Fossett and his flight crew agreed this afternoon to keep the GlobalFlyer in the air rather than abandoning the record-setting attempt and turning back for a landing in Japan.

Later, as he passed Hawai'i about 6 p.m., he and his team decided to press on to the U.S. mainland, some seven hours away.

The flight by the Islands is being closely watched in Hawai'i.

"This is one of the last unique aviation challenges left," said Mac Smith, assistant chief flight instructor at Flight School Hawai'i Inc. in Honolulu. "I'm hoping only good luck for (Fossett). It really is a very difficult undertaking."

Greg Kahlstorf, president of Pacific Wings airline, said he appreciates the adventure of it all.

"It's kind of inspiring that there's just a little bit of Amelia Earhart left in this world," Kahlstorf said. "My typical adventure is waiting to see if Pizza Hut comes in 30 minutes."

As he headed into daylight east of Japan, Fossett told reporters, "I'm better than I was yesterday."

Once the GlobalFlyer reached Hawai'i, it completed a critical transfer of fuel from outer tanks to the plane's center booms.

Project manager Paul Moore said the crew had been forced to assume that 2,600 pounds of the original 18,100 pounds of fuel "disappeared" early in the flight.

It was not clear whether the problem was with the instruments that track how much fuel remains or if some fuel had been lost because of a leak, Fossett's team said.

Fossett, 60, still might be able to finish the flight on his original path, if a tail wind in the jet stream remains strong enough to push him across the Pacific. Karkow said if the fuel runs out, Fossett could glide about 200 miles before having to land.

Before the fuel problem was discovered, Fossett had estimated he would complete the 23,000-mile journey around midday today. He took off Monday from Salina, Kan.