The FAA has imposed a temporary flight restriction over the area being searched for Steve Fossett after a the pilot of a privately owned aircraft not formally engaged in the search began an impromptu sweep of the area on Friday. According to an Associated Press report, the pilot was contacted (by radio, we assume) and told whoever contacted him that he was trying to claim a $10,000 reward offered on the social networking Web site YouChoose.net for information leading to the discovery of Fossett. However, getting some stick time over the Nevada wilderness wasnt what YouChoose.net had in mind, nor did it please searchers. [more] “This freelance searching is not only dangerous, but will potentially result in the delay or cancellation of all air search missions for Mr. Fossett,” search organizers said in a written statement The Web site is indeed offering a $10,000 reward but its asking people to use their computers to access satellite imagery to help in the search, just like AVweb has been asking for a week now. And, like AVweb readers, YouChoose.net participants are finding things they think should be investigated. In the meantime, hope has faded that Fossett will be found alive, although the official word from the search coordinators is that this is still a rescue mission.
