And, because he's going north from around 30 degrees N to 51 degrees N, it isn't really a matter of saying x degrees to go. Maybe we need the x and y axes: 63 degrees E and 9 degrees N to go.
EARLIER, at 12.15pm AEST:
About half an hour ago, they passed the same longitude from which they took off: Cape Canaveral.
When I first checked-in this morning, the plane was over the middle of Texas (I'd just missed seeing Midland drop off the map). That seems to be around the time of the most recent update on their website. Fossett is quoted thusly:
"The decision of whether to go for it or turn back is looming, currently I would say the chances are no more than 50/50. I will have until around 11:30UTC, a couple of hours into the final leg across the Atlantic, when I reach the point of no return and will be forced to make this crucial decision."That's in around nine hours, at 9.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.
He's currently flying at a heading of about 44-46, which means pretty much due north-east. (North is zero, east is 90, south is 180, west is 270.) But the U.S. east coast also seems to curve to the north-east up to Cape Hatteras, so he's tracking along off-shore at present. My point is, I'd say he's already started the "final leg across the Atlantic", but maybe he doesn't consider himself to be going "across" yet until the coastline recedes.
EARLIER, at 10.00am AEST:
They're about as close to Pensacola, Florida, as they're ever going to get.
Apparently, he's altered his route; but I hadn't heard of the route they say he was originally going to take, so I don't know when this 'alteration' occurred.
87.87 degrees to go.
[END]
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