Flying Your Butt Off: The Longest Flight Ever

I don’t know about you, but I start to get cranky on any airline flight lasting more than about 12 minutes. Once, and I freely admit this pales in comparison to you far east travelers, I flew direct from Chicago to Hawaii. As I recall, that non-stop flight was about 11 hours of sheer unadulterated misery. The middle seat likely had something to do with that, and the girdle seats currently in fashion with all the airlines. I’m still in counseling. But that’s nothing compared to direct flights planned by Qantas Airlines. They’re launching non-stop service from London or New York to Sydney in the next year or so. That’ll take nearly a day, as in 24 hours, in the air. Ouch. But all these are lame compared to the flight made by Robert Timm and John Cook back in 1958. The longest flight ever, without landing, was…are you ready… 64 days, 22 hours, and 19 minutes. Yes, you read that right. Here’s the story.

Nothing Is Too Weird for Local Advertising

We’re all accustomed to seeing the ridiculous lengths businesses will go to for local commercials. While personal injury attorneys are willing to do most anything to make the 1-800-SLE-AZEY line ring, the Hacienda Hotel and Casino set the all-time record for sheer commitment to the promotional gimmick.

Back in 1956, Judy and “Doc” Bailey built the Hacienda Hotel and Casino on the southern end of the Vegas strip, where Mandalay Bay now resides. Looking for a creative way to promote the family-friendly resort, Bailey was intrigued by an idea from his slot machine technician, a former WW II bomber pilot named Bob Timm. Timm convinced the Baileys to gain national publicity by breaking the world record for the longest continuous flight ever, which currently held firm at 47 days. After project funding of $100,000 in 1950s dollars (about a million today), Timm was off and ~~running~~ flying. Step one: get a plane worthy of running for months nonstop. Step two: find a copilot loony enough to commit to the venture. That turned out to be one John Wayne Cook.

Da Plane!

What aeronautical marvel can remain in flight for just shy of 65 straight days? Why America’s favorite private plane of course, the storied Cessna 172. Manufactured from 1956 until, well, we’ll find out should they ever stop production, this single-engine four-seater has earned its place as the most produced private aircraft in history.

Let’s be clear about the “four-seater” thing. It seats four kind of like how a phone booth (remember those?) fits three NFL offensive tackles inside. You can do it, but not without post-event counseling. Even with the planned two pilots (remember they had to fly 24 hours a day indefinitely) space was cramped, so Timm worked with a mechanic on a series of modifications. Back seats? Gone, and the space converted to a mini mattress, sink and camping toilet. Yuck.

Then, there were the reliability considerations. Light plane piston engines aren’t designed to run that long without maintenance, so the team developed a special lubrication system allowing oil and filter to be changed while the engine was running. Sounds a bit dangerous.

As for fuel, the standard wing tanks holding about 50 gallons weren’t going to cut it. They’ll only run for 5 or 6 hours before going dry. Timm added a belly tank, adding an extra 95 gallons, which could be pumped into the standard fuel tank system as needed during flight. This modification reduced the need for refueling to twice per day.

The Floor Is Lava

The whole point of a record endurance flight is that the plane can’t land—ever—for gas or anything else. The team found an abandoned desert highway for creative ground-to-air refueling. A truck on the ground would match speed and direction with the low-flying plane, which lowered a hook to grab a fuel line and whatever supplies were needed, like food and water. While driving and flying in formation, with the plane about 20 feet off the deck, goods were transferred by hose and rope twice a day for 65 days in a row.

To make sure there were no secret “quick landings,” shortly after the fight took off on December 4th, 1958, the plane made a low pass, matching speed with another truck, whose brave crew member reached up and painted the plane’s wheels white. The idea was that before the final landing, the record judge would inspect the tires to make sure there were no scuff marks from secret landings.

Aftermath: The Longest Flight Ever

It took three failed attempts, the longest being 17 days, to get the kinks out, but on the fourth try, success. Almost 65 days, 128 truck-to-plane refuelings, and 150,000 miles of brain-rattling low-speed air travel later, the endurance record was shattered. By that time, the team only had to beat 50 days (another attempt was made in parallel, barely breaking the previous record), but they elected to remain in the air as long as possible in hopes of discouraging any others crazy enough to try to knock them out of the record books.

Needless to say, it wasn’t easy. The generator system broke not long after the halfway mark, meaning all fuel pumping had to be done by hand and flying without lights inside or out at night. Ponder a night refueling exercise using the team’s truck-to-plane method. Worse yet, not being able to stretch out or stand for over two months left the pilots incapacitated by the finish—they had to be lifted out of the plane after landing.

But the record still stands to this day. If you want to see the plane, just look up when in the Las Vegas Harry Reid Airport Baggage Claim area—it’s hanging on display.