New World Newsfeed: Famous Balloonist Trains for World Record... with a Cubey Terra Wind Rider (Updated)

Recent dispatches from the outside world...

This news is several levels of cool:  Michio Kanda is a seasoned balloonist who holds the world record for longest duration balloon flight (50 hours and 38 minutes.)  He's now preparing to make a daring (deranged?) flight from Japan to North America; if successful, it'll establish yet another world record.  Trouble is, Kanda isn't fluent in English, a problem when he enters US/Canadian airspace.

To train him in language fluency, Japanese metaverse developer Social Minds created a simulated balloon flight system in Second Life, outfitted with transponder and altimeter heads-up display, with an Australian aviation expert manning the virtual control tower.   The balloon comes courtesy of Cubey Terra, who's been building SL-based aircraft since 2003.   Read more about it on Social Minds' blog, and from Cubey Terra himself, where I first gleaned this news.  Metaverse leveraged for language instruction and flight simulation and (if all goes well) setting a world record.  Godspeed, Kanda-san!

1/2: In Comments, Patchouli Woollahra notes some disturbing news: Michio Kanda and his balloon have gone missing somewhere near Alaska.

Comments

[Alexander Lapointe]

Interesting to see SL used for this. However, kinda misleading with the stats. For clarification, Kanda holds the distance record for a "hot air balloon." If the general "balloon" is used then Steve Fossett holds that record with a flight of 146hrs and 44mins.

[Patchouli Woollahra]

Things have gone pear-shaped, Hammy. :( Kanda-san has gone missing off the West Coast.

http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/feb/01/coast-guard-searches-missing-hot-air-balloonist/

Here's hoping he makes it out alive.

[Patchouli Woollahra]

Still no radar contact. Things not looking good.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004160560_webballoonist02.html

[Cubey]

It's now been about three days since his last check-in by satellite phone.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/01/japanese.balloonist/index.html?iref=newssearch

[Patchouli Woollahra]

You'd think he'd have fired off an emergency beacon by now. Assuming the worse is not really in my base nature, but I'm doing it now.

This vigil? DO NOT WANT.

[Patchouli Woollahra]

More updates on the search for Michio Kanda available now at the temporary blog here:

http://kandaupdate.wordpress.com/

I'm tiring of following this matter as closely as I have in recent days. No, not becoming callous, but trying to grow calluses, rather.