Steve Fossett, the man behind the record breaking Playstation/Cheyenne maxi-cat is missing.

The following report is from the Chicago Tribune:

Chicago businessman Steve Fossett, the adventurer millionaire who routinely has defied death in his pursuit of aviation records and conquests ranging from scaling some of the world’s tallest mountains to swimming the length of the Golden Gate bridge at night, remained missing late Tuesday, more than a day after his plane vanished into the unforgiving Nevada desert.

More than a dozen rescue aircraft launched a grid search of the craggy, remote terrain near the western Nevada ranch from which Fossett took off Monday morning on what was to have been an easy three-hour flight.

Searchers had little clue as to where the world-famous aviator may be because he hadn’t filed a flight plan before takeoff. They flew close to the uneven earth, peering into “nooks and crannies,” according to Maj. Cynthia Ryan of the Nevada Civil Air Patrol, which is participating in the search for Fossett.

At the Chicago office of Larkspur Securities Inc., one of the companies headed by the trading genius who made much of his fortune on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the mood was grim on Tuesday afternoon. Employees did little other than wait for updates on their lost boss.

“We learned about what’s happening this morning from his wife,” said Brian Spaeth, who has worked for Fossett for more than five years. “She sounded very panicky. We’re all just sitting here now, waiting for news. We’re basically just waiting, and hoping.”

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