The Zen of Looking for Steve Fossett

Steve, dude, where did you go? What's it like there?

First of all, I'm afraid this is sort of a non-update update, in that as of this moment, there is no news at all about Mr. Fossett's whereabouts. We know about a lot of places where he's not literally more every second, but that's it so far in terms of progress. Unfortunately.

It's starting to look to some like he's just not there, dead or alive, which is obviously bad news because the search area is huge enough, and some are now afraid he may have strayed even further....they say his plane could have taken him deep into California, even into Oregon, or Arizona (groan!).

But as daunting as a further-expanded search would be, it's better than the more likely explanation; that (perhaps after a sudden massive stroke or heart attack, or perhaps due to the weird winds out there), he crashed hard into a lake or deep ravine, and may be forever unfindable.

As for other explanations, I've been reading a bit about Fossett, and I disagree with the frustrated people who speculate that he might have "disappeared himself on purpose". Yes, of course he had the means to do whatever he wanted, including disappear from the face of Google Earth , but if you know anything about Fossett you know he's one person who simply wouldn't have done this on purpose.

Why not?

Because for one thing, if he went "underground", Fossett could never again do any of the grand and heroic things he loves in life. A world land speed record attempt under an assumed identity? I don't think so.

And anyone who's seen his record-breaking attempts on the news knows this guy does not give up easily. He has set 116 land & air records, and was the first person to circle the globe in a balloon. But even though many of his pursuits ended in expensive failure, he was always undaunted, and he had this new land speed record project he was super-excited about.

No, I'm afraid he's gone for good, passed into something more amazing than anything he's seen so far... very likely dead before the actual crash or he would have radioed for help. He was (and the onsite searchers are) dealing with dangerous, wildly uneven, high desert terrain with very unpredictable wind conditions, challenging for flying on the best days.

The only "updates" are that ~

1. "suitable turbine helicopters with experienced pilots (are) still required" and
2. they finally posted a picture of his actual plane (below),

...the one we're looking for on Google Earth via Amazon Mechanical Turk.

Below, an example of a search site or "HIT"

For practice you can copy and paste the following address, 38.430862,-118.486862 , into the "Fly to" search window of Google Earth, hit "Enter" and it will open up that little assigned rocky patch of land shown in the picture above left. In Google Earth, you can zoom in to whatever the optimum height is for that area, sometimes about 1,500 feet, sometimes less, and search for Fossett in more detail. Although by now that particular site has already been searched online by someone else...

The picture below is an example of what his airplane might look like from about 1,500 feet, assuming it landed more-or-less intact and upright. Or maybe upside-down?

Again, here's the link and info if you'd like to sign up and help search. http://www.mturk.com/mturk/preview?groupId=9TSZK4G35XEZJZG21T60&kw=Flash

I signed up to help search online (what the heck) and so far have completed 50 HITS (Human Intelligence Tasks) for them, which means that I looked carefully via Google Earth at each of 50 different tiny square bits of land in the grid of the search area, one at a time, and reported each of my findings back to the computer program that assigns the tasks as I went along.

At first it wasn't particularly interesting because the topography in my first several assignments was pretty dull from above- flat and empty except for small trees. I didn't mind, though, but I guess I wanted at least a slight challenge, and at first it was like peering down at the land around Lubbock; easy to search but not much to look at, compared to the stuff I usually like to look at on Google Earth...
Not real exciting to search, is it? This is HIT # 38.518753,-118.536301.

But I was occasionally assigned more interesting and challenging areas to search; land with mountainous areas, deep canyons, creeks lined with (probably) tall trees, and little agricultural areas with interesting stuff to sort out and identify.

And after awhile I really got in the zone; there was a sort of Zen to the task. And the less challenging assignments were suddenly just as welcome, because they were quick to move through. I searched each little assigned piece of the Earth with real care and attention, moving unnecessarily slowly at first but becoming more efficient with practice.

Like I said, sometimes the terrain looked uninteresting, but other times the beauty and diversity was evident and this task gives the searcher plenty of time to explore and appreciate it. I always search well beyond each assigned square, mostly out of curiosity, before sending it back to the computer from whence it came, "Amazon Mechanical Turk".

Whether I found anything that might be an airplane or not (I haven't as yet), I click to report back about that HIT and the next assignment pops up; I accept it if I want to (I always have, even the "boring" ones), and start by pasting the site's geographic address in the "Fly to" search window of Google Earth and hit "Go" and we're off!

As Google Earth quickly takes me to the site of my new assignment, I feel like I'm flying over Nevada but without my usual petrifying aviatophobia , often to a far-flung, opposite part of the state, and I'm thinking "Wow! Now where am I going?" To me, it's a combination of a small adventure and opening a present, to see what that next piece of the Earth holds.

Patiently performing each surreal and yet very real task or HIT, I found myself centered and pleasantly balanced between openness to hope and yet utter detachment; I care about Mr. Fossett and his family, but all those "no luck" hits have yielded me no frustration or disappointment at all. None. Because for one thing, even those negative HITS helped the effort, confirming the elimination of another site within the search area where they need look no further. Plus there was always another fresh HIT offered, full of promise and sites to behold..

I guess for me this is a little like those Buddhist Monks who patiently make those intricately beautiful mandalas out of colored sand, knowing all the while that it won't last. You focus and just do your best, living utterly in the moment, no attachment to anything but the work itself and really not even that, just do the work. Breathe, and just

Be Here Now.

Not that I'd have one iota of the talent or patience to do what the Buddhist Monks do...but this search for Steve Fossett is an exercise that for me has a bit of that in it...

Anyway, a link follows to Steve Fossett's official website, which explains what led up to all this. http://www.stevefossett.com/ . There's a nice, hopeful letter from his wife didn't even know he had one, bless her heart, thanking everybody for helping.