Flight endurance record

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
The longest non-stop solo airplane flight in history (4 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes) was achieved by André Borschberg in the Swiss solar airplane Solar Impulse.[1]

The flight endurance record is the longest amount of time an aircraft of a particular category spent in flight without landing. It can be a solo event, or multiple people can take turns piloting the aircraft, as long as all pilots remain in the aircraft. The limit initially was the amount of fuel that could be stored for the flight, but aerial refueling extended that parameter. Due to safety concerns, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) no longer recognizes new records for the duration of manned airplane or glider flights and has never recognized any duration records for helicopters.

Aeroplane

Non-refueled, manned

Duration (hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilots Aircraft Comments Reference
216:03:44 December 14–23, 1986 Edwards Air Force Base, circumnavigation Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager Rutan Voyager [2]
117:51:00 June 28 to July 3, 2015 Nagoya, Japan – Kalaeloa Airport, Hawaii, United States (8263 kilometres) André Borschberg Solar Impulse 2 Solar plane, without any fuel; also longest solo airplane flight of any type [1][3]
84:32:00 May 25–28, 1931 Jacksonville, Florida Walter Edwin Lees and Frederic Brossy Bellanca J-2 Last record recognized by FAI [4]
75:23:07 February 26 to March 1, 1931 La Sénia, Algeria Lucien Bossoutrot and Maurice Rossi Blériot 110 [5]
67:13:55 May 30 to June 2, 1930 Montecelio, Italy Umberto Maddalena and Fausto Cecconi Savoia-Marchetti S.64 [6]
65:25:00 July 5–7, 1928 Dessau, Germany Johann Risztics and Wilhelm Zimmermann Junkers W 33 Also surpassed the refueled record [7]
52:22:31.8 August 3–5, 1927 Dessau, Germany Cornelius Edzard and Johann Risztics Junkers W 33 [8]
51:11:25 April 12–14, 1927 Long Island, New York Clarence Duncan Chamberlin and Bertrand Blanchard Acosta Wright-Bellanca WB-2 "Columbia" [9]
45:11:59 August 7–9, 1925 Chartres, France Maurice Drouhin and Jules Landry Farman F.60 Goliath [10]
37:59:10 July 16–17, 1924 Chartres, France Etienne Coupet and Maurice Drouhin Farman F-60 Also surpassed the refueled record [11]
36:04:34 April 16–17, 1923 Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio Oakley George Kelly and John Arthur Macready Fokker T-2 [12]
34:14:07 October 14–15, 1922 Le Bourget, France Lucien Bossoutrot and Robert Drouhin Farman F.60 Goliath [13]
26:19:35 December 29–30, 1921 Roosevelt Field, New York;[14] FAI record says Jacksonville, Florida Edward A. Stinson and Lloyd Bertaud Junkers-Larsen JL-6 First record recognized by FAI [15]
24:19:07 June 3–4, 1920 Ville Sauvage la Dordogne, France Lucien Bossoutrot and Jean Bernard Farman F.60 Goliath [16]
24:12:00 July 10–11, 1914 Johannisthal Air Field near Berlin, Germany Reinhold Böhm Albatros biplane [17][18]
21:49:00 June 28–29, 1914 Johannisthal Air Field near Berlin, Germany Werner Landmann Albatros biplane [19]
13:22:00 September 11, 1912 Étampes airfield in France Alexandre Fourny (Fourney) Maurice Farman MF-2 [20][21]
11:01:29 September 1, 1911 Buc, France Alexandre Fourny (Fourney) Maurice Farman biplane [22][23]
08:12:45 December 18, 1910 Étampes airfield in France Henri Farman Maurice Farman biplane [24]
06:01:00 October 28, 1910 Buc, France Maurice Tabuteau Maurice Farman MF-2 [25]
05:03:05 July 10, 1910 Reims, France Jan Olieslagers Blériot monoplane [25][26]
04:17:35 November 3, 1909 Mourmelon-le-Grand, France Henri Farman H. Farman [27]
02:18:33.6 December 31, 1908 Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, France Wilbur Wright Wright Model A [28]
01:54:00.4 December 18, 1908 Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, France Wilbur Wright Wright Model A [28]
01:31:25.8 September 21, 1908 Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, France Wilbur Wright Wright Model A [28]
01:14:20 September 12, 1908 Fort Myer, Virginia Orville Wright Wright Model A [29]
01:10:24 September 11, 1908 Fort Myer, Virginia Orville Wright Wright Model A [29]
01:05:52 September 10, 1908 Fort Myer, Virginia Orville Wright Wright Model A [29]
01:02:15 September 9, 1908 Fort Myer, Virginia Orville Wright Wright Model A [29]
00:59:23.8 October 5, 1905 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Wilbur Wright Wright Flyer III [30]
00:33:17 October 4, 1905 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Orville Wright Wright Flyer III [30]
00:26:11.2 October 3, 1905 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Orville Wright Wright Flyer III [30]
00:19:56 September 29, 1905 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Orville Wright Wright Flyer III [30]
00:18:11.4 September 26, 1905 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Wilbur Wright Wright Flyer III [30]
00:05:41 September 12, 1905 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Wilbur Wright Wright Flyer III [30]
00:05:04 November 9, 1904 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Wilbur Wright Wright Flyer II [31]
00:01:38 October 14, 1904 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Orville Wright Wright Flyer II [31]
00:01:35.8 September 20, 1904 Huffman Prairie, Ohio Wilbur Wright Wright Flyer II [31]
00:00:59 December 17, 1903 Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Wilbur Wright Wright Flyer [32]
00:00:12 December 17, 1903 Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Orville Wright Wright Flyer First flight [32]

Refueled, manned

The Cessna 172, used by Robert Timm and John Cook, hanging in McCarran Airport.
The aircraft Curtiss Robin "St. Louis" during the record flight July 13–30, 1929, St. Louis, Missouri.
Duration (dd:hh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilots Aircraft Comments Reference
64:22:19:05 December 4, 1958, to February 7, 1959 McCarran Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada Robert Timm and John Cook Cessna 172, Hacienda Refueled from moving truck on ground [33]
50:00:18:20 August 2, 1958, to September 21, 1958 Dallas, Texas Jim Heth and Bill Burkhart Cessna 172, The Old Scotsman Refueled from moving truck on ground [34][35]
46:20:00:00 August 24 to October 10, 1949 Yuma, Arizona Bob Woodhouse and Woody Jongeward Aeronca Sedan, City of Yuma Attempted to persuade government officials to reopen Yuma Army Air Field [36]
42:00:02:00 March 15 to April 26, 1949 Fullerton, California Dick Riedel and Bill Barris Aeronca Sedan, Sunkist Lady [37]
30:06:00:00 October 1–30, 1939 Long Beach, California Wes Carroll and Clyde Schlieper Piper Cub seaplane, Spirit of Kay [38][39]
27:05:34:00 June 4 to July 1, 1935 Meridian, Mississippi Brothers Al and Fred Key Curtiss Robin, Ole Miss Invented a spill-free mid-air refueling nozzle [40]
23:01:41:30 June 11 and July 4, 1930 Chicago, Illinois Brothers John and Kenneth Hunter Stinson SM-1 Detroiter [41]
17:12:17:00 July 13–30, 1929 St. Louis, Missouri Dale Jackson and Forest O'Brine Curtiss Robin [42]
10:06:43:32 July 2–12, 1929 Culver City, California Loren W. Mendell and Roland B. Reinhart Buhl Airsedan, Angeleno [43][44]
07:06:00:00 June 30 to July 6, 1929 Cleveland, Ohio Roy Mitchell and Byron K. Newcomb Single engine monoplane named The City of Cleveland Not recognized as an official record by FAI because it did not exceed previous record by at least 1%. [45]
07:04:31:01 May 19–26, 1929 Ft. Worth, Texas Reginald Robbins and James Kelly Mahoney -Ryan Aircraft Ryan Monoplane B-1 Brougham named Fort Worth [46]
06:15:40:00 January 1–7, 1929 Van Nuys Airport, California Maj. Carl Spaatz, Capt. Ira Eaker, 1st Lt. Harry A. Halverson, 2nd Lt. Elwood Quesada, and Sgt. Roy W. Hooe Atlantic-Fokker C2A named Question Mark [47]
02:12:07:00 June 1–4, 1928 Tirlemont, Belgium Louis Crooy and Sgt. Victor Groenen De Havilland DH-9 [48]
01:13:15:14 August 27–28, 1923 Rockwell Field, California Capt. Lowell Smith and 1st Lt. John Paul Richter De Havilland DH-4B First refueled flight to surpass the non-refueled record [49]

Airline, scheduled

Not an FAI category. See Non-stop flight.

Duration (hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilots Aircraft Comments Reference
32:09:00 1943–1945 Swan River, Nedlands, Western Australia to Lake Koggala, Sri Lanka several Qantas crews Qantas Consolidated PBY Catalina Called "The Double Sunrise" (c.3500 mi.)

271 crossings

 [50]
24:56:12 August 10–11, 1938 Berlin-Staaken to Floyd Bennett Field, New York Dipl.-Ing. Alfred Henke (flight captain), captain Rudolf von Moreau (second pilot), Paul Dierberg (operator) and Walter Kober (radio operator) Deutsche Luft Hansa Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor (c.4000 mi.) [51]
23:19:00 October 1–2, 1957 London to San Francisco ? TWA Lockheed Constellation L-1649A (c.5350 mi.)

Aeroplane, unmanned

Duration (hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilot Aircraft Comments Reference
336:22:08 July 9–23, 2010 Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona Unmanned QinetiQ Zephyr 7 [52]
121:23:34 October 18-23, 2017 Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia Unmanned Vanilla Aircraft VA001 [53]
81:24:10 July 14–17, 2015 Rafz, Switzerland Unmanned AtlantikSolar AS-2 [54]
55:56:14 November 30-December 2, 2016 Las Cruces, New Mexico Unmanned Vanilla Aircraft VA001 Current FAI ratified Class U-1.c record [55]
30:24:01 March 20–21, 2001 Edwards Air Force Base, California Unmanned Northrop Grumman RQ-4A Global Hawk [56]

Helicopter

Manned, non-refueled

Duration (hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilot Aircraft Comments Reference
15:08:00 April 6, 1966 Culver City, California to Ormond Beach, Florida (2,213.04 mi) Robert G. Ferry Hughes YOH-6A As a nonstop non-refueled trip this flight also holds the record for the longest distance flown in a helicopter without landing. FAI category: "Great circle distance, without landing". [57]

Unmanned

Duration (hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilot Aircraft Comments Reference
18:41:28 May 15, 2008 Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona Unmanned Boeing A160 Hummingbird [58]

Free balloon, manned

Duration (hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilot Aircraft Comments Reference
477:47:00 March 1–21, 1999 Château-d'Œx, Switzerland; circumnavigation Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones Breitling Orbiter 3 [59]
355:50:00 June 19 – July 3, 2002 Northam, WA (Australia) circumnavigation Steve Fossett Cameron Balloons R-550 (N277SF) Longest solo flight in any type of aircraft [60]
268:20:00 July 12–23, 2016 Northam, WA Australia; circumnavigation Fedor Konyukhov Cameron Balloons R-550 Shortest time around the world [61]
82:05:00 September 9–12, 1995 Wil, Switzerland to Lucincik, Ukraine (1.395,4 km) Johann Fuerstner and Gerald Stuerzlinger D-OSTZ Graf Zeppelin 3rd place in Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race [62]

Airship

Duration (hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilot Aircraft Comments Reference
264:12:00 March 4 to March 15, 1957 Naval Air Station South Weymouth, Mass. to Naval Air Station Key West, Fla. Cmdr. Jack. R. Hunt "Snowbird" ZPG-2 via Europe, Africa [63]
71:00:00 October 29 to November 1, 1928 Lakehurst, NJ to Friedrichshafen, Germany Hugo Eckener LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin [64]

Glider

Duration (hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Pilot Aircraft Comments Reference
71:05:00 July 28–30, 1961 Honolulu, Hawaii Geza Vass and Guy Davis [65]
56:15:00 April 2–4, 1952 Romanin les Alpilles near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France Charles Atger Arsenal Air 100 [66]

Spacecraft, manned

Duration that a specific person continuously occupies the spacecraft while in orbit

Duration (ddd:hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Astronaut Aircraft Comments Reference
437:17:58:17 January 8, 1994, to March 22, 1995 Low Earth orbit; Baikonur Cosmodrome to near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan Valeri Polyakov Russian space station Mir [67]

Aerospacecraft, orbital, manned

Duration (ddd:hhh:mm:ss) Date Location Astronaut Aircraft Comments Reference
17:15:53:17 November 19 to December 7, 1996 Low Earth orbit, Kennedy Space Center Kenneth D. Cockrell, Kent V. Rominger, Tamara E. Jernigan, Thomas D. Jones, and F. Story Musgrave Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-80 [68]

References

  1. 1 2 Emma Howard, "Solar Impulse lands in Hawaii after longest non-stop solo flight in history ", The Guardian, Friday 3 July 2015 (page visited on 5 July 2015).
  2. ↑ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, accessed August 21, 2010
  3. ↑ Solar Impulse
  4. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9453 Archived 2014-04-07 at the Wayback Machine., accessed August 21, 2010
  5. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9513 Archived 2015-07-20 at the Wayback Machine., accessed August 21, 2010
  6. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9515, accessed August 21, 2010
  7. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9517, accessed August 21, 2010
  8. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9454, accessed August 21, 2010
  9. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9451, accessed August 21, 2010
  10. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9294, accessed August 21, 2010
  11. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9452, accessed August 21, 2010
  12. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9317, accessed August 21, 2010
  13. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9464, accessed August 21, 2010
  14. ↑ New York Times, December 31, 1921, p. 7
  15. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9455 Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine., accessed August 21, 2010
  16. ↑ U.S. Air Services, August 1920, p. 36
  17. ↑ Skytamer, accessed August 21, 2010
  18. ↑ New York Times, July 13, 1914, p. 3
  19. ↑ Canada Aviation and Space Museum, p. 54, accessed August 21, 2010
  20. ↑ History of Aeronautics Archived 2011-09-16 at the Wayback Machine., accessed August 21, 2010
  21. ↑ New International Year Book for 1912, p. 4
  22. ↑ Jackmon, W.J., Flying Machines: Construction and Operation, 1912, p. 244, accessed August 21, 2010
  23. ↑ Jeunes Ailes, accessed August 21, 2010
  24. ↑ Aircraft, February 1911, p. 430
  25. 1 2 The Independent, February 16, 1911, p. 347
  26. ↑ Journal of the United States Artillery, July–August 1910, p. 106
  27. ↑ New York Times, January 1, 1910, p. 4
  28. 1 2 3 Centennial of Flight Commission, 1908 Flight Log for Camp d'Auvours, Le Mans, France
  29. 1 2 3 4 Centennial of Flight Commission, 1908 Flight Log for Ft. Myer, Va.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Centennial of Flight Commission, 1905 Flight Log for Huffman Prairie, Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio
  31. 1 2 3 Centennial of Flight Commission, 1904 Flight Log for Huffman Prairie, Simms Station, Dayton, Ohio
  32. 1 2 Centennial of Flight Commission, 1903 Flight Log for Kitty Hawk, N.C.
  33. ↑ AOPA Pilot, March 2008
  34. ↑ AOPA Pilot, March 2008
  35. ↑ "Robinson Library", May 2017
  36. ↑ City of Yuma Archived 2006-09-13 at the Wayback Machine., 50th anniversary website with historical documents and pictures
  37. ↑ City of Fullerton Airport, accessed August 21, 2010
  38. ↑ Chicago Daily Tribune, October 30, 1939
  39. ↑ , September 15, 2012
  40. ↑ Sports Illustrated, November 6, 1972
  41. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9559, accessed August 21, 2010
  42. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9570, accessed August 21, 2010
  43. ↑ Time, July 22, 1929
  44. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9571, accessed August 21, 2010
  45. ↑ Dailey, Franklin. The Triumph of Instrument Flight
  46. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9572, accessed August 21, 2010
  47. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9573, accessed August 21, 2010
  48. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 9574, accessed August 21, 2010
  49. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 14808, accessed August 21, 2010
  50. ↑ Qantas Airways accessed July 4, 2012
  51. ↑ Bavarian Crono accessed July 4, 2012
  52. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 16052 Archived 2014-04-04 at the Wayback Machine., accessed August 21, 2010
  53. ↑ Black, Patrick (2017-10-26). "Vanilla Aircraft Conducts Record UAS Flight at Wallops". NASA. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  54. ↑ "Solar-powered drone breaks record with 81-hour continuous flight (Wired UK)". Wired UK. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  55. ↑ "Setting World Endurance Record, Vanilla Aircraft Proves to be Anything but Plain". www.darpa.mil. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  56. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 7353, accessed August 21, 2010
  57. ↑ "Robert G. Ferry dies at 85; helicopter test pilot flew record nonstop solo flight ", Los Angeles Times, February 9, 2009
  58. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 15059 Archived 2014-04-27 at the Wayback Machine., accessed August 21, 2010
  59. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 5961, accessed August 21, 2010
  60. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 7408, accessed July 15, 2015
  61. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale Record 17899, accessed November 17, 2016
  62. ↑ http://www.fai.org/component/phocadownload/category/?download=4525:1995-gordon-bennett-results
  63. ↑ Grossnick, Ross. "Kite Balloons to Airships: The Navy's Lighter than Air Experience," 2004
  64. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 2427, accessed August 21, 2010
  65. ↑ "HAWAII: NEW WORLD RECORD FOR TWO-PLACE GLIDER SET". www.itnsource.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  66. ↑ Soaring, May–June 1955, p. 24
  67. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 2512, accessed August 21, 2010
  68. ↑ Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, Record 3915, accessed August 21, 2010
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.