Searchers rushed to the scene of another promising lead in the hunt for Steve Fossett today only to find the latest in a series of previous wrecks. Over the past week, at least six old wrecks have been spotted by searchers, proof that the crews are doing a thorough job of combing the area, according to search coordinator Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia Ryan. She told reporters Sunday that the search is now being redirected to the immediate area surrounding the Hilton Ranch where Fossett took off a week ago in a Super Decathlon belonging to the ranch. Reports today said he carried only one canteen of water. Meanwhile, thousands of people all over the world have joined the satellite search for Fossett, many of them AVweb readers.
On Saturday, DigitalGlobe and other providers supplied Google Earth with fresh images of the search area and that allowed Amazon.com to activate the Mechanical Turk, which allows individuals to scan small areas depicted in satellite imagery. There have been numerous discoveries, which are being analyzed by imagery specialists. Ryan told reporters Sunday that while the help is appreciated, it’s hard to imagine that Google Earth will find something that military and intelligence satellites also tasked to the area won’t spot.
