Well, what Fossett is attempting is an aviation first at a time when almost everything that can be done in flight has been done. It's not terribly important. Nothing can really be gained by the information he'll collect. He's no Wiley Post. But I think it's legitimate adventurer stuff.
There are thousands of private aviators, commercial contractors and engineers who are tracking every move he makes because the data from his trips will used for light craft research & development and will eventually make it to the consumer level.
There are a lot of Cessna 172 pilots who would like to see their cross country range double and Fawcett's flights leads the way for it to happen.
As the son of a pioneer aerospace engineer from the Von Braun era to space shuttle prototypes, I am amazed what was produced and used for communications in early space flight we now use and take for granted.
I think it’s a healthy thing. When I was a kid, we all wanted to be astronauts. Nowadays, it takes tragedy for the nation (or at least the media) to be interested in aerospace. Plus, with six or more 24-hour cable news channels, you’ve got to fill with something when you’ve exhausted Robert Blake, Michael Jackson, the Peterson case, and Matt Hale.
And, movies, the Oscars, and jars of urine aside, Howard Hughes' rich man adventures did the same thing for the public years ago. And his adventures helped advance air travel, communication technology, and even innovations like the mechanical hospital bed.
