If he went down,it looks like the only hope for finding him or his remains is a thorough foot/ground search if the manpower is available.If he wanted to disappear,a search of hangars might produce something.

Question , now that the new US Spy Act 2007 , allows CIA/NSA assets like the infamous Keyhole Satellites used to survey the US Mainland and colonies , why don't they simply as the CIA for a high resolution Spy Satellite scan of the search area and use a computerised digital scan for his plane type to find the wreckage ?

It's utterly ridiculous that the U.S. taxpayer is funding these searches. Private aircraft crash on a worryingly regular basis, frequently with missing pilots and passengers. Mr. Fossett is/was not really important, his claim to fame is floating around in a balloon, which can be replicated by anyone with access to the same level of funding. If every missing person isn't going to be the recipient of the massive efforts expended in this search, then no one should be. Fuck them and Fuck Steve Fossett for being an "aviation professional" who fell victim to the deadly sin of pride and acting blase about flying around in the sky.

"It's utterly ridiculous that the U.S. taxpayer is funding these searches"

No it's not - it's called Search and Rescue and it is a cornerstone of civilization. You know, the help thy neighbor thing, bringing aid to your fellow man in need and such.

The fact that Fosset was a millionaire does not enter the equation, searches have been conducted in this manner before for entirely unknown people, independant of whatever monetary wealth they might have had at the time.

The fact that search time is being respected is the best way to respect people's tax money. He had his chance, it didn't pay off, they stop.

There's nothing to rant about here.

...Raheim Sherbedgia just speak your mind.

Actually I subscribe to another reason for his disappearance...ALIENS!

"It's utterly ridiculous that the U.S. taxpayer is funding these searches"

Are you sure they are? I'm sure a lot of people have donated money to search for him, Branson included. Also, I'm sure any missing person gets the same effort to search for them as they would normally give Steve.

"Mr. Fossett is/was not really important, his claim to fame is floating around in a balloon, which can be replicated by anyone with access to the same level of funding."

He did a hell of a lot more than that. In any case, does it matter if someone is important or not? He has gone missing, and so a search effort is trying to find him. Why do you have a problem with a missing person being looked for?

Woah, chill out.

I hope, one day, you find yourself a bit stuck; I wonder if you think then, "I hope no-one comes looking for me, I'm not important, don't waste your time and money on me".

I agree that, with the same level of funding, anyone could fire up a big balloon and rock off around the world but few of us are willing to risk our lives on such an adventure or even be away from our families for that amount of time.

Oh, and fuck you for being a selfish, stuck up, sit-at-home, boring little idiot.

...with Raheim, albeit in not so strong terms. To compound it, if the guy was so arrogant as to not leave a flight plan then why should the tax payer fund the search?

So what if you're famous? You're no better than everyone else at the end of the day.

Funny, I always thought it was the mark of a civilised society that we had taxpayer-funded things like search and rescue, not to mention police and fire services. Would you like to be asked for your credit card number when you call 112/911/999?

Raheim - how would you feel reading your comments if they related to your father/brother/husband/son etc... Show some sensitvity.

Perhaps you should check out his political and charitable interests. You might find a motive for foul play. Wasn't it reported his location beacon was fubar, for reasons the authorities declined to reveal?

Sir Kenneth G. Houdek, knowlingly or not, I think you have provided a solution to the greatest hinderance to america's march forward.

"if the guy was so arrogant as to not leave a flight plan then why"

Not leaving a flight plan isn't 'arrogance', or anything of the sort. It is pretty routine. That fact that he was going off to scout locations, and so didn't know his exact route, and COULDN'T file a flight plan might have had something to do with it as well!

Some people are completely hung on the fact that he didn't file a flight plan, and think this is some kind of terrible thing to do - well, it isn't. It is perfectly normal to not file a flight plan (in fact, it's only a US thing anyway that flight plans are filed, you only file them for flying in controlled airspace in the UK I think - but I'm not too sure, I'm a glider pilot, not a powered pilot. We certainly don't file ANY flight plans gliding.)

I hope they don't to an exchange programme and bring us back Glenn Miller.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/18/peruvian_gas_attack/

;)