Fossett nearing Point of No Return

U.S. adventurer Steve Fossett is winging his way up the East Coast of the North American continent and it appears that he'll reach his "Go/No-Go" decision point a bit earlier than expected.

Piloting the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, Fossett is cruising at an altitude of about 49,000 feet, starting to angle toward his ultimate destination. He's now east of the New England region of the U.S.

Chatting on a satellite telephone, Fossett told project officials that his situation is still "touch-and-go." He'll soon be reaching a point where he must make a decision on whether to proceed toward London or turn back toward a North American runway and abandon his attempt to set a new long-distance flight record.

That critical call now is expected to take place about 4 a.m. EST.

If he decides to go for it, landfall over Shannon, Ireland, still is expected about noon EST, with a landing at Kent International Airport east of London about 1:30 p.m. EST.