New great fraud of millionaire adventurer Fossett

Steve Fossett, the millionaire adventurer, is going for another aviation record, this time for distance traveled as he attempts to fly 29,000 miles (46,660 kilometers) non-stop in 90 hours. Fossett took off in his Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer plane from this central Kansas town Thursday en route to Cape Canaveral, Florida, where he will begin his challenge.

During his flight, which will begin later this month or in February, he will cross the Atlantic Ocean twice before landing in London. Last March, Fossett became the first person to make a nonstop solo flight around the globe without refueling, finishing the 23,000-mile (37,007-kilometer) trip in 67 hours. In 2002, he successfully circled the world in a balloon, after five previous attempts. The adventurer has also swam the English channel, run the Iditarod dog race and driven in the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race.

Fossett's plane is a single-engine composite jet designed by Burt Rutan, who also designed the Voyager aircraft that in 1996 set the current aircraft distance record of 24,987 miles (40,204 kilometers), reports the AP. N.U.