[Nehkara]

Search Underway For Steve Fossett

The 63-year-old who was the first person to solo around the world in a balloon, took off Monday at about 9 a.m. (noon ET) in good weather and had planned to return at noon, a CAP statement said.

The search for Fossett began about six hours later. Ryan said authorities are searching hundreds of miles of rugged terrain in western Nevada. They also are analyzing information from radar intelligence to try to track Fossett.

He was flying in a single-engine, Citabria Super Decathlon -- a plane capable of aerobatics -- with tail number N240R, according to CAP. Fossett, though, had no parachute, which is required for aerobatics.

Fossett holds the record for the first solo, non-stop, non-refueled airplane trip around the world, set in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer in 2005.

A year later he used GlobalFlyer again to break the world's flight distance record, traveling more than 26,000 miles in 76 hours.

In 2002, he achieved the first solo balloon flight around the world, traveling 20,626 miles in 14 days.

He's credited with 115 world records or world firsts, and holds official world records in five sports, according to his Web site.

Asked how long he'll keep going, Fossett answered, "I imagine that when I'm 80 years old and sitting in a wheelchair that I might do something like take a remote control airplane and try and fly it around the world. I plan to be setting and breaking records indefinitely."

Amazing man... I really hope he is alright and that he is found soon.