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Wednesday 8th February, 2006 American aviator eyes new round the world flight record

Two laptops have been stolen from offices used by a former police chief who is heading a probe into the death of Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997, a newspaper said Tuesday. The theft sparked fears that the equipment may contain material from Operation Paget, the investiga- Pilot tion headed by former Metropolitan American aviator Steve Fossett, who last year made the first solo nonstop trip around the world in an airplane, plans to take off Laptops stolen from offices Tuesday to set the record for the longest aircraft flight. Fossett will take command again of the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer to circumnavi- gate the globe one more time, this time investigating Diana car crash: report hoping to finish hundreds of miles further than anyone else. He plans to travel for 41,978 kilometers with Northumbria Police are investi- were linked to Lord Stevens’ work. pair separated 11 years later. Police Commissioner Lord John (26,084-miles) after taking off from NASA’s Stevens, the Daily Express said. gating two burglaries there in the Stevens has been investigating Diana, 36, her lover Dodi Fayed Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, However, a spokeswoman for the past 10 days, the newspaper said. speculation that the princess of and their chauffeur Henri Paul were Metropolitan said the computers did The first took place on the week- Wales’ death was not the result of a killed when they crashed in a Paris Florida, early Tuesday on a trip estimated not contain any sensitive information end of January 28 to 29 when the straightforward car accident. tunnel on August 31, 1997. to last 80 hours. If he can’t fly Tuesday, he or any material linked to the probe. computers and cash were taken. The The probe was ordered in 2004 by A two-year French investigation will try again this week. Lord Stevens, a former chief con- second took place last weekend, the royal coroner, Michael Burgess, blamed Paul for losing control of the Last March, Fossett, 61, landed in stable of Northumbria Police, has an when nothing was taken. amid continuing conspiracy theories. car because he was high on drink and Kansas after he flew around the globe office in Gosforth on the outskirts of Northumbria Police also said there Diana married Prince Charles, the prescription drugs and driving too alone for 67 hours, two minutes and 38 sec- Newcastle upon Tyne. Detectives was no evidence that the break-ins heir to the throne, in 1981 and the fast. (AFP) onds without stopping and refueling in a trip across 36,989 kilometers (22,927 miles). His newest adventure would take him 1,126 kilometers (700 miles) further than the 1999 around-the-world balloon trip by private eye charged with wiretapping Stallone Brian Jones, a Briton, and his Swiss partner Bertand Piccard on Breitling Orbiter III. It will also beat the distance set by and Jeana Yeager in their nine-day, non-stop trip without refueling around the world aboard the Voyager aircraft in 1986. That trip totaled 40,212 kilometers (24,987 miles). The thrill-seeking Fossett, who has set records in sailboats, gliders and hot-air bal- loons, said his next feat “will take me to the very edge of my ability and endurance.” After gliding around the globe, Fossett plans to arrive from the west, fly past Cape Canaveral and go over the Atlantic a sec- ond time before landing at Kent International Airport in Britain, near London. His route will vary according to the wind, Anthony Pellicano but Fossett plans to fly over central Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, China and southeast- ern Japan before going over the Pacific and reaching Mexico. The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer was designed by aviation legend , Elizabeth Taylo creator of SpaceShipOne, the first private manned rocketship to go into space in in the installation of wiretaps on the phones 2004. Rutan also designed the Voyager of several people that Pellicano had been flown by his brother Dick in 1986. hired to investigate. Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer is 13.4 meters The former private eye, who had recent- (44.1 feet) long and has a wing span of 34.7 ly finished serving a 30-month prison sen- tence for federal weapons violations, plead- meters (114 feet). In this week’s flight, it will ed not guilty at an arraignment Monday. carry eight tonnes of fuel and weigh a total Federal prosecutors accused Pellicano of of 9.98 tonnes. bugging the phones of “Rocky” star Fossett will fly at an altitude of 13,700 Stallone, veteran actor Keith Carradine, meters (45,000 feet) at a cruising speed of who has had several television and film 470 kilometers (292 miles) per hour in a trip roles, and former producer Aaron Russo. He was also accused of spying on jour- funded by British billionaire Richard Branson, himself a renowned thrill seeker. nalists from the Times, New York Times and local television station To prepare for the long flight, Fossett has KTLA. been on a diet that includes eggs to limit his LOS ANGELES, Feb 6, 2006 (AFP) - A charges accusing Pellicano of paying police A total of seven people were charged in bathroom needs. He will consume energy private detective who once worked for officers tens of thousands of dollars for con- the 110-count indictment unsealed Monday. drinks during his three-and-a-half-day trip. Pellicano pleaded guilty in 2003 to a Hollywood stars has been charged with fidential police information on several peo- Fossett will take several five-minute tapping the phones of Los Angeles bigwigs ple in connection with his private investiga- charge of possessing unregistered weapons such as actor Sylvester Stallone, authorities tions. — two hand grenades — and another of naps during the flight. The cockpit is said Monday. The indictment also accuses Pellicano, having C-4 military-grade explosives in his equipped with an alert system to rouse the Michael Jackson Anthony Pellicano, 61, and two associ- who had worked for stars such as and office when they were raided by police a pilot if he falls asleep. ates were indicted on federal Elizabeth Taylor, and others of involvement year earlier. (AFP) (AFP)