Lear Races Westward Around The World in 67 Hours, 28 Minutes

A crew of five flew a Global Jet Care Lear 36A westward around the world in 67 hours and 28 minutes of flight time, setting an unofficial record in the process. "Since there isn't a record for this route, it will serve as a challenge to other airplanes of the same category to try to break the record once it has been declared 'official,'" the Century Mission said in a news release. The Century Mission commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first circumnavigation, which was undertaken by eight crew in four Army aircraft in 1924. The World Flight took 175 days and involved 74 stops. The Century Mission was timed to complete its flight on the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the World Flight on April 6.

"The flight took off from Wichita just before midnight on April 3, 2024 and flew west with a total of 11 stops in California, Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Singapore, India, Dubai, Egypt, Italy, Portugal and Canada before returning to Wichita on April 6, 2024," the release said. The effort was also a fundraiser for the Classic Lear Jet Foundation's bid to restore the very first Lear Jet delivered to a customer. The Lear Jet 23-03 was built in Wichita in 1964 and was discovered languishing at a Florida airport. It's being rebuilt to flying condition in Wichita by the group.