Richard Branson with Jon Karkow, chief GlobalFlyer engineer, with the plane in the background. Photograph: Jane Perrone
I am in Salina, Kansas to report on Steve "Phileas"Fossett's GlobalFlyer record attempt. His reserve pilot and sponsor Richard Branson is calling the the last great aviation record: Fossett will attempt to fly a specially-designed and built plane around the world, solo, in 80 hours. For more details about the challenge, including our interactive guide, visit our special report.
It's 6am here and the latest estimate is that the plane will take off between 4pm and 6pm local time, which is 10pm to midnight GMT. I'll be providing regular blog posts and news updates, so keep checking back for details.
