Voyager"On December 14, 1986, Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan took off from Edwards Air Force Base, in California's Mojave Desert, on their history-making flight--the first to circle the globe nonstop without refueling. The flight required almost superhuman physical and psychological effort--the two pilots spending nine days in an unpressurized cockpit, 3 1/2 feet wide by 7 feet long. The plane weighed less than an automobile (2,000 pounds empty) and carried 1,200 gallons of fuel. The nine-day flight took them west over the Pacific through violent winds and turbulences, through life-threatening mechanical failures, at times over forbidden countries. Both pilots experienced high spirits and exhausting emotional letdowns--until finally, on December 23, 48 hours ahead of schedule, Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan completed the circle with their triumphal landing. Now they tell in vivid detail what it was like to make the flight, what happened during the years of dreaming, planning, and hard work that culminated in the triumph of Voyager, and what it was in their own lives that led them to their extraordinary partnership and undertaking. They take us from their growing-up years (he, racing motorcycles and learning to fly at fifteen; she, isolated, shy, but most of all fearless, from a very early age making horses the center of her life and training the 'untrainable'); through his years as a fighter jock, volunteering for 105 missions over North Vietnam; through her years of training to be the first woman in space (the project, privately funded, was ultimately abandoned); to their fateful meeting at an airshow in California, which led to the 'wild idea' of a revolutionary aeronautic exploit and to its fulfillment. We follow them through the years of grueling effort, of alternating setbacks and successes; through the struggle to raise funds to keep the project alive without any government support; through the building and testing of Voyager; to the ultimate completion of their great adventure. A fantastic story of two extraordinary spirits, and of a classic American against-all-odds achievement."--Dust jacket. |
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Air Force aircraft airplane asked autopilot began Bruce building Burt called close clouds coast coming course Dick didn't Edwards engine everything feel feet felt figured finally flew flight front fuel gave gear getting going ground half hand hangar happened hard head idea Jeana keep knew landing later learned lives looked Mike miles minutes mission Mojave move needed never night numbers once pilot pitch plane planned problem prop pulled pushed radio ready record rolled running runway seemed side sleep sort speed started stay stopped sure takeoff talk tank tell thing thought told took trailer tried trying turned Voyager wait wanted watch weather weight whole wind wing worried