Fossett sets odds of finishing at 50-50

Flying 51,000 feet over Big Spring, Texas, with his fuel supplies dwindling, American adventurer Steve Fossett said he has about a 50-50 chance of finishing what would be the longest flight in aviation history.

"The decision of whether to go for it or turn back is looming," Fossett told colleagues at Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer Mission Control in London. "Currently I would say the chances are no more than 50-50."

Fossett plans to make landfall over Florida at St. Petersburg about 9:15 p.m. and then will exit out over the Atlantic Ocean near Kennedy Space Center about 45 minutes later.

He'll be flying at an altitude of about 50,000 feet in dark night skies, so the airplane would be difficult if not impossible to see with the naked eye.

At that point, though, Fossett will have completed his second solo circumnavigation of the world, tallying 22,383 miles in the process. He became the first to fly solo around the world in an aircraft last March.

Fossett has altered the course he will take on the final leg of his journey, but project officials now say he still will remain close enough to the East Coast of the U.S. that he could abort the mission and head for a runway if problems crop up.

The plan then calls for Fossett to turn to the east near Newfoundland, Canada, and head out into the middle of the Atlantic.

A decision on whether to continue or turn back must be made by around 6:30 a.m. EST Saturday in order to have enough fuel to return to a North American runway if necessary. That's a troubling prospect for Fossett.

"It would be devastating to have to ditch the ultimate distance record when I am in the home straight," he said.

If all goes well and fuel supplies hold out, Fossett aims to land at Kent International Airport outside London about 1:30 p.m. EST Saturday.