How would you do it?

So here is a record that seems like it should be faster.   Circumnavigating the globe by aircraft.  It appears that a Gulfstream jet holds the record with a 41 hour flight to cover 20,000 odd miles.  The first problem with this record in my mind is that they took something of a shortcut since the circumference at the equator is something like 24,900 miles.   The second problem is that it feels awfully slow.   Someone with access to ridiculous hardware and unlimited funds (looking at you Air Force)  missed the boat by not setting this record when the Blackbird was active.

So how to do it?  Sub orbital answers only please.  

Are you allowing aerial refueling?

Who’s to say the Air Force hasn’t broken that time and just doesn’t want to advertise?

Do you have a link to the current record? I’m not seeing it anywhere.

+ about 50 of these: 

= 

world record.  

The biggest problem i see with this record is a plane that is a- fast enough b- able to refuel mid air, and c- has capacity to carry multiple pilots. Even at 30 hours, or 24, or even 20- that is a E36 M3load of time to fly flat out, solo. 

B-1 would be my choice. Fast, can refuel in midair, and as mentioned above, capable of carrying a spare crew.

This is, of course, assuming that dusting off an SR-71 isn't an option.

Will said:

B-1 would be my choice. Fast, can refuel in midair, and as mentioned above, capable of carrying a spare crew.

This is, of course, assuming that dusting off an SR-71 isn't an option.

Part of the tinfoil hat in me likes to think at least one of those is fully operational somewhere. Maybe we will see it with the area 51 invasion.

Mndsm said:

Will said:

B-1 would be my choice. Fast, can refuel in midair, and as mentioned above, capable of carrying a spare crew.

This is, of course, assuming that dusting off an SR-71 isn't an option.

Part of the tinfoil hat in me likes to think at least one of those is fully operational somewhere. Maybe we will see it with the area 51 invasion.

Nope don't need anything that fast to take pics of things anymore. And we (air force) can keep just about anything in the air forever because air refueling but we have rules on "crew rest". Pointless and expensive record to break as we have things strategically placed around the globe so we don't have to fly for so long and fast (sr71).

I spent 3.5 years in an air refueling squadron. Learned a lot of cool stuff. 

Unlimited budget? I'll put in a call to the engineers at ACME and get back with you with a plan in a week or so, assuming our top test pilot is up for it.

In reply to stroker :

Oh yeah

Concorde has records in the 31.5-33hour range...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concorde#Records

with ~6 refueling stops, and the first ‘super cruise’.  So, get one of those, upgrade the engines and put fuel tanks in the cabin.

Anyone got a spare Billion dollars?

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

 

Anyone got a spare Billion dollars?

Some people do, but they all seem to be spending it on space flight lately. 

Air Force has the X-37B, but it seems to fly in space mostly so doesn’t count. 

Also, re-reading Gosset’s Global Flyer... the FAI only recognizes flights in excess of 22,000 statute miles as being “around the world flights”... and I think you have to start/finish at the same airport.

edit:
looked up the Gulfstream flight, and they flew 20,310 nm... which is 23,372 "miles", so exceeding the required distance.

Someone stole poopshovel’s password again, else his reply would’ve said “from behind”.

In reply to T.J. :

Since the Navy has a lot more planes than the Air Force, plus the Navy has Aircraft carriers  that could easily be stationed mid ocean.. It’s far more likely that A Navy plane holds that record. 

frenchyd said:

In reply to T.J. :

Since the Navy has a lot more planes than the Air Force, plus the Navy has Aircraft carriers  that could easily be stationed mid ocean.. It’s far more likely that A Navy plane holds that record. 

I realize that, as a former Navy pilot, you are required to think that.  But, considering no Navy plane has a ferry range in excess of 2000 miles, and I’m pretty sure ferry tanks require sub-sonic speeds... I just don’t see it.

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

Yes the Navy has mid air refueling.  We’ve got all sorts of tankers.  I recall during the Vietnam War we sent a   F4 from Japan to San Francisco  in something like 4 hours.  Afterburner most of the way I assume.  

frenchyd said:

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

Yes the Navy has mid air refueling.  We’ve got all sorts of tankers.  I recall during the Vietnam War we sent a   F4 from Japan to San Francisco  in something like 4 hours.  Afterburner most of the way I assume.  

 

If that flight required in-air refueling, and if the F4 is faster than the tankers, that means the tankers required a headstart.

this belongs in the mind blown thread.

AngryCorvair said:

frenchyd said:

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo :

Yes the Navy has mid air refueling.  We’ve got all sorts of tankers.  I recall during the Vietnam War we sent a   F4 from Japan to San Francisco  in something like 4 hours.  Afterburner most of the way I assume.  

If that flight required in-air refueling, and if the F4 is faster than the tankers, that means the tankers required a headstart.

this belongs in the mind blown thread.

I think that frenchy's memory is suspect.  Which is not to say that a) an F-4 didn't fly from Japan to SFO, with or without afterburner... nor b) that the Navy had tanker capacity to do it.  Although, I can't find any mention of it, in some limited googling.

Merely that the he's thinking of the LANA flight.  Which, if we use as a baseline, and make some other assumptions, means that the speculated flight would more likely take a minimum of 6hours and require ~9 mid-air refuelings.

More interestingly... there might be a crack at his eventually...
 

not that I'm holding my breath.  And I reckon any super-sonic attempt will probably require the support of a biodiesel Jet-A fuel refiner/manufacturer.

Honestly, though, I'd rather see a Billionare fund an all-electric circumnavigation that can match the pace of the first aerial circumnavigation

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo : The military does a lot of things you won’t find by googling. In fact only a tiny little part of what the military does becomes public knowledge. 

Post Vietnam my squadron went up to the Sea of Japan to trail some of the then new nuclear Russian submarines.  One submarine was particularly hard to keep track of.  We peridocically got a MAD  contact  but the normal method of detection, acoustical, never gave us the traditional blade count.  I mean we could hear the noisy coolant pump pretty clearly and it graphed on the JEZEBEL system we used but no propeller signature .  

Both squadrons (VS33& VS38 ) on the Ticonderoga plus supporting P3’s and the helicopter squadron were plopping Sonabouys in the ocean like popcorn.  

The SOSUS stations had reported the sub, but never any propeller counts which help us figure out direction etc.   Our subs couldn’t pick the count up and they were much better than we were at the acoustic stuff.  But we were still getting an occasional MAD contact  and hearing the coolant pump.  

We had to fly in wet suits because the sea temps were just above freezing and if we’d gone in without a suit our life was projected at less than 3 minutes  without them.  But they are hot and miserable to be in continuously.  Flying our 6 hour schedule landing, debriefing, while the plane was serviced and then launching for another 6 hour ordeal.  

Anyway we’d been doing this for almost a week and Mark Dunbough our acoustic  operator  was slumping in his seat, dozing while we repositioned ourselves when he noticed a pattern he couldn’t see looking directly over the system.  

There was this series of lines at a 45 degree angle.  

What we had discovered was the caterpillar drive system.  Read the Book HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by TOM CLANCY.  

Now that was placed in the Atlantic  and other liberties were taken with actual events.  But I couldn’t talk about it, ever!! 

The reason for the flight from Sasebo Japan to San Francisco? Was to get those graphs to the San Francisco SOSUS station and on to Washington.   

In reply to sleepyhead the buffalo : it’s about 5700 miles from Sasebo Japan to San Francisco  Top speed of a Vietnam era F4   1485 mph  

so about 4 hours!  

Hey this Google stuff works.