Flight endurance record


The flight endurance record is the longest amount of time an aircraft of a particular category spent in flight without landing. It can be a solo event, or multiple people can take turns piloting the aircraft, as long as all pilots remain in the aircraft. The limit initially was the amount of fuel that could be stored for the flight, but aerial refueling extended that parameter. Due to safety concerns, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale no longer recognizes new records for the duration of manned airplane or glider flights and has never recognized any duration records for helicopters.

Aeroplane

Non-refueled, manned

Duration DateLocationPilotsAircraftCommentsReference
216:03:44December 14–23, 1986Edwards Air Force Base, circumnavigationDick Rutan and Jeana YeagerRutan Voyager
117:51:00June 28 to July 3, 2015Nagoya, Japan – Kalaeloa Airport, Hawaii, United States André BorschbergSolar Impulse 2Solar plane, without any fuel; also longest solo airplane flight of any type
84:32:00May 25–28, 1931Jacksonville, FloridaWalter Edwin Lees and Frederic BrossyBellanca J-2Last record recognized by FAI
75:23:07February 26 to March 1, 1931La Sénia, AlgeriaLucien Bossoutrot and Maurice RossiBlériot 110
67:13:55May 30 to June 2, 1930Montecelio, ItalyUmberto Maddalena and Fausto CecconiSavoia-Marchetti S.64
65:25:00July 5–7, 1928Dessau, GermanyJohann Risztics and Wilhelm ZimmermannJunkers W 33Also surpassed the refueled record
52:22:31.8August 3–5, 1927Dessau, GermanyCornelius Edzard and Johann RiszticsJunkers W 33
51:11:25April 12–14, 1927Long Island, New YorkClarence Duncan Chamberlin and Bertrand Blanchard AcostaWright-Bellanca WB-2 "Columbia"
45:11:59August 7–9, 1925Chartres, FranceMaurice Drouhin and Jules LandryFarman F.60 Goliath
37:59:10July 16–17, 1924Chartres, FranceEtienne Coupet and Maurice DrouhinFarman F-60Also surpassed the refueled record
36:04:34April 16–17, 1923Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, OhioOakley George Kelly and John Arthur MacreadyFokker T-2
34:14:07October 14–15, 1922Le Bourget, FranceLucien Bossoutrot and Robert DrouhinFarman F.60 Goliath
26:19:35December 29–30, 1921Roosevelt Field, New York; FAI record says Jacksonville, FloridaEdward A. Stinson and Lloyd BertaudJunkers-Larsen JL-6First record recognized by FAI
24:19:07June 3–4, 1920Ville Sauvage la Dordogne, FranceLucien Bossoutrot and Jean BernardFarman F.60 Goliath
24:12:00July 10–11, 1914Johannisthal Air Field near Berlin, GermanyReinhold BöhmAlbatros biplane
21:49:00June 28–29, 1914Johannisthal Air Field near Berlin, GermanyWerner LandmannAlbatros biplane
13:22:00September 11, 1912Étampes airfield in FranceAlexandre Fourny Maurice Farman MF-2
11:01:29September 1, 1911Buc, FranceAlexandre Fourny Maurice Farman biplane
08:12:45December 18, 1910Étampes airfield in FranceHenri FarmanMaurice Farman biplane
06:01:00October 28, 1910Buc, FranceMaurice TabuteauMaurice Farman MF-2
05:03:05July 10, 1910Reims, FranceJan OlieslagersBlériot monoplane
04:17:35November 3, 1909Mourmelon-le-Grand, FranceHenri FarmanH. Farman
02:18:33.6December 31, 1908Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, FranceWilbur WrightWright Model A
01:54:00.4December 18, 1908Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, FranceWilbur WrightWright Model A
01:31:25.8September 21, 1908Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, FranceWilbur WrightWright Model A
01:14:20September 12, 1908Fort Myer, VirginiaOrville WrightWright Model A
01:10:24September 11, 1908Fort Myer, VirginiaOrville WrightWright Model A
01:05:52September 10, 1908Fort Myer, VirginiaOrville WrightWright Model A
01:02:15September 9, 1908Fort Myer, VirginiaOrville WrightWright Model A
00:59:23.8October 5, 1905Huffman Prairie, OhioWilbur WrightWright Flyer III
00:33:17October 4, 1905Huffman Prairie, OhioOrville WrightWright Flyer III
00:26:11.2October 3, 1905Huffman Prairie, OhioOrville WrightWright Flyer III
00:19:56September 29, 1905Huffman Prairie, OhioOrville WrightWright Flyer III
00:18:11.4September 26, 1905Huffman Prairie, OhioWilbur WrightWright Flyer III
00:05:41September 12, 1905Huffman Prairie, OhioWilbur WrightWright Flyer III
00:05:04November 9, 1904Huffman Prairie, OhioWilbur WrightWright Flyer II
00:01:38October 14, 1904Huffman Prairie, OhioOrville WrightWright Flyer II
00:01:35.8September 20, 1904Huffman Prairie, OhioWilbur WrightWright Flyer II
00:00:59December 17, 1903Kitty Hawk, North CarolinaWilbur WrightWright Flyer
00:00:12December 17, 1903Kitty Hawk, North CarolinaOrville WrightWright FlyerFirst flight

Refueled, manned

Duration DateLocationPilotsAircraftCommentsReference
64:22:19:05December 4, 1958, to February 7, 1959McCarran Airport, Las Vegas, NevadaRobert Timm and John CookCessna 172, HaciendaRefueled from moving truck on ground
50:00:18:20August 2, 1958, to September 21, 1958Dallas, TexasJim Heth and Bill BurkhartCessna 172, The Old ScotsmanRefueled from moving truck on ground
46:20:00:00August 24 to October 10, 1949Yuma, ArizonaBob Woodhouse and Woody JongewardAeronca Sedan, City of YumaAttempted to persuade government officials to reopen Yuma Army Air Field
42:00:02:00March 15 to April 26, 1949Fullerton, CaliforniaDick Riedel and Bill BarrisAeronca Sedan, Sunkist Lady
30:06:00:00October 1–30, 1939Long Beach, CaliforniaWes Carroll and Clyde SchlieperPiper Cub seaplane, Spirit of Kay
27:05:34:00June 4 to July 1, 1935Meridian, MississippiBrothers Al and Fred KeyCurtiss Robin, Ole MissInvented a spill-free mid-air refueling nozzle
23:01:41:30June 11 and July 4, 1930Chicago, IllinoisBrothers John and Kenneth HunterStinson SM-1 Detroiter
17:12:17:00July 13–30, 1929St. Louis, MissouriDale Jackson and Forest O'BrineCurtiss Robin
10:06:43:32July 2–12, 1929Culver City, CaliforniaLoren W. Mendell and Roland B. ReinhartBuhl Airsedan, Angeleno
07:06:00:00June 30 to July 6, 1929Cleveland, OhioRoy Mitchell and Byron K. NewcombStinson SM-1 Detroiter named The City of ClevelandNot recognized as an official record by FAI because it did not exceed previous record by at least 1%.
07:04:31:01May 19–26, 1929Ft. Worth, TexasReginald Robbins and James KellyMahoney -Ryan Aircraft Ryan Monoplane B-1 Brougham named Fort Worth
06:15:40:00January 1–7, 1929Van Nuys Airport, CaliforniaMaj. Carl Spaatz, Capt. Ira Eaker, 1st Lt. Harry A. Halverson, 2nd Lt. Elwood Quesada, and Sgt. Roy W. HooeAtlantic-Fokker C2A named Question Mark
02:12:07:00June 1–4, 1928Tirlemont, BelgiumLouis Crooy and Sgt. Victor GroenenDe Havilland DH-9
01:13:15:14August 27–28, 1923Rockwell Field, CaliforniaCapt. Lowell Smith and 1st Lt. John Paul RichterDe Havilland DH-4BFirst refueled flight to surpass the non-refueled record

Airline, scheduled

Not an FAI category. See Non-stop flight.
Duration DateLocationPilotsAircraftCommentsReference
32:09:001943–1945Swan River, Nedlands, Western Australia to Lake Koggala, Sri Lankaseveral Qantas crewsQantas Consolidated PBY CatalinaCalled "The Double Sunrise"
271 crossings
24:56:12August 10–11, 1938Berlin-Staaken to Floyd Bennett Field, New YorkDipl.-Ing. Alfred Henke, captain Rudolf von Moreau, Paul Dierberg and Walter Kober Deutsche Luft Hansa Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor
23:19:00October 1–2, 1957London to San Francisco?TWA Lockheed Constellation L-1649A

Aeroplane, unmanned

Helicopter

Manned, non-refueled

Unmanned

Free balloon, manned

Airship

Glider

Spacecraft, manned

Duration that a specific person continuously occupies the spacecraft while in orbit
Duration DateLocationAstronautAircraftCommentsReference
437:17:58:17January 8, 1994, to March 22, 1995Low Earth orbit; Baikonur Cosmodrome to near Arkalyk, KazakhstanValeri PolyakovRussian space station Mir

Aerospacecraft, orbital, manned