Adventurer Steve Fossett has reached the US as he pushes on with his bid to make the longest, non-stop flight in aviation history.

After arriving just after 1900 GMT, he is now heading for Florida, where he must decide if his Virgin GlobalFlyer has enough fuel to cross the Atlantic.

Mission engineers’ calculations suggest it could be touch and go.

There was a 50% chance he might have to abandon the record attempt, Mr Fossett told the BBC from his cockpit.

“We calculate that I just barely have enough fuel to make the coast of England,” he said.

“In fact, if we’ve miscalculated at all, I would end up in the water; so I’m going to take a very difficult decision when I reach Florida before I head out over the Atlantic.”

Ireland option

The 61-year-old American is trying to crack the record set in 1986 by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager.

They clocked 40,212km (24,987 miles) during a non-stop, non-refuelled flight in their Voyager aircraft.

In his bid to eclipse that mark, Mr Fossett set out from the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday for Kent International Airport in the UK – a journey that would take him around the world once and across the Atlantic twice.

But a leak from the fuel tanks during the ascent to cruising altitude means the aviator may now have to land early.

“If I am truly short of fuel, Ireland is closer than England; and I will still have the longest distance flight, whether I land in Ireland or England,” he explained.

Decision time will come in the next few hours.

Assuming he does have sufficient reserves to complete the epic journey, landfall over Ireland would occur at about 1730 GMT on Saturday; a landing at Manston in Kent would follow around 1830 GMT.

Track record

The flight has proved quite a struggle so far. High cockpit temperatures, turbulence and lack of sleep have tested the experienced airman to the limit.

Sixty-one-year-old Mr Fossett is no stranger to adventure and has set 109 records is many sporting fields, including yachting and ballooning.

Last year, the former stockbroker became the first person to fly solo, non-stop around the world without refuelling, a feat accomplished in 67 hours and one minute.

It was the amount of fuel left in his experimental GlobalFlyer at the end of the journey that convinced Mr Fossett the longest-distance flight record could also be won.

Sponsor, friend and fellow adventurer Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin empire, said of the latest challenge: “This is a huge achievement, especially under the circumstances.

“The conditions Steve has been through have been extreme to say the least, coping with severe turbulence, extreme heat and no sleep,” he added.

“I have always suspected that Steve was half human, half android and after what he’s been through, I believe I may be right. We will have to get his DNA tested when he gets back.”

(1) Fuel tanks – Gross weight is 10 tonnes; empty weight is 1.5t
(2) Engine – Williams FJ44-3 ATW (10,200 Newtons of thrust)
(3) Cockpit – Pressurised and large enough for pilot to lie down
Length – 11.7m; Height – 3.6m; Wingspan – 35m
Speed – in excess of 460km/h; 290mph; 250 knots

Source: BBC | Mission Control