This Day in Aviation History
June 22nd, 1984
First flight of the Rutan Voyager.
 
The Rutan Model 76 Voyager was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. It was piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. The flight took off from Edwards Air Force Base’s 15,000 foot (4,600 m) long runway in the Mojave Desert on December 14, 1986, and ended 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds later on December 23, setting a flight endurance record. The aircraft flew westerly 26,366 statute miles (42,432 km; the FAI accredited distance is 40,212 km) at an average altitude of 11,000 feet (3,350 m). This broke a previous flight distance record set by a United States Air Force crew piloting a Boeing B-52 that flew 12,532 miles (20,168 km) in 1962…..
 
Source:
Wikipedia, Rutan Voyager: http://gstv.us/28MPMk8
 
YouTube, The Frontiers of Flight – The Last Great World Record (1992) Rutan Voyager: http://gstv.us/28MQfmt
 
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Photo from: http://gstv.us/28MRwdk
 
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