Sep 6, 2007 11:20 am US/Pacific
Friends Hold Out Hope For Fossett
BALTIMORE, Md. (CBS) ―
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The search for adventurer Steve Fossett and his plane continues over the Nevada Desert, but friends still hold out hope. (File)
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
The search for adventurer Steve Fossett and his plane continues over the Nevada Desert, but friends still hold out hope.
CBS station WJZ-TV in Baltimore spoke to a friend of Fossett's there about the missing pilot.
The air search for Steve Fossett and his plane continues for the third day over Nevada. Experts say he could survive for two weeks on water, but there has been no beacon from his plane and no radio contact.
"He was in good shape mentally, in good shape far as I could tell, and gosh I'm going to make this happen kind of an attitude so, [I] expect he's out there someplace," said friend Henry Rosenberg.
Henry Rosenberg, chairman of Crown Central Petrolem in Baltimore, is friends with Steve Fossett. They both sit on the National Board of the Boy Scouts.
Fossett is reknown for his adventures--a solo non-stop flight around the world and amazing balloon feats. He's also climbed to the peak of the Matterhorn. Virginia Air's Richard Bronson, a Fossett supporter and colleague, isn't too worried yet.
"You always have to be concerned if a plane disappears and there is no communication with the plane after an event. But he's been in so many situations like this and he comes bouncing back," said Richard Bronson.
Fossett's plane disappeared Monday in the Nevada Dessert as he searched for a good place to challenge the ground speed record with a rocket propelled car. Rosenberg remembers in a happier moment laughing with Fossett about that plan.
"I said I hope it stays on the ground. He chuckled a little bit, yea he said, 'I bet it will.' I said hope you can stop that sucker, when you get to the end of your trip," said Rosenberg.
The desert being searched is vast, about 600 square miles. Fossett did not file a flight plan, perhaps because he didn't know where he'd find that perfect site for his next adventure. But not taking that safety precaution seems out of character to Rosenberg.
"Because he seemed to be so, by the books so to speak, and not do things to really take chances. Whatever he did was taking a chance, but he had it so well planned out," said Rosenberg.
Rescuers say it could take another week to cover all the area where Fossett might have come down.
There are nine planes searching for Fossett, including a high tech data collection plane.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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