Balloonist admits landing 'pretty scary'

Balloonist Steve Fossett

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BIRDSVILLE, Australia (CNN) -- Tycoon adventurer Steve Fossett on Thursday became the first person to circle the Earth in a balloon when he landed safely in Australia after a 15-day journey.

Fossett, 58, who had failed to circumnavigate the globe in five earlier attempts, discussed his odyssey Thursday with CNN.

CNN: Was there a point in this mission when you thought you weren't going to arrive on the ground safely?

FOSSETT: I'd flown all night with the specific purpose of getting calm winds at daybreak, and daybreak comes, and it's still blowing 20 knots. So I had a lot of landing room, but it was still pretty scary coming in there. I was afraid that if I'd gotten injured during the initial part of this landing I wouldn't even be able to work on deflating the balloon. I'd just be dragging until I was hamburger.

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CNN: I understand the turbulence was strong enough to cause you to do a pretty good job of biting your lip up, and you also had to deal with a fire toward the end of the mission. Describe to us what went wrong.

FOSSETT: One of the fuel hoses to the burners came apart at the connection point and started spewing fuel, which immediately ignited. Fortunately I was awake. And I immediately jumped and turned off all the fuel tanks as a reaction and then discovered what the problem was.

But if I'd been asleep and that fire had been burning for 15 seconds, instead of five seconds, I think it would have burned through other hoses, and I would have been immolated.

CNN: As fatigued as you were, was there any point when you were panicked a little?

FOSSETT: Well, I'd completed the round-the-world mission, that is I'd crossed the same longitude where I'd started. And here I was flying another day and a half just to find a landing spot. And I was starting to feel really jinxed, and I thought, "You know, there's a real danger something's going to go really wrong here and totally ruin the whole thing." So I was just so happy that it was over, and I got on the ground safely uninjured.

CNN: This was your sixth attempt to circle the Earth, and you finally made it. Do you have any plans to get up in a balloon again any time soon?

FOSSETT: This brings to closure my entire distance ballooning career. I started with this idea 10 years ago. I've had to make six attempts to finally get this first solo done. It was the most important objective in ballooning. I'm entirely satisfied. I'm entirely happy, and now it's time for me to move on to other adventure sports.

CNN: What's the next adventure you plan to take on?

FOSSETT: My team is assembling now on the South Island of New Zealand, and I want to take a glider fly on the polar vortex wave that is created and fly to 62,000 feet -- the highest ever.

And for that we would wear space suits. And we have very good cooperation with NASA on this because there is a lot of scientific information to be learned on flight characteristics in the thin air.

CNN: Is there a record involved?

FOSSETT: Yes, I'd like to hold the altitude record in gliders, which is already 49,000 feet. But this also has a very genuine scientific purpose, and that's a bonus to be able to go for a record and make a contribution to the science of aeronautics at the same time.

CNN: What are you like when you have to sit still?

FOSSETT: I don't know. I don't sit still very much. I like to keep moving, something new all the time.