"He's going to make it"

Confidence is growing today near London, where the GlobalFlyer team and many supporters are gathered waiting for Steve Fossett's arrival.

Fossett and GlobalFlyer are approaching the United Kingdom now and it's becoming clear that he will break the record.

Jim Ball, spaceport development manager at Kennedy Space Center, is there. He says this morning the flight is in great shape and the team is confident he'll make it to Kent International Airport outside London. Ball says there's a crosswinds issue at the runway that is under discussion, but it does not seem serious.

"He's going to make it!" Ball said in a telephone call from London this morning.

Fossett also could land in Ireland as a backup plan. Either way, he'll have more than broken the record for the longest flight in aviation history.