Is this a world record? Two pilots travel 48 US states in less than 48 hours
Barry Behnfeldt and Aaron Wilson of Delta Air Lines
Two pilots of an Atlanta-based airline said they visited 48 US states in less than 48 hours in what could be a world record.
Captains Barry Behnfeldt and Aaron Wilson of Delta Air Line completed their goal of stopping in all 48 states in 44 hours and seven minutes, according to a statement released by the carrier. The duo is also a pair of US military veterans.
With the world record attempt, the duo has reportedly sought to raise funds for the Veteran’s Airlift Command, an organisation that provides free, private air travel for combat-injured US military veterans.
Behnfeldt and Wilson have raised over $30,000 for the VAC, CNN reported.
The pilots initially planned for a trip of 43 hours and 31 minutes while leaving room for setbacks, according to their website.
“We were talking one day on one of our legs, and he talked about this pilot that he had flown with that attempted to set this Guinness World Record in landing in 48 states,” Behnfeldt was quoted as saying by CNN. “It sparked an interest.”
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From there, Behnfeldt said he reached out to Wilson for a world record attempt.
“He had all the logistics and everything figured out,” Wilson said in an official statement.
“Flying across the country in a small airplane is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I was immediately sold on the idea,” Wilson said in the release. “I didn’t have any hesitation about saying yes.”
So, what about the Guinness World Record?
“Honestly, we won’t officially know for a couple of months,” Behnfeldt said in an official release.
“But what I do know is that we knocked our goals of promoting aviation, inspiring future pilots and supporting the VAC out of the park. The record may have started the mission, but it ended up taking a back seat to everything else that happened.”
Is there any earlier record as such?
Yes, there has been one in recent months. According to a report in Chicago Tribune, two other pilots have sought to set a world record in May for the fastest journey by plane through all 48 contiguous US states by touching down in each in about 38 hours.
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