Science Fact Finder | Cars, Boats, Planes, and Trains - When Was The First Nonstop, Unrefueled Airplane Flight Around The World?

When was the first nonstop, unrefueled airplane flight around the world?

Dick Rutan (1943—) and Jeana Yeager (1952-) made the first unrefueled loop around the globe in 1986, beginning on December 14 and ending on December 23 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. They flew aboard the Voyager, a trimaran monoplane (a plane with a single wing and three hulls). The flight lasted 9 days, 3 minutes, 44 seconds and covered 24,986.7 miles (40,203.6 kilometers).

The first successful flight around the world (although it was not unrefueled) was made by two Douglas World Cruisers, between April 6 and September 28, 1924. There were originally four aircraft that left Seattle, Washington, however two went down. The two successful planes completed 27,553 miles (44,333 kilometers) in 175 days—with 371 hours 11 minutes being their actual flying time.

Between June 23 and July 1, 1931, Wiley Post...

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