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Answer :
There's not an absolute answer because it would depend on the airplane you were flying and whether you make any stops for fuel.
Think of it this way, small aircraft (like a fighter or business jet) might have a faster speed in the air, but would require stops for fuel. Larger aircraft (like a bomber or an airliner) can carry more fuel, but fly slower.
Here are some historic around-the-world flights and times:
• First round the world flight was made by four Army Douglas World Cruisers, left from Seattle, WA in 1924. Three aircraft completed the flight 175 days later.
• In 1933, it took Wiley Post, flying a Lockheed Vega only 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes. Both of these flights were made with stops.
• First non-stop flight around the world was made by a USAF team in 1949. They left from Fort Worth, TX in a B-50 Superfortress and completed the trip in 94 hours and one minute. The plane was refueled in the air four times.
• The first around the world, non-stop, not refueled flight was made by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager in 1986. They took off in Voyager from Edwards, CA on Dec 14, 1986. It took them 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds to complete the flight.
• In 1988, a Boeing 747SP flew around the world (with stops in Athens and Taipei), in 36 hours, 54 minutes and 15 seconds. That record only stood for a month, when a Gulfstream IV business jet made the world flight (again with stops) in 36 hours, 8 minutes.
• Steve Fossett flew the jet-powered GlobalFlyer into the record books in 2005. He departed Salina, Kansas, on Feb. 28 and took 67 hours, 1 minute and 10 seconds to complete the trip non-stop and non-refueled.
Let’s have some fun, too. Let’s imagine we can refuel an F/A-18 with a really fast tanker. At maximum speed, the F/A 18 is flying at Mach 1.8 (or 1,190 mph at 40,000 feet). So if you could maintain the speed throughout the flight, it would take about 19 hours. If we used an SR-71 Blackbird and flew it at maximum speed, Mach 3.2 (or 2,200 mph at 80,000 feet), the flight would take about 10 and a half hours.
Of course, neither airplane has the range to make the flight without refueling, so we need a supersonic tanker to keep the jets flying. By the way, the USAF’s standard tanker, the KC-135, has a top speed of a mere 530 mph.
While there are many variables, it was fun to dig into the question and do a little dreaming, too. Thanks for asking!
EAA Young Eagles
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