NEWS RELEASE                                                     Submitted 6, September, 2007   3:00 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     Original release date: 4, September, 2007

Search for Famed Aviator Intensifies

Minden, NV —  Despite improved weather conditions and high tech equipment, aviation icon and adventurer Steve Fossett still has not been located. He departed a private airstrip 30 miles south of Yerington, Nevada Monday morning for a short flight around the surrounding area, intending to return by noon. He was reported missing by family and friends at the well known Flying M Ranch, owned by hotel magnate William Barron Hilton, later that afternoon.

The search became fully operational early Tuesday utilizing maximum resources from the Nevada Wing Civil Air Patrol, California and Utah Wings of the Civil Air Patrol, the Nevada Air and Army National Guard, California Highway Patrol and ground teams from four Nevada counties, (Washoe, Lyon, Douglas and Mineral) and Nevada and Mono Counties from California, in the targeted search area.

In use again today will be a specialized Civil Air Patrol GA-8 AirVan aircraft from the Utah Wing, CAP equipped with Archer hyper spectral imaging system similar in nature to the hyper spectral analysis used by geo scientists. A set of parameters describing the targets color is programmed into the system, and through a sophisticated algorithm , the Archer system is able to differentiate a potential target from background clutter via a greatly enhanced visual spectrum and reflectivity factors. It can identify a target as small as one square meter in size from 2,500 ft altitude flying at 120 kts.

Additionally, the Washoe County Search and Rescue team has deployed a boat with sonar equipment in Nevada’s Walker Lake. They hope to identify any wreckage or debris that might focus searchers in that area.

The search area has expanded to approximately 10,000 square miles in size, extending from the Yerington, Nevada area to Bishop, California along the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Searchers accumulated more than 35 air hours of flying time since Monday, utilizing 10 aircraft; both fixed wing and rotor from the Civil Air Patrol, the Nevada Air and Army National Guard and the California Highway Patrol. Four ground search teams were activated from Lyon and Mineral Counties in Nevada, as well as Nevada and Mono counties in California. They have been searching remote jeep trails and tracks.

Fossetts’, aircraft, the Citabria Super Decathalon, built in 1980 and owned by the Flying M Hunting Club, Inc., 75 miles south of Reno, Nevada,  is a well-known aircraft with a long history. It is a two seat aircraft capable of aerobatic maneuvers, featuring a tail wheel instead of the usual ‘tricycle’ gear featured on most light aircraft. It is reported that Mr. Fossett did not have a parachute, which is sometimes used in this aircraft, since he wasn’t fond of aerobatic maneuvers. It is also reported that he was wearing a sophisticated wristwatch that could be used as a personal locator beacon. Due to the rugged terrain and the potential for damage to any instruments during a difficult landing, objects of this nature may be rendered inoperable.

Since low altitude airborne search and rescue is inherently risky, the emphasis is always on safety.  Search  participants have been briefed on a variety of potential problems such as flying in mountainous terrain, radio procedures, turbulence, adverse weather and density altitude issues. Todays’ weather promises to be clear with wind being less of a factor until late afternoon ‘zephyr’ winds start down the east slopes of the Sierra.

Civil Air Patrol, the official Air Force Auxiliary, is a nonprofit organization with more than 64,000 members nationwide.  Volunteers perform search and rescue, homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies.  The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years.

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MEDIA INQUIRIES:Maj. Cynthia S.  Ryan, Public Information Officer, Nevada Wing CAP 775.853.4057 voice/fax  775.358.3700 NVWGCAPHQ  775.848.3072 mobile, ladybird53@sbcglobal.net. Trooper Chuck Allen, PIO NV OEM: 775.230.4921. Steve Suwe, NV Dept. of Corrections PIO: 775.297.2664. Sgt. Cheri Cramutolo, NV National Guard PIO:703.473.8893.  Capt. April Conway, NV National Guard PIO: 775.287.5592