Record Flights Around the World
First Flight Around the World by Group of Aircraft
Douglas World Cruiser (DWC) – On 4 April 1924 four aircraft from US Army Air Service built by Douglas Aircraft Company made the first attempt to fly around the world. Christened Boston, Chicago, New Orleans and Seattle, the four biplanes took off from Seattle, Washington for the record attempt. Seattle crashed on a mountain in Alaska but the crew managed to survive to safety, Boston was forced down in the Atlantic crossing leaving the other two airplanes that completed the flight around the world 175 days after. Chicago and New Orleans landed back at Seattle on 28 September 1924 with pilots Lt. Lowell H. Smith (Chicago) and Leslie P. Arnold (New Orleans).
First Flight around the World by Single Aircraft / First Solo Flight Around the World by Aircraft
Lockheed Vega Winnie Mae – This reliable aircraft by Lockheed launched Wiley Post on his attempt to fly around the world which started 23 June 1931 when he took off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York with his navigator Harold Gatty. They arrived back completing the flight in 01 July 1931 on a flight which took 8 days, 15 hours and 51 minutes. On 16 July 1933, compelled by ample budget to start an aeronautical school; Wiley Post repeated this feat to raise funds (for the flight school) alone on the same plane equipped with autopilot device and radio direction finder, the devices having just completed final stages of manufacture from Sperry Gyroscope Company. With newly installed equipment replacing the navigator, Post completed another flight around the world solo after 7 days and 19 hours, beating his previous record less of 21 hours.
First Non-stop Flight Around the World Without Refuelling
Rutan Voyager Aircraft – Also referred as the Rutan Model 76 Voyager aircraft, it took off from Edwards Air Force Base in Mojave, California on 14 December 1986 with pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager achieving an unrefueled non-stop flight around the world that took them airborne for 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds until they landed back at Mojave 23 December 1986.
First Solo Non-stop Jet Flight Around the World Without Refuelling
Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer – A joint effort between Steve Fossett an American businessman, aviator, sailor, adventurer with many record titles to his name and Burt Rutan who designed and built the aircraft through his company Scaled Composites and sponsored by Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways resulted in the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer. Steve Fossett who owned the aircraft which was powered by a single turbofan engine mounted on a manned central fuselage of a twin tail boomed aircraft design comparative to a P-38 Lightning piloted it for 2 days 19 hours 1 minute and 46 seconds taking off from Salina, Kansas on 28 February 2005 and landed back on 3 March 2005 beating the previous record of the Voyager.
