Yesterday marked a significant anniversary in the domain of aerial circumnavigation achievements. Specifically, it was the 45th anniversary of Pan Am’s ‘Liberty Bell Express’ circumnavigation. This saw the airline fly a Boeing 747SP eastwards around the world from New York JFK in record time between May 1st and May 3rd, 1976. //

AlanF
20h ago

I believe on the DEL-HND leg they detoured so the flight would touch the equator. I think that was part of the official requirement to set a record for around the world. Otherwise you could just fly to the North Pole and do one quick loop around it and say you had been around the world. They subsequently flew a 747SP on a speed record flight that went over both poles. I forget the routing. //

BillyDolan
10 Points
15h ago

Another PanAm first was achieved between Oct 28-30 1977, probably with the same plane, B747SP Clipper New Horizons, when they circumnavigated the world over both poles departing SFO on Oct28 1977 over the North Pole to LON, then south to CPT,SA and over the South Pole to AKL, NZ, to arrive in SFO on Oct 31st 1977. Total miles flown 26,706 miles, total elapsed time 54h7m12s, avg air speed 494 miles/hr. Captain Walter H. Mullikin was the skipper of Pan Am flight 50. //

BillyDolan
10 Points

At one time SAA held the distance/time record on the delivery of their first SP, non-stop Seattle-Johannesburg... around 21 hours in the air.