This Day in Aviation History

January 30th, 1988
In a United Airlines Boeing 747SP Clay Lacy starts out to set a new around-the-world speed record.

One of Lacy’s most notable achievements was setting a new around-the-world speed record in 1988 with his 36-hour, 54-minute, 15-second flight in a Boeing United 747SP called “Friendship One.” With U.S. astronaut and Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong on board as guest of honor, along with other aviation notables and celebrities, this record-breaking flight raised $530,000 for children’s charities worldwide. Lacy and his wife Lois, along with long-time friends Bruce McCaw and Joe Clark, organized the flight, which averaged over 623 miles per hour and topped the previous record by 112 miles per hour….

Source:
Wikipedia, Clay Lacy:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Lacy

YouTube, Clay Lacy NAHF TZ.mp4:
http://youtu.be/8TsE6sl1ojs?t=4m9s
(Start the video at 4 minutes and 10 seconds)

Additional reading:
A race around the world—Boeing 747SP versus a Gulfstream IV and a Concorde        By: Alex Kvassay
http://www.propilotmag.com/archives/2013/May%2013/Alex-May13.html

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propilotmag.com
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