page_title: List of circumnavigations
section_title: Aerial
hierarchical_section_title: List of circumnavigations / Global / Aerial
caption_attribution_description: A copy of the balloon "Breitling Orbiter 3" shot during the 2007 Chateau d'Oex meeting by jide.
context_page_description: This is a list of circumnavigations of Earth. Sections are ordered by ascending date of completion.
context_section_description: Two open-cockpit biplanar Douglas World Cruiser floatplanes of the United States Army Air Service, piloted by Lowell H. Smith, Leslie P. Arnold, Erik H. Nelson and John Harding Jr., made the first aerial circumnavigation, in 1924, taking 175 days, covering 26,345 miles (42,398 km).
  LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin, in 1929, piloted by Hugo Eckener made the first circumnavigation by an airship.  It was also the then fastest aerial circumnavigation, in 21 days.
  In 1930, Charles Kingsford Smith completed the first circumnavigation by monoplane and first "true" circumnavigation (crossing equator) by air, in a journey spanning two years in all.
  In 1932, Wolfgang von Gronau made the first aerial circumnavigation by flying boat in a twin-engine Dornier seaplane, Gronland-Wal D-2053, in nearly four months, making 44 stops en route. He was accompanied by co-pilot Gerth von Roth, mechanic Franzl Hack, and radio operator Fritz Albrecht.
  In 1933, Wiley Post repeated his 1931 circumnavigation by aeroplane, but this time solo, using an autopilot and radio direction finder. He made the first solo aerial circumnavigation in a time one day faster than his previous record: 7 days, 19 hours, 49 minutes, in which he covered 25,110 kilometres (15,600 mi), but did not cross the equator.
  Richarda Morrow-Tait became the first and still-youngest woman pilot to fly around the world, accompanied by navigator Michael Townsend, in a year and a day, from 18 August 1948 to 19 August 1949.
  In 1949, the United States Air Force B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II made the first non-stop aerial circumnavigation in 94 hours and 1 minute. Four in-air refuelings were required for the flight, which covered 37,743 kilometres (23,452 mi).
  In 1957, three United States Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses made the first non-stop jet-aircraft circumnavigation in 45 hours and 19 minutes, with two in-air refuelings. The 39,147 kilometres (24,325 mi) flight was completed at an average speed of 525 miles per hour.
  Geraldine Mock, 1964, first woman to complete a solo aerial circumnavigation, in a Cessna 180.
  Flying Tigers Boeing 707, crewed by five airline pilots, completed the first circumnavigation via the poles, 14–17 November 1965, in 62 hours 27 minutes.
  (Widespread introduction of Very Low Frequency navigational aids)
  Elgen Long, 1971, first solo circumnavigation via the poles, in a Piper Navajo.
  Don Taylor, 1976, first circumnavigation by homebuilt aircraft.
  Ross Perot, Jr. and Jay Coburn, 1982, first circumnavigation by helicopter, by Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II
  Dick Smith, 1982–1983, first solo circumnavigation by helicopter, in a Bell Jetranger III.
  Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, 1986, Voyager, first non-stop non-refueled circumnavigation in an airplane, 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds.
  Dick Smith, 1988–1989, first circumnavigation landing at both poles, in a Twin Otter.
  In 1992 an Air France Concorde achieved the fastest non-orbital circumnavigation in 32 hours 49 minutes and 3 seconds.
  Fred Lasby, 1994, oldest circumnavigation, at 82 years of age, in Piper Comanche.
  Dick Smith, 1994–95, first east-west circumnavigation by helicopter, in a Sikorsky S-76, a distance travelled of 73,352 kilometres (39,407 nautical miles).
  Brian Milton, 1998, first microlight circumnavigation. He used an open-cockpit single engine Pegasus Quantum 912. No support aircraft escorted the flight. Keith Reynolds was copilot from Webridge, Surrey, to Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Siberia. Then, as required by the Russian authorities, navigator Petr Petrov accompanied Milton to Nome, Alaska. Milton completed the rest of the 120-day voyage solo (71 flying days).
  Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, 1999, first non-stop balloon circumnavigation in Breitling Orbiter 3, 19 days, 1 hour and 49 minutes, covering 42,810 kilometres (26,600 mi).
  Jennifer Murray, 2000, first solo circumnavigation by a woman by helicopter.
  Colin Bodill, 2000, first solo circumnavigation by a microlight (Mainair Blade) in 99 days. Also held fastest circumnavigation by microlight until broken. Bodill was part of an entourage of 4 aircraft, one 
caption: In 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones achieved the first non-stop balloon circumnavigation in Breitling Orbiter 3.
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