In 1957, three B-52 bombers flew around the entire world nonstop, in just 45 hours

At 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on January 16, 1957, five Boeing B-52B Stratofortress bombers of the 93rd Bombardment Wing roared off the runway at Castle Air Force Base near Merced, California. Their mission, codenamed Operation Power Flite, was unprecedented: fly around the entire planet without landing, refuelling exclusively in the air, and return to the United States. The purpose was not scientific. It was strategic, a demonstration to the Soviet Union that the United States Air Force could deliver a thermonuclear weapon to any point on the globe.

24,325 Miles Without Touching The Ground

The B-52s flew westward from California, crossing the Pacific Ocean, then continuing over Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, and back to the continental United States. The planned route covered approximately 24,325 miles — nearly the full circumference of the Earth. The aircraft were refuelled in the air by more than 100 KC-97 Stratofreighter tanker aircraft positioned at intervals along the route. Three of the five B-52s completed the full circumnavigation, landing at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California, on January 18, 1957 — 45 hours and 19 minutes after departure, at an average speed of 534 miles per hour.

Two Aircraft Diverted But The Mission Succeeded

Not all five bombers made it around the world. One B-52, La Victoria, commanded by Major George Kalebaugh, was unable to refuel in flight because ice had built up inside its aerial refuelling receptacle, blocking the fuel connection. It diverted to Goose Bay, Labrador. A second aircraft, designated as a spare, left the formation over North Africa and diverted to an air base in England as planned. The remaining three B-52s, led by the flagship Lucky Lady III, completed the mission without incident.

The Crew Behind The Mission

The flight was commanded by Major General Archie J. Old, Jr., who flew aboard one of the B-52s as the overall mission commander. The lead aircraft, Lucky Lady III, serial number 53-0394, was piloted by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Morris, a man who had been the co-pilot aboard Lucky Lady II when it became the first aircraft in history to circumnavigate the globe nonstop in 1949, flying a B-50 Superfortress on a journey that took 94 hours. Morris had already been part of the first-ever nonstop global flight and now he was leading the first jet aircraft to do it, in less than half the time.

The Message To Moscow

Operation Power Flite was not a routine training exercise. It was a calculated strategic demonstration at the height of the Cold War. By proving that B-52 bombers could fly around the entire world without landing, refuelling in the air at intervals, the United States was sending an unmistakable signal to the Soviet Union: there was no point on Earth beyond the reach of American nuclear-armed bombers. The three B-52s that landed at March Air Force Base on January 18 had proven that the bomber force could deliver a hydrogen bomb to any target, anywhere, at any time. All 27 crew members of the three completing aircraft were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by General Curtis LeMay, and the 93rd Bombardment Wing received the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year.