I just read an article in last months issue of AOPA Pilot about the world's longest airplane flight. Unfortunately I can't find much about it on the internet, but I thought you guys would find it interesting anyway, so here's a basic summary of how this flight went.

On December 4th 1958 Pilot Bob Timm and Pilot/Mechanic John cook took off from McCarran Field in Las Vegas NV. They landed 64 days 22 hours and 19 minutes later at the same airfield. The flight was made in a Cessna 172, N9217B, which had been modifyed with a belly tank that brought the total fuel capacity up to 142 gallons. Of course that much fuel wouldn't last 64 days, so they also had to be refueld in flight from a truck. They aircraft was outfitted with an electric winch which they used to bring the fuel hose up from the truck as it drove along under them and then the co-pilot, which ever one of them happened to be in the right seat at the time, would fill the belly tank. Electric pumps would bring the fuel up from the belly tank and into the wing tanks. They also used the winch to bring up food, water and engine oil. The airplane was also modified so that oil could be added and the filter replaced from the cockpit while the engine was running. These guys also managed to bathe and shave while in flight using a sink that was installed in the airplane. Throughout the flight they stayed in the southwestern US mostly near Las Vegas, but they covered a distance comparable to flying six times around the earth. Finally, the engine began to develop problems with carbon build-up from being ran contiuously for over 2 months and they had to land on February 7th 1959.

Could you imagine spending 64 days in a little Cessna with the same person? Wouldn't you run out of things to talk about one or two days into it?

jimclarke wrote on Apr 24^th, 2008 at 12:26am:

I if was going to do something like that, I wouuld have to have a plane with an autopilot. How many people did this? Just two or was it three?

Quote:


According to the article, it was two.

A 172 is pretty easy to fly without an autopilot, and if you're thinking that it would be convenient with any plane to allow everyone aboard to sleep while the AP flies, think again. Very bad idea. 

Las Vegas Center Cessna N362S with you

Copy 62S Altimiter 29.88, and how many times have you contacted this frequency in the last 2 months?

I guess they could have just hung bass-ackwards out of the door over an isolated patch of desert. LOL, I have to admit, that would be entertaining the first couple of times.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot0308/index.php?startpage=142

All that flight time, and none of it was cross country time due to landing at the same airport.

A similar feat was accomplished in Mississippi by the Key brothers back in the 30s or 40s.  They spent about 30 days aloft without touching down.  They did it by refueling from a hose from another aircraft, and even would crawl out in flight to add oil to the engine.