it was much more serious than that. Fuel was missing."

The fuel is no longer missing, said Fossett. He knows exactly where it went -- right out of the fuel vents sometime during the first half of his global flight. As ANN reported in real time during the record attempt, Fossett lost about 2,600 pounds of the 18,100 pounds in fuel on board at take-off. All of the missing fuel apparently sloshed out of the vents.

"We have determined, in conjunction with the engineers, that it was an error in the placement of the fuel vents. Fuel vents normally go right on top of the tank that you want to vent. My main tanks are these big boom tanks."

But, Fossett said, that wouldn't work for GlobalFlyer because of the drag such placement would generate. "The fuel vents, instead, were put on the central fuselage, on the engine cowling. The trouble was, when the airplane was full of fuel, there's solid fuel in between the booms and the main fuselage. So as the air expanded in the boom tanks, as I climbed in altitude, it had the effect of forcing fuel out the vents instead of air."

Other Than That, Mrs. Lincoln, How Was The Play?

Other than worrying about the fuel problem, Fossett said he had to be concerned about the vast difference between his take-off and landing weights.

"The engineers at Scaled Composites warned me about how horrendous these handling qualities would be and how much the airplane would change. I actually was very pleasantly surprised," he said. "Of course, the airplane was heavier-handling at take-off, but it was entirely manageable. Then, flying at the light weights, coming in for landing, it's a little bit touchy, but still entirely manageable. I felt the problems of handling were perhaps exaggerated -- perhaps I was over-warned on those."

What do you do for 67 hours in a cockpit less than eight feet long? You spend a lot of time managing the fuel system in order to maintain proper CG.

"The engineers at Scaled Composites were advising me on when and where to shift fuel during the flight."

Perhaps the most personally moving part of the flight, Fossett said, was near the end of the historic mission, when he started hearing congratulatory messages from other pilots on his flight center frequency.

"Initially, as I was flying over the western states, [the other pilots] wanted to know where the GlobalFlyer was and asking for permission to fly closer," Fossett told reporters Tuesday. "The airlines were wanting to show the passengers the airplane.... But as I was approaching, it was very interesting that pilots were getting on air traffic control, congratulating me on behalf of their airline. There must've been 20 of those calls in rapid succession."

What's next for Fossett and Flyer? The millionaire-adventurer said he has several projects in the works -- some having to do with aviation -- but wouldn't elaborate. He did say he plans to donate the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer to the Steven Udvar-Hazey Annex at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. "I may have some additional program that I want to do after Oshkosh, before I put it in the museum," he said. But that'll be another story.

FMI: www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com