Meanwhile thousands of other crash sites remain undiscovered throughout the world with less known names. Fossett could be admired both for having fun on a grand scale, and the ability to have that fun.But to put things in perspective, he no more contributed to aviation advances than all race car drivers since the invention of the rear view mirror.
Lindberg was preceeded by Alcock and Brown, themselves eclipsing the first atlantic flight by navy Seaplane. Lindberg himself wrote how groundbreaking those naval ( and one Coast Guard) pilots were, flying with far less technological advances carried in his small Ryan aircraft.
Antoine de Saint- Exupery's death was long a mystery. Rumour of suicide and other theorys floated around for years until the wreckage was found, and a few assembled facts gave the most plausible, and still sad explanation.
In the end,with or without fancy watches, reputations or money, ' You can't cheat the mountain.' Fossey or Kennedy, there is a time to sit in the airport cafe drinking coffee. And when no answers are forthcoming, just do what french mothers told their children when the WW1 ace georges Guynemer vanished. " He flew so high he couldn't come back down."