- News
- Jun 9, 2024
- 3 min read
Learjet Round-the-World Flight Declared a Record
The Learjet 36A flight marked the centenary of the first aerial circumnavigation of the world.
A global round-the-world flight by a Learjet 36A has been submitted to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) for consideration as a world record. The Century Mission flight, intended to raise funds for the Classic Lear Jet Foundation, a nonprofit group restoring the first production Learjet, marked in April the 100th anniversary of the landmark 1924 global flight conducted by the United States. The Army Air Service flew modified U.S. Navy DT-2 torpedo bombers, which took 175 days and covered about 27,550 miles.
The Learjet 36A, owned by Florida-based air ambulance operator Global Jet Care, required significantly less time to complete its mission: it departed Wichita westbound and returned just 67 hours and 28 minutes later. The flight is awaiting record certification in the C-1f category for landplanes with takeoff weights from 6,000 to 9,000 kg. After the NAA conducts a review, which could take up to 60 days, it will be forwarded to the governing Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) for final certification.
Global Jet Care President Bart Gray and his company covered the entire cost of the flight, so all money raised through sponsorship of each of the mission’s 12 legs will go directly toward restoring Learjet 23-003, the first Learjet aircraft.
A global round-the-world flight by a Learjet 36A has been submitted to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) for consideration as a world record. The Century Mission flight, intended to raise funds for the Classic Lear Jet Foundation, a nonprofit group restoring the first production Learjet, marked in April the 100th anniversary of the landmark 1924 global flight conducted by the United States. The Army Air Service flew modified U.S. Navy DT-2 torpedo bombers, which took 175 days and covered about 27,550 miles.
The Learjet 36A, owned by Florida-based air ambulance operator Global Jet Care, required significantly less time to complete its mission: it departed Wichita westbound and returned just 67 hours and 28 minutes later. The flight is awaiting record certification in the C-1f category for landplanes with takeoff weights from 6,000 to 9,000 kg. After the NAA conducts a review, which could take up to 60 days, it will be forwarded to the governing Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) for final certification.
Global Jet Care President Bart Gray and his company covered the entire cost of the flight, so all money raised through sponsorship of each of the mission’s 12 legs will go directly toward restoring Learjet 23-003, the first Learjet aircraft.
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