Damage Delays GlobalFlyer Aircraft's Arrival at NASA Spaceport

A mishap that caused considerable damage to a fuel-filled wing on the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer prompted record-setting pilot Steve Fossett to postpone plans to bring the craft to Kennedy Space Center this week.

Fossett had planned to fly the aircraft from Kansas to KSC on Friday. But one of the GlobalFlyer's wings was damaged after the plane was fueled for a test flight.

Fossett and his team are trying to determine how long it will take to repair the wing and retest the aircraft. It's unclear how long repairs will delay what is being billed as "The Ultimate Flight," an attempt to pilot GlobalFlyer on the longest airplane or balloon flight in history.

The GlobalFlyer was built by Scaled Composites, Inc., a California company headed by legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan. The aircraft is a single pilot, ultra-light aircraft designed for non-stop global circumnavigation.

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