Searchers remain hopeful of finding Fossett safe

Tuesday's search yielded no trace of pilot Stephen Fossett or

theCitabria he flew from the Flying M Ranch about 9 a.m. Monday, but

the search is ongoing and officials are hopeful. .

"He's been known to walk out 30 miles after an incident," said Cynthia

Ryan, information officer for the Nevada wing of the Civil Air Patrol.

"He's savvy and determined. We give him the highest odds."

Fossett had no emergency or survival gear in the plane, Ryan said.

Officials are searching a 600-square-mile area bordered approximately

by Yerington to the north and and the Mammoth airport to the south, 75

miles to the east of Yerington and 100 miles west of that point.

Three-man crews have flown almost 22 man-hours in Cessna 182s for the

search, complemented by two Air National Guard helicopters and a C-130

equipped with special infrared imaging equipment used in the Katrina

aftermath, officials said.

The C-130 and helicopters will complete today's search about 11 p.m,

and Civil Air Patrol planes will come in at sunset. The search will

resume in the morning, according to officials.

The California and Nevada highway patrols and California Civil Air

Patrol are helping with the search, said April Conway, spokeswoman for

the Air National Guard.