Salina, Kan. March 14, 2006
The Salina Municipal Airport was once again the
preferred takeoff location for famed aviator Steve
Fossett and the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
With calm winds and cool temperatures, the
Salina Municipal Airport's Runway was opened at 6:28
a.m. CST for the launch of the Virgin Atlantic
GlobalFlyer. At 6:38 a.m., the flight lifted off from the
Airport's primary runway and, after a roll of about
10,500 feet, the GlobalFlyer was airborne.
This flight from and to Salina will be an attempt
to set the closed-course distance record and Fossett
will again fly around the world. He will attempt a
flight of longer than 24,987 statute miles. Roughly a
year ago Fossett set a speed record in the Global
Flyer for his around the world flight, which also began
and ended in Salina.
He also recently set a total distance record in the
GlobalFlyer taking off from the Kennedy Space Flight
Center in Florida and landing at another airport in the
U.K.
For this flight, Fossett will make several inflight
diversions over known geographic locations around
the world to establish the distance record over a
closed-course. K-State at Salina students will be
planning and running Mission Control, which will again
be located in the College Center building on the
college's Salina campus.
"I have made many record attempts in balloons,
boats and airplanes, and Salina with its international
aerospace capabilities is quickly becoming my
favorite venue for these kinds of aeronautical
activities," said Fossett. "I am proud to call Salina
the Home of the GlobalFlyer," he added.
Steve and the GlobalFlyer are expected to return to
Salina mid-day on Friday after approximately 76-78
hours of flight time.
"We are pleased that Steve Fossett has again
chosen Salina for another world record attempt," said
Tim Rogers, A.A.E., executive director of the Salina
Airport Authority. "It is an opportunity once again to
demonstrate very clearly to the world that the Salina
Airport and the entire Salina community are serious
about expanding our aerospace outreach and
recruiting new enterprises to the Salina Aviation
Service Center," he added.
Mission tracking information
for the flight will be posted online at http://salina.k-
state.edu/globalflyer If members of the media
would prefer to call, the media phone number
answered during the flight from mission control, is
785.826.2603.
In addition to Steve Fossett and the Virgin Atlantic
GlobalFlyer, the Salina Municipal Airport is home base
for numerous aviation businesses and operations.
These include America Jet, Aerospace Systems &
Technologies, Inc., EagleMed air ambulance, Kansas
Wing Headquarters - Civil Air Patrol, Flower Aviation,
Kansas Army National Guard Aviation Support Facility,
Kansas State University Salina College of Technology
and Aviation, Kansas Highway Patrol Aviation,
Professional Flight Training, LC, Raytheon Aircraft
Company - Salina Division, Salina Aircraft Services,
Wells Aircraft, Inc., and the corporate flight
departments for ADM Milling Company, Blue Beacon
International, Geoprobe Systems, Pepsi Cola - Salina,
Plains Environmental, Premier Pneumatics, Inc., and
Bradley Trucking Co.
The SLN Aviation Service Center has available hangar
space and room for growth to accommodate a wide
array of aviation related industries. The SLN Air
Traffic Control Tower logs more than 86,000 annual
aircraft operations. Two FBOs annually deliver over 4
million gallons of aviation fuel to the aircraft using
the Salina Municipal Airport. For more information
regarding expansion opportunities at "The SLN
Aviation Service Center," contact us at
785.827.3914 or visit the available properties link at
www.salinaairport.com
