List of flight endurance records
Length of time an aircraft of a particular category spent in flight without landing
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The flight endurance record is the longest amount of time an aircraft of a particular category spent in flight without landing. It can be a solo event, or multiple people can take turns piloting the aircraft, as long as all pilots remain in the aircraft. The limit initially was the amount of fuel that could be stored for the flight, but aerial refueling extended that parameter. Due to safety concerns, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) no longer recognizes new records for the duration of crewed airplane or glider flights and has never recognized any duration records for helicopters.
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Airplane
Non-refueled, crewed
| Duration (dd:hh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Pilots | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00:03:44 | December 14–23, 1986 | Edwards Air Force Base, US, circumnavigation | Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager | Rutan Voyager | [1] | |
| 04:21:51:00 | June 28 to July 3, 2015 | Nagoya, Japan – Kalaeloa Airport, Hawaii, United States (8263 kilometres) | André Borschberg | Solar Impulse 2 | Solar plane, without any fuel; also longest solo airplane flight of any type | [2][3] |
| 03:12:32:00 | May 25–28, 1931 | Jacksonville, Florida, US | Walter Edwin Lees and Frederic Brossy | Bellanca J-2 | Last record recognized by FAI | [4] |
| 03:04:45:00 | February 8–11, 2004 | Kennedy Space Center, Florida, US | Steve Fossett | Global Flyer | [5][6] | |
| 03:03:23:07 | February 26 to March 1, 1931 | La Sénia, Algeria | Lucien Bossoutrot and Maurice Rossi | Blériot 110 | [7] | |
| 02:19:13:55 | May 30 to June 2, 1930 | Montecelio, Italy | Umberto Maddalena and Fausto Cecconi | Savoia-Marchetti S.64 | [8] | |
| 02:17:25:00 | July 5–7, 1928 | Dessau, Germany | Johann Risztics and Wilhelm Zimmermann | Junkers W 33 | Also surpassed the refueled record | [9] |
| 02:04:22:31.8 | August 3–5, 1927 | Dessau, Germany | Cornelius Edzard and Johann Risztics | Junkers W 33 | [10] | |
| 02:03:11:25 | April 12–14, 1927 | Long Island, New York, US | Clarence Duncan Chamberlin and Bertrand Blanchard Acosta | Wright-Bellanca WB-2 "Columbia" | [11] | |
| 01:21:11:59 | August 7–9, 1925 | Chartres, France | Maurice Drouhin and Jules Landry | Farman F.60 Goliath | [12] | |
| 01:13:59:10 | July 16–17, 1924 | Chartres, France | Etienne Coupet and Maurice Drouhin | Farman F-60 | Also surpassed the refueled record | [13] |
| 01:12:04:34 | April 16–17, 1923 | Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, US | Oakley George Kelly and John Arthur Macready | Fokker T-2 | [14] | |
| 01:10:14:07 | October 14–15, 1922 | Le Bourget, France | Lucien Bossoutrot and Robert Drouhin | Farman F.60 Goliath | [15] | |
| 01:02:19:35 | December 29–30, 1921 | Roosevelt Field, New York, US;[16] FAI record says Jacksonville, Florida | Edward A. Stinson and Lloyd Bertaud | Junkers-Larsen JL-6 | First record recognized by FAI | [17] |
| 01:00:19:07 | June 3–4, 1920 | Ville Sauvage la Dordogne, France | Lucien Bossoutrot and Jean Bernard | Farman F.60 Goliath | [18] | |
| 01:00:12:00 | July 10–11, 1914 | Johannisthal Air Field near Berlin, Germany | Reinhold Böhm | Albatros biplane | [19][20] | |
| 00:21:49:00 | June 28–29, 1914 | Johannisthal Air Field near Berlin, Germany | Werner Landmann | Albatros biplane | [21] | |
| 00:13:22:00 | September 11, 1912 | Étampes airfield in France | Alexandre Fourny (Fourney) | Maurice Farman MF-2 | [22][23] | |
| 00:11:01:29 | September 1, 1911 | Buc, France | Alexandre Fourny (Fourney) | Maurice Farman biplane | [24][25] | |
| 00:08:12:45 | December 18, 1910 | Étampes airfield in France | Henri Farman | Maurice Farman biplane | [26] | |
| 00:06:01:00 | October 28, 1910 | Buc, France | Maurice Tabuteau | Maurice Farman MF-2 | [27] | |
| 00:05:03:05 | July 10, 1910 | Reims, France | Jan Olieslagers | Blériot monoplane | [27][28] | |
| 00:04:17:35 | November 3, 1909 | Mourmelon-le-Grand, France | Henri Farman | H. Farman | [29] | |
| 00:02:18:33.6 | December 31, 1908 | Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, France | Wilbur Wright | Wright Model A | [30] | |
| 00:01:54:00.4 | December 18, 1908 | Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, France | Wilbur Wright | Wright Model A | [30] | |
| 00:01:31:25.8 | September 21, 1908 | Camp d’Auvours near Le Mans, France | Wilbur Wright | Wright Model A | [30] | |
| 00:01:14:20 | September 12, 1908 | Fort Myer, Virginia, US | Orville Wright | Wright Model A | [31] | |
| 00:01:10:24 | September 11, 1908 | Fort Myer, Virginia, US | Orville Wright | Wright Model A | [31] | |
| 00:01:05:52 | September 10, 1908 | Fort Myer, Virginia | Orville Wright | Wright Model A | [31] | |
| 00:01:02:15 | September 9, 1908 | Fort Myer, Virginia, US | Orville Wright | Wright Model A | [31] | |
| 00:00:59:23.8 | October 5, 1905 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, US | Wilbur Wright | Wright Flyer III | [32] | |
| 00:00:33:17 | October 4, 1905 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, US | Orville Wright | Wright Flyer III | [32] | |
| 00:00:26:11.2 | October 3, 1905 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, US | Orville Wright | Wright Flyer III | [32] | |
| 00:00:19:56 | September 29, 1905 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, US | Orville Wright | Wright Flyer III | [32] | |
| 00:00:18:11 | September 26, 1905 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, US | Wilbur Wright | Wright Flyer III | [32] | |
| 00:00:05:41 | September 12, 1905 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, YS | Wilbur Wright | Wright Flyer III | [32] | |
| 00:00:05:04 | November 9, 1904 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, US | Wilbur Wright | Wright Flyer II | [33] | |
| 00:00:01:38 | October 14, 1904 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, US | Orville Wright | Wright Flyer II | [33] | |
| 00:00:01:35 | September 20, 1904 | Huffman Prairie, Ohio, US | Wilbur Wright | Wright Flyer II | [33] | |
| 00:00:00:59 | December 17, 1903 | Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, US | Wilbur Wright | Wright Flyer | [34] | |
| 00:00:00:12 | December 17, 1903 | Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, US | Orville Wright | Wright Flyer | First flight | [34] |
Refueled, crewed
 |
 |
 |
| Duration |
Date | Location | Pilots | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64:22:19:05 | December 4, 1958, to February 7, 1959 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Robert Timm and John Cook | Cessna 172 Hacienda |
Refueled from moving truck on ground | [35] |
| 50:00:18:20 | August 2, 1958, to September 21, 1958 | Dallas, Texas, US | Jim Heth and Bill Burkhart | Cessna 172 The Old Scotchman |
Refueled from moving truck on ground | [35][36] |
| 46:20:00:00 | August 24 to October 10, 1949 | Yuma, Arizona, US | Bob Woodhouse and Woody Jongeward | Aeronca 15AC Sedan City of Yuma |
Attempted to persuade government officials to reopen Yuma Army Air Field | [37] |
| 42:00:02:00 | March 15 to April 26, 1949 | Fullerton, California, US | Dick Riedel and Bill Barris | Aeronca 15AC Sedan Sunkist Lady |
[38] | |
| 30:06:00:00 | October 1–30, 1939 | Long Beach, California, US | Wes Carroll and Clyde Schlieper | Piper J-3 Cub floatplane Spirit of Kay |
[39][40] | |
| 22:07:45:00 | October 1- 23, 1939 | Muncie, Indiana, US | Robert McDaniels and Kelvin Baxter | Piper Franklin 50 Cub Miss Sun Tan | Jim Fidler provided on-air coverage of flight through WLBC broadcasts. Pilots met Eleanor Roosevelt following flight. | |
| 27:05:34:00 | June 4 to July 1, 1935 | Meridian, Mississippi, US | Brothers Al and Fred Key | Curtiss Robin Ole Miss |
Invented a spill-free mid-air refueling nozzle. Inaccessible recording altimeter verified duration. | [41] |
| 23:01:41:30 | June 11 and July 4, 1930 | Chicago, Illinois, US | Brothers John and Kenneth Hunter | Stinson SM-1 Detroiter The City of Chicago |
[42] | |
| 17:12:17:00 | July 13–30, 1929 | St. Louis, Missouri, US | Dale Jackson and Forest O'Brine | Curtiss Robin St. Louis |
[43] | |
| 10:06:43:32 | July 2–12, 1929 | Culver City, California, US | Loren W. Mendell and Roland B. Reinhart | Buhl CA-5A Airsedan Angeleno |
[44][45] | |
| 07:06:00:00 | June 30 to July 6, 1929 | Cleveland, Ohio, US | Roy Mitchell and Byron K. Newcomb | Stinson SM-1 Detroiter The City of Cleveland |
Not recognized as an official record by FAI because it did not exceed previous record by at least 1%. | [46] |
| 07:04:31:01 | May 19–26, 1929 | Ft. Worth, Texas, US | Reginald Robbins and James Kelly | Mahoney-Ryan B-1 Brougham Fort Worth |
[47] | |
| 06:15:40:00 | January 1–7, 1929 | Van Nuys Airport, California, US | Maj. Carl Spaatz, Capt. Ira Eaker, 1st Lt. Harry A. Halverson, 2nd Lt. Elwood Quesada, and Sgt. Roy W. Hooe | Atlantic-Fokker C2A Question Mark |
[48] | |
| 02:12:01:30 | June 2–4, 1928 | Tirlemont, Belgium | Louis Crooy and Sgt. Victor Groenen | de Havilland DH-9 | [49] | |
| 01:13:15:14 | August 27–28, 1923 | Rockwell Field, California, US | Capt. Lowell Smith and 1st Lt. John Paul Richter | de Havilland DH-4B | First refueled flight to surpass the non-refueled record | [50] |
Airline, scheduled
| Duration (hh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Pilots | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32:09:00 | June 29, 1943 – July 18, 1945[note 1] | Swan River, Nedlands, Western Australia to Lake Koggala, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) | several Qantas crews | Qantas Consolidated PBY Catalina | Called "The Double Sunrise" (3513 mi.)
271 crossings |
[52][51][53] |
| 23:19:00 | October 1–2, 1957 | London to San Francisco | 44 persons (12 crew, 32 passengers). Capt. Gordon Granger and co-pilot Herbert Ottewill[54] | TWA Lockheed Constellation L-1649A, F/N 307 / N7307C | (c.5350 mi.) | [55] |
| 19:36:00 | October 21–22, 1936 | San Francisco to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii | Capt. Edwin Musick, FO Harold Gray, JO M.C. Weber, NAV Fred Noonan + 4 additional flightcrew.[56] | Pan Am Martin M-130 Flying Boat | (c. 2405 mi.) | [57][58][59] |
Airplane, uncrewed
| Duration (dd:hh:mm:ss) |
Date | Location | Aircraft | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67:06:52:00 | 2025-04-28 | Kenya | AALTO HAPS Ltd Zephyr | non FAI sanctioned, solar power (in-fight termination)[60] |
| 64:18:26:00 | 2022-08-19 | US, Arizona, Yuma | Airbus Zephyr 8 (S) | non FAI sanctioned, solar power (broke up in flight)[61] |
| 25:23:57:00 | 2018-08-05 | US, Arizona, Yuma | Airbus Zephyr 8 | non FAI sanctioned, 75 kg, solar power[62] |
| 18:22:30:00 | 2021-09-13 | US, Arizona, Yuma | Airbus Zephyr 8 | U-Absolute,[63] U-1 (Fixed wing), 25–100 kg, electric[64] |
| 14:00:22:00 | 2010-07-23 | US, Arizona, Yuma | QinetiQ Zephyr 7 | U-Absolute,[65] U-1.c (50–500 kg), electric[66] |
| 08:00:50:00 | 2021-10-02 | US, California, Edwards AFB | Vanilla Unmanned | U-1 (Fixed wing), 100–500 kg, IC and Jet[67] |
| 05:01:24:00 | 2017-10-23 | US, Virginia, Wallops | Vanilla Aircraft VA001 | non FAI sanctioned[68] |
| 04:11:00:00 | 2022-09-22 | US, California, NAS Pt. Mugu | Vanilla Unmanned | non FAI sanctioned[69] |
| 03:09:24:00 | 2014-12-08 | Switzerland, Rafz | ETH Zurich AtlantikSolar | non FAI sanctioned, 6.8 kg, solar power[70] |
| 03:08:02:00 | 2014-12-08 | US, California, Ridgecrest | Aurora FS Orion | U-1.f (5-10 t), IC and Jet[71] |
| 03:03:57:00 | 2023-07-09 | US, Eastern Oregon Regional Airport | Kraus Hamdani Aerospace K1000ULE | non FAI sanctioned, Group-2 UAS, solar power[72] |
| 03:01:00:00 | 2025-07-20 | US, Stennis airport, Kiln, Mississippi | AMPA | solar powered[73] |
| 03:00:00:00 | 2025-08-15 | US, Utah, Dugway | ULTRA | non FAI sanctioned, internal combustion[74] |
| 02:22:00:00 | 2019-12-11 | US, Utah, Dugway | US AFRL Ultra LEAP | non FAI sanctioned, internal combustion[75][76] |
| 02:12:00:00 | 1988 | US | Boeing Condor | non FAI sanctioned, 9.2 t, piston engines[77] |
| 02:11:00:00 | 2025-06-03 | California | SoLong | non FAI sanctioned, solar battery[78] |
| 02:07:56:00 | 2016-12-02 | US, New Mexico, Las Cruces | Vanilla Aircraft VA001 | U-1.c (50–500 kg), IC and Jet[79] |
| 02:06:27:00 | 2012-07-07 | Latvia, Jelgava | UAV Factory Penguin B | non FAI sanctioned, 22.3 kg TOW, two-stroke[80] |
| 02:00:01:00 | 2013-04-18 | unknown | US NRL Ion Tiger UAV | non FAI sanctioned, hydrogen fuel cell[81] |
| 02:00:00:00 | 2025-11-24 | Abu Dhabi, UAE | UAVOS ApusNeo18 | non FAI sanctioned, solar battery[82] |
| 01:10:24:00 | 2025 | Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota | USAF Global Hawk | non FAI sanctioned [83] |
| 01:06:24:00 | 2001-03-21 | US, California, Edwards | Northrop Grumman RQ-4 | U-Absolute,[84] U-2.g (10-20 t), IC and Jet[85] |
| 01:06:17:00 | 2022-02-19 | unknown | Lockheed Martin Stalker | submitted to FAI, 5–25 kg,[86] Propane Fuel Cell |
| 01:02:01:00 | 2009-11-17 | US, MD, Aberdeen | US NRL Ion Tiger UAV | non FAI sanctioned, 17 kg, hydrogen fuel cell[87][88] |
Helicopter
Crewed, non-refueled
| Duration (hhh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Pilot | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:08:00 | April 6, 1966 | Culver City, California, US to Ormond Beach, Florida (2,213.04 mi) | Robert G. Ferry | Hughes YOH-6A | As a nonstop non-refueled trip this flight also holds the record for the longest distance flown in a helicopter without landing. FAI category: "Great circle distance, without landing". | [89] |
Uncrewed
| Duration (hhh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Pilot | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32:08:00 | October 2017 | unknown | Uncrewed | Aerovel Flexrotor | [90][91] | |
| 22:29:38 | Aug 9–10, 2016 | unknown | Uncrewed | Latitude HQ-60 | [92] | |
| 18:41:28 | May 15, 2008 | Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, US | Uncrewed | Boeing A160 Hummingbird | [93] |
Free balloon, crewed
| Duration (dd:hh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Pilot | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:21:47:00 | March 1–21, 1999 | Château-d'Œx, Switzerland; circumnavigation | Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones | Breitling Orbiter 3 | [94] | |
| 14:19:50:00 | June 19 – July 3, 2002 | Northam, WA (Australia) circumnavigation | Steve Fossett | Cameron Balloons R-550 (N277SF) | Longest solo flight in any type of aircraft | [95] |
| 11:04:20:00 | July 12–23, 2016 | Northam, WA Australia; circumnavigation | Fedor Konyukhov | Cameron Balloons R-550 | Shortest time around the world | [96] |
| 03:10:05:00 | September 9–12, 1995 | Wil, Switzerland to Lucincik, Ukraine (1.395,4 km) | Johann Fuerstner and Gerald Stuerzlinger | D-OSTZ Graf Zeppelin | 3rd place in Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race | [97] |
Airship
| Duration (dd:hh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Pilot | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00:12:00 | March 4 to March 15, 1957 | Naval Air Station South Weymouth, Massachusetts, US to Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, US | Cmdr. Jack. R. Hunt | "Snowbird" ZPG-2 | via Europe, Africa | [98] |
| 03:23:05:00 | November 21 to November 25, 1917 | Jambol, Bulgaria to Jambol, Bulgaria | LtCdr. Ludwig Bockholt | L95 (LZ104) Type W Zeppelin | originally destined for the Makonde Plateau, mission aborted at 17° 30′ N, 30° 0′ E, near Khartoum, Sudan after areas fit for landing were captured by British forces | [99] |
| 02:23:00:00 | October 29 to November 1, 1928 | Lakehurst, New Jersey, US to Friedrichshafen, Germany | Hugo Eckener | LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin | [100] |
Glider
| Duration (dd:hh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Pilot | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02:23:05:00 | July 28–30, 1961 | Honolulu, Hawaii, US | Geza Vass and Guy Davis | Pratt-Read LNE-1 | [101] | |
| 02:08:15:00 | April 2–4, 1952 | Romanin les Alpilles near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France | Charles Atger | Arsenal Air 100 | [102] |
Space station, crewed
Duration that a specific person continuously occupies the spacecraft while in orbit.
| Duration (ddd:hh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Astronaut | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 437:17:58:17 | January 8, 1994, to March 22, 1995 | Low Earth orbit; Baikonur Cosmodrome to near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan | Valeri Polyakov | Russian space station Mir | [103] |
Aerospacecraft, orbital, crewed
| Duration (ddd:hh:mm:ss) | Date | Location | Astronaut | Aircraft | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17:15:53:17 | November 19 to December 7, 1996 | Low Earth orbit, Kennedy Space Center | Kenneth D. Cockrell, Kent V. Rominger, Tamara E. Jernigan, Thomas D. Jones, and F. Story Musgrave | Space Shuttle Columbia, STS-80 | [104] |
See also
Notes
- Note The "Double Sunrise" route continued to be operated from July 18, 1945 until April 6, 1946 by Qantas Liberators (loaned from BOAC) and Qantas Avro Lancastrians, but with shorter flown distances (departing what is now PER, stopping for refuelling at the RAF base at Minneriya, and landing at what is now CMB) and shorter flight times (faster cruise speeds).[51]
