RENO, Nev., Sept. 6 (UPI) -- The search in Nevada for U.S. aviation great Steve Fossett expanded Thursday to 10,000 square miles of the land he loved to fly.
Fossett, 63, went missing Monday while flying a single-engine aircraft. The Nevada Civil Air Patrol has been flying three helicopters and seven fixed wing aircraft since, in a search that initially was said to cover 600 square miles, The Reno (Nev.) Journal-Gazette reported Thursday.
The much larger search includes places where Fossett could have flown after taking off from a Nevada airstrip in a single-engine plane with a full tank of fuel, CNN said.
More counties have contributed equipment, aircraft and boats, said a spokesman for Nevada's Department of Public Safety. The department's Division of Emergency Management is coordinating the search.
Fossett has numerous firsts and records to his name, including being the first to fly a hot-air balloon solo around the world.
He reportedly set out Monday searching for a suitable salt flat site to attempt a land speed record.
