With dozens of aircraft scouring the Nevada desert, and thousands of Internet volunteers perusing fresh satellite images for a clue, the hunt goes on for missing adventurer Steve Fossett. Hundreds of airplanes are heading to nearby Reno for this week’s air races, raising concern that ad hoc searchers might go looking in the desert — and perhaps end up lost themselves. “I’d just ask [the pilots] to give us a wide berth,” Nevada Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia Ryan told reporters on Monday. “Don’t try to fly in and assist unannounced.” But more trained searchers are needed. Mark Marshall, who is coordinating flight operations from Barron Hilton’s Flying M Ranch, where Fossett took off on Sept. 3, has posted a request online looking for turbine helicopters and experienced mountain pilots.
Additional trained SAR observers are also needed. “You will need to make your own way to the ranch,” Marshall wrote. “Accommodation is still tight, so you will need a tent and sleeping bag or similar — and a commitment to stay for some time if necessary.”
