• by David Kaplan , February 1, 2005

Discovery Networks has entered into a partnership with Northern Ireland independent Brian Waddell Productions Ltd. to co-produce a documentary on aviator Steve Fossett's upcoming attempt to complete the first solo non-stop flight around the world in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.

Virgin will be the primary advertiser associated with the forthcoming series, which chronicles the flight, a Discovery spokeswoman said. Meanwhile, as part of its travels, local advertising support will also be negotiated as the series air date is set, she said.

BWPL has acquired exclusive behind-the-scenes access on behalf of Discovery to film this event for broadcast later this year on the Travel Channel in the United States and Discovery Channel in international markets outside the United States.

Fossett's aircraft, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, will depart from Salina, Kansas as early as February 8 to travel a distance of 25,000 miles at 45,000 feet in excess of 250 knots (285 mph) during the estimated 67-hour flight around the planet.

To capture every detail, a documentary crew will shadow the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer throughout its journey in a seven-seater chase plane. A camera will also be positioned on the tailfin of the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, and a second camera in the cockpit will allow Fossett to create his own video diary of the flight, providing Discovery viewers with the exclusive inside track on the highs and lows of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

A second crew will be installed at mission control in Salina, where they will track Virgin Atlantic Chairman Sir Richard Branson as he communicates with Fossett during the flight. After taking off from Kansas, the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer will follow the jet stream across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom. From there, the aircraft will head south to the Mediterranean, through the Persian Gulf to Pakistan, India, and Japan--and then across the Pacific on the last leg of the journey back to home base in Salina. The provisional flight path for the chase plane containing the documentary crew will be Kansas, Boston, London, Athens, Dubai, Delhi, Shanghai, Tokyo, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and Kansas.

"It's very likely that there will be local promotions involving all of those locations," the Discovery spokeswoman said.