Two days later, Steve Fossett’s friends still wait in hope

Relatives and admirers of millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett are hoping his grit and experience will serve him well as rescuers search for his small plane in rugged mountains

Relatives and admirers of millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett are hoping his grit and experience will serve him well as rescuers search for his small plane in rugged mountains, sagebrush-filled desert and steep ravines.

Fossett’s single-engine vanished Monday as he was scouting dry lake beds in western Nevada, apparently to set a world land speed record.

“Steve is a tough old boot. I suspect he is waiting by his plane right now for someone to pick him up,” said Sir Richard Branson, the UK billionaire who has helped finance many of Fossett’s adventures. “Based on his track record, I feel confident we’ll get some good news soon.”

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The plane — a Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon — carried a locator that sends a satellite signal after a rough landing, but no such signal had been received.

An aerial search Tuesday that included 14 aircraft conducted grid searches over 7,500 square miles — an area larger than Connecticut — but intended to concentrate on 600 square miles when the search resumes.

Fossett, the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon, took off alone Monday morning from an airstrip at hotel magnate Barron Hilton’s Flying M Ranch, about 70 miles southeast of Reno. A friend reported him missing when he didn’t return.

Civil Air Patrol Major Cynthia Ryan would not speculate about how many days someone might survive in the terrain, but she and longtime associates of the 63-year-old adventurer said he had proven survival skills.