The Region - News from Dec. 1, 1986

Another test flight of Voyager, the experimental aircraft designed to make an unprecedented flight around the world from Mojave without refueling, was scheduled for today or Tuesday, assuming the winds die down. The spidery craft was being slowly loaded with 6,500 pounds of fuel for the five-hour flight. Designers of Voyager, meanwhile, expressed hope that the planned 12-day, 27,000-mile flight around the world could begin by the end of the week, before violent winter weather patterns set in. In the test flights, it is being loaded with graduated amounts of fuel to test its performance at different weights. For its round-the-world flight, Voyager will carry 9,000 pounds of fuel.