Fossett celebrates halfway point in latest record attempt

Feb 10, 2006, 12:30 GMT

Washington - US millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett has crossed Asia and Japan and was headed over the expanse of the Pacific Ocean early Friday, according to his mission controllers.

Informed from his mission control in St. Louis, Missouri, after more than 36 hours aloft that he had reached the halfway point of his attempt at the world's farthest-ever flight, the 61-year-old businessman replied, 'It's great to get to the halfway point, and I am relieved that the turbulence had now calmed down and I can concentrate on the flight.

'In fact, I have just seen some fantastic views of Mount Fuji as I was travelling over Japan, which has been one of the most enjoyable moments of the flight so far.'

Earlier in the flight, he suffered extreme heat of more than 40 degrees celsius due to a cockpit ventilation malfunction.

'Everyone here is thrilled that Steve has reached the halfway point,' mission control chief Kevin Stass said in a statement on Fossett's website.

'Steve has had to overcome some major physical and environmental changes, which is already a remarkable achievement. But with the uncertainty of the jet streams ahead, it is clear that more major challenges are yet to come.'

If successful, Fossett will spend at least 80 hours in his ultra- light aircraft to break the 1986 record for the farthest flight, set at 40,212 kilometres by pilots Dick Rutan and Jeanne Yeager.

Fossett took off Wednesday from Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida. He has already crossed the North Atlantic, North Africa, Saudi Arabia, India and China.

After crossing the Pacific, he is charted to fly over Mexico, the Atlantic again and across Ireland to a landing at Britain's Kent International Airport, 120 kilometres east of London.