Is there a way to speed up time just a little bit?

Let's say a large UFO is detected but I only have poorly equipped interceptors in the area. I have a Firestorm with plasma cannons in transfer, but it's going to take another few hours to get to that continent.

Clicking "Scan for Activity" guarantees that I'm going to miss the UFO, but I'm also not a fan of either losing an interceptor just to show I did something with the UFO or sitting there staring at the clock waiting for hours to go by.

Can I/how do I change how fast time goes by without clicking "Scan for Activity"?