• About Air & Space
  • Email Updates
  • Member Services
  • Shop
  • Archive
airspacemag.com
  • Smithsonian Institution
  • Smithsonian Channel
  • goSmithsonian
  • Smithsonian magazine
  • Home
  • History of Flight
  • Flight Today
  • Military Aviation
  • Space Exploration
  • Photos & Videos
  • Subscribe
The first circumnavigators were the Douglas World Cruisers. The first circumnavigators were the Douglas World Cruisers.
(NASM NEG#A2709C)
  • History of Flight

Moments & Milestones: The Greatest Great Circle

  • By Stuart Nixon
  • Air & Space Magazine, May 01, 2002

Article Tools

  • Font
  • Share/Save/Bookmark Share
  • Email
  • Print
  • Digg Digg
  • Comments
  • StumbleUpon StumbleUpon
  • RSS
  • Reddit Reddit

    FLYING AROUND THE WORLD IS not an undertaking that most pilots are likely to attempt, but the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is hoping a new Circumnavigator Badge will stimulate greater interest in the feat. The people who have accomplished an around-the-world flight in recent years (more than once in some cases) have their own Web site—Angela Pedersen and Trevor Sherwood as they made their way eastward around the globe in a 1965 Mooney M20E.

    The first circumnavigation of the globe was made by the U.S. Army Air Service. Four Douglas World Cruisers departed Seattle, Washington, in April 1924. Only two aircraft survived the 27,553-mile trip, completed almost six months later. The most well-known circumnavigation is that of Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who in 1986 took off from California’s Edwards Air Force Base in the homebuilt Voyager and returned nine days later, having flown around the world nonstop and unrefueled.

    The FAI Circumnavigator Badge can be earned by any pilot with at least a private certificate who circles Earth along an eastbound, westbound, or polar route, as defined by FAI rules. The flight may be nonstop or broken into segments, and may be flown solo or with crew members. Some restrictions:

    •The same aircraft must be used for the entire flight. Engines and other components can be replaced if necessary, but the basic airframe (wings and fuselage) cannot be altered.

    •All applicants must be aboard the aircraft for the entire flight (though not necessarily at the controls).

    •The aircraft must be flown under its own power for the entire flight.

    •The pilot must return to within 400 kilometers (approximately 250 miles) of his or her starting point.

    •The flight must be completed within 365 days.

    1 2

    FLYING AROUND THE WORLD IS not an undertaking that most pilots are likely to attempt, but the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is hoping a new Circumnavigator Badge will stimulate greater interest in the feat. The people who have accomplished an around-the-world flight in recent years (more than once in some cases) have their own Web site—Angela Pedersen and Trevor Sherwood as they made their way eastward around the globe in a 1965 Mooney M20E.

    The first circumnavigation of the globe was made by the U.S. Army Air Service. Four Douglas World Cruisers departed Seattle, Washington, in April 1924. Only two aircraft survived the 27,553-mile trip, completed almost six months later. The most well-known circumnavigation is that of Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, who in 1986 took off from California’s Edwards Air Force Base in the homebuilt Voyager and returned nine days later, having flown around the world nonstop and unrefueled.

    The FAI Circumnavigator Badge can be earned by any pilot with at least a private certificate who circles Earth along an eastbound, westbound, or polar route, as defined by FAI rules. The flight may be nonstop or broken into segments, and may be flown solo or with crew members. Some restrictions:

    •The same aircraft must be used for the entire flight. Engines and other components can be replaced if necessary, but the basic airframe (wings and fuselage) cannot be altered.

    •All applicants must be aboard the aircraft for the entire flight (though not necessarily at the controls).

    •The aircraft must be flown under its own power for the entire flight.

    •The pilot must return to within 400 kilometers (approximately 250 miles) of his or her starting point.

    •The flight must be completed within 365 days.

    •Pilots must hold an FAI Sporting License.

    Pilots flying east or west must travel at least 27,000 kilometers (16,777 miles) and cross all meridians. Pilots flying a polar route must travel at least 34,000 kilometers (21,127 miles) and cross the equator at two points separated by at least 90 degrees.

    —Stuart Nixon


     
    Comments

    Its very nice to see the old airplanes. The people who flew across the glob in these planes are real heroes and men of great courage. Those planes must had very low fuel capacity and all, really great work. ================================= Jack Wide Circles

    Posted by Jack on July 29,2008 | 01:55AM

    The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is hoping a new Circumnavigator Badge .this will fulfill the needs of the persons who want to do a flight trip across the globe. The site had clearly mentioned the facts & regulations regarding this event. _____________ ARNOLD widecircles

    Posted by on July 30,2008 | 02:31AM

    It was nice to see this articles... Basically I am a lover of ancient.... So I love this article.... Flying around the world is one of my ambitious.. Thanks,
    Alex
    widecircles

    Posted by Alex on August 29,2008 | 05:06AM

    It's great.The same aircraft must be used for the entire flight. Engines and other components can be replaced if necessary, but the basic airframe cannot be altered. =========================================================== JOHN widecircles

    Posted by John Robert on August 29,2008 | 09:09AM

    Post a Comment


    Name: (required)

    Email: (required)

    Comment:



    Advertisement


    Most Popular Video

    • Newest
    • Most Viewed

    Race TV

    The 2009 Reno Air Races were the first to be broadcast live.

    Jetting Through the Grand Canyon

    Jetting Through the Grand Canyon

    An RAF pilot takes his T-33 on a joyride in 1959.

    Space Station Fly-Around

    Space Station Fly-Around

    Take a narrated tour of the station with the same animation astronauts use in training.

    Armstrongs Close Call

    Armstrong’s Close Call

    A fiery bailout while training to land on the moon.

    Ares I-X Launch

    NASA tests a prototype of its new Ares 1 crew launcher.

    Jetting Through the Grand Canyon

    Jetting Through the Grand Canyon

    An RAF pilot takes his T-33 on a joyride in 1959.

    PTQ: Put Together Quickly

    PTQ: Put Together Quickly

    Watch Boeing technicians repair an airliner—in two minutes.

    Space Station Fly-Around

    Space Station Fly-Around

    Take a narrated tour of the station with the same animation astronauts use in training.

    Armstrongs Close Call

    Armstrong’s Close Call

    A fiery bailout while training to land on the moon.

    Wright B Over Manhattan, 1912

    Wright B Over Manhattan, 1912

    In the winter of 1912, Frank Coffyn filmed the first silent motion pictures of New York ever taken from an airplane.

    Most Popular

    • Viewed
    • Emailed
    • Commented
    1. Space Shuttle Jr.
    2. Devils’ Advocates
    3. The First Photo From Space
    4. A&S Interview: Yang Guoxiang
    5. Slim and Bud
    6. The Do-Everything Bomber
    7. B-36: Bomber at the Crossroads
    8. Reno Wrap-up
    9. Sightings: Hazy's Hits
    10. Aircraft That Changed the World
    1. Slim and Bud
    2. Space Shuttle Jr.
    3. A&S Interview: Yang Guoxiang
    4. Legends of Vietnam: Super Tweet
    5. Out in the Breezy
    6. Humans vs. Robots
    7. Are aft-facing airplane seats safer?
    8. Jumping Ship
    9. What determines an airplane’s lifespan?
    10. Welcome to Cyberairspace
    1. Slim and Bud
    2. Amelia's Astronaut Connection
    3. What determines an airplane’s lifespan?
    4. Over the No-Fly Zone
    5. Space Shuttle Jr.
    6. Devils’ Advocates
    7. Legends of Vietnam: Super Tweet
    8. Lake Murray's Mitchell
    9. B-36: Bomber at the Crossroads
    10. Top NASA Photos of All Time

    Advertisement

    Marketplace

    SmithsonianStore

    Night at the Museum Adult Collage Tee
    Item no: 28206

    Window Shopping

    Gifts, Gadgets and Great Finds!

    Travel & Adventure

    A Family Weekend in Washington, D.C.: Featuring "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian"

    Spend a fun-filled weekend with your family discovering the magic of the new feature film, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (Jul. 24 - 26, 2009)

    In the Magazine

    January 2010

    • Thanks For the Memories
    • Space Shuttle Jr.
    • The Big Race of 1910
    • The Do-Everything Bomber
    • Legends of Vietnam: Super Tweet
    • Ode on a Canadian Warbird

    View Table of Contents »

    Snapshot

    Nice Save

    This camera's no point-and-shoot. Now, come see it for yourself.

    Reader Scrapbook

    Send In Your Photos

    Check out our scrapbook of readers' aviation and space pictures. Then add your own.

    Need to Know

    What determines an airplane’s lifespan?

    Some keep flying for decades, while others end up on the scrap heap.

    • Smithsonian Store
    • Smithsonian Journeys

    In the Cockpit: Inside 50 History-Making Aircraft

    Item No. 10304

    Astronomy in Hawaii

    Gaze at the stars and learn about the Universe from the beautiful island of Hawaii (Apr 29 - May 6, 2010)



    View full archiveRecent Issues


    • Jan 2010

    • In his portrait of the storied racer Rare Bear and its crew, photographer Tyson Rininger captures the sense of anticipation that surrounds air races. “Something’s coming,” this quiet night scene seems to suggest. “Tomorrow, it’s win or lose.”
      Nov 2009


    • Sep 2009

    Newsletter

    Sign up for regular email updates from Air & Space magazine, including free newsletters, special offers and current news updates.

    Subscribe Now

    About Us

    Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine has been delighting aerospace enthusiasts with the best writing about their favorite subject since April 1986. As an adjunct of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, Air & Space matches the grand scope of the Museum, encompassing every era of aviation and space exploration. With stories that range from the Wright Brothers to the design of NASA's next lunar lander, Air & Space emphasizes the human stories as well as the technology of aviation and spaceflight.

    Explore our Brands

    • goSmithsonian.com
    • Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
    • Smithsonian Institution
    • Smithsonian Catalogue
    • Smithsonian Journeys
    • Smithsonian Channel
    • Site Map
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright
    • About Air & Space
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • Reader Panel
    • Subscribe
    • RSS

    Smithsonian Institution

    Produced by Clickability