Salina ? Steve Fossett coaxed 23,000 miles out of his single-engine GlobalFlyer jet, and Kansas officials hope to get a few more miles out of his around-the-world flight by linking it to the state’s new tourism slogan, “Kansas, as big as you think.”

“We couldn’t afford that kind of exposure with our marketing budget,” said Matt Jordan, the Department of Commerce’s operations manager.

With last week’s 67-hour flight — the first without stopping or refueling by a solo pilot — hundreds of national and international journalists couldn’t help but mention Salina in discussing Fossett’s exploits. Many British reporters fumbled Salina’s name, as did billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, who financed Fossett’s flight and repeatedly called the city “Suh-LEE-nuh.”

“SUH-lie-nuh, SUH-lie-nuh, SUH-lie-nuh,” Branson quipped after being corrected by reporters. “I had never even heard of Salina, Kansas. After this, I hope that everyone in the world will know where Salina, Kansas is.”

Scott Allegrucci, state director of travel and tourism, said some British journalists were struck by Kansas’ open landscape as they flew on a Virgin Atlantic 747 to Salina.

“The impact of that was significant to them,” Allegrucci said.

Kansas spent $700,000 developing its new brand image, but the state’s tourism budget of $1.7 million is among the lowest in the nation. Media coverage helps maximize that investment, he said.

Virgin Atlantic estimated that 130 million Internet users followed the flight, along with 93 million television viewers as Fossett landed. Daytime soap operas were interrupted.

Steve Fossett lands his GlobalFlyer on March 3 at Salina Municipal Airport as he completes his record-setting flight around the world. Kansas tourism officials are hopeful the successful flight will boost the state's image.

At the Salina Airport Authority, telephones have been ringing ever since Fossett and his team picked the city to accommodate the flight.

“It really demonstrated our capacity to support world-class business and events,” said Tim Rogers, the authority’s executive director. “It means a bright future for Salina and the aviation industry of Kansas.”

GlobalFlyer’s influence especially will be felt as companies create products using technology developed for Fossett’s flight, Allegrucci said.

The aviation industry employs more than 30,000 workers in Kansas, and Wichita is home to the National Institute for Aviation Research, with crash-test laboratories and wind and water tunnels for aerodynamic testing.