Long Runway, Central Location Makes Kansas Ideal For Round-The-World Attempt

The airfield is almost tailor-made -- a two-mile long strip in the middle of the US. A high-tech college nearby and a population anxious to help.

Welcome, Global Flyer, to Salina, KS.

The Wichita Eagle reports Richard Branson, his pilot and fellow adventurer Steve Fossett and Scaled Composite's Burt Rutan will all be in Salina next month as Fossett attempts to fly solo, non-stop around the world.

Salina is simply thrilled.

"How often do you have a chance of having Salina's name mentioned around the world?" said Gerald Cook, in an interview with the Eagle's aviation reporter, Molly McMillin. Cook is president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.

Kansas is a safer bet than most, said Fossett in a statement quoted by the Eagle. That two-mile long runway will give him plenty of room to get the Global Flyer, its 13 fuel tanks brimming, off the ground. The weather will be just about right -- cold calm and generally clear. Fossett will need all the air density he can get. And finally, Kansas is nowhere near the ocean.

"If I had chosen a West Coast airport, I would risk ditching in the Pacific if I run out of fuel near the end," Fossett said in a statement quoted by the Eagle.

Its route determined by the blowing of the jet streams, Global Flyer will cruise at approximately 250 kts as it circles the globe. Its mission will be coordinated at Kansas State University's College of Technology and Aviation which, like Salina, will be the center of the aviation universe as Fossett goes 'round the world in 80 hours.

FMI: www.virginatlanticglobalflyer.com