BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Two Delta Airlines pilots, Bowling Green State University Graduates both, have done something no one has ever done before.
Barry Behnfeldt and Aaron Wilson accomplished their goal of flying and landing in the lower 48 states in under 48 hours.
In fact, they were able to do it in just over 44 hours – 44 hours and 7 minutes to be exact.
The pilots began their journey in Ohio before flying over the northern part of the country to California and circling back over the southern states and lower Midwest before traveling up the eastern states and into Maine. There were 5 fuel stops on the flight path.
The flying feat, which the men completed earlier this week, was a world record.
On Saturday, Barry and Aaron celebrated their success at a party at the Bowling Green Flight Center.
The pilots say good weather helped them accomplish their goal in such good time and they had tremendous support from everyone along the way.
Although setting a world record was exciting, they say they had other reasons in mind when taking planning the trip.
“It's going to be neat to set the world record, but to promote general aviation, inspire the next generation of pilot, and to give to the Veterans Airlift Command, those are our top goals and I think we did a great job doing all three of those,” said Barry.
Aaron and Barry flew a Piper Saratoga on their trip, each rotating shifts so the other could rest up for the next leg.
A mechanic, Thomas Twiddy, was also on board, just in case something went wrong.
Aaron and Barry say the most challenging part of the trip, even more than the flying, was the planning - figuring out the most efficient route and schedule for each of their stops.
If you want more information about the record flight, click here.
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