The Insane Story of the Plane That Refused to Land for 64 Days

The likes of renowned aerospace engineer Burt Rutan’s Voyager aircraft, which successfully completed the world’s first nonstop, unrefueled aerial circumnavigation of the globe in December of 1986 in flight for a little over 9 days, or Rutan’s Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer which did the same thing in 2005 in just 2 days and 19 hours, are feats that make the news rounds the world over. However, as impressive as these pioneering flights were, they pale in comparison to the true record for aerial endurance that the media seems to have forgotten, set all the way back in 1958, not using any specially designed, ultra engineered, high tech plane, but a simple Cessna 172, which the pilots of managed to keep in the air, and lived in, for an astounding 64 days, 22 hours, and 19 minutes without ever touching the ground once.

So how did they manage this in a plane that normally only has an endurance of 4-5 hours? Well put your tray tables and seatbacks in their upright position, as we dive into the incredible tale of Robert Timm, John Cook, and the record-breaking flight of the Hacienda.

Author: Gilles Messier Host/Editor: Daven Hiskey Producer: Samuel Avila Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices