Circumnavigation world record progression
This is a list of the fastest non-orbital circumnavigation made by a person or team.
People or team | Total duration | Departure date | Arrival date | Notes | Reference |
Sebastian Elcano and crew | 1082 | 6 September 1522 | |||
Francis Drake and crew | 1018 | 13 December 1577 | |||
Thomas Cavendish and crew | 781 | 21 July 1586 | 9 September 1588 | ||
Crew of the Eendracht | 748 | 14 June 1615 | 1 July 1617 | ||
John Byron and crew | 676 | 2 July 1764 | 9 May 1766 | ||
George Simpson | 605 | March 1841 | October 1842 | ||
This period is incomplete | |||||
George Francis Train | "80 days" | 1870 | 1870 | By ships and trains, from New York City, perhaps inspiring Jules Verne | |
Nellie Bly | 72 | 14 November 1889 | 25 January 1890 | Multiple means of transport, inspired by Jules Verne | |
George Francis Train | 67 days, 12 hours, 3 minutes | 18 March 1890 | 24 May 1890 | By ships and trains, from Tacoma, Washington | |
George Francis Train | 64 days | 9 May 1891 | 12 July 1891 | By ships and trains, from Fairhaven, Washington | |
Andre Jaeger-Schmidt, Henry Frederick, John Henry Mears | 36 | 2 July 1913 | 6 August 1913 | A combination of steamers, yachts, and trains | |
John Henry Mears | 23 days 15 hours 21 minutes and 3 seconds | 1928 | 1928 | ||
Hugo Eckener | 21 days, 5 hours and 31 minutes | First circumnavigation in an airship, aboard LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin | |||
Pilot Wiley Post and navigator Harold Gatty | 8 days, 15 hours and 51 minutes | 1 July 1931 | Lockheed Vega aeroplane, travelled, did not cross equator | ||
Wiley Post | 7 days, 19 hours, 49 minutes | 22 July 1933 | Using an autopilot and radio direction finder, did not cross equator | ||
James Gallagher and crew | 94 hours and 1 minute | 1949 | 1949 | B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II. Four in-air refuelings,, did not cross equator and traveled no further south than the 20-degree parallel. | |
Col. James Morris and crew | 45 hours and 19 minutes | January 16, 1957 | January 18, 1957 | Operation Power Flite, three B-52 bombers, led by Lucky Lady III, supported by at least 76 KC-76 refueling aircraft,, no equatorial crossing | |
David Springbett | 44 hours and 6 minutes | 8 January 1980 | 10 January 1980 | Retains record for circumnavigation using only scheduled transportation. | |
Air France | 32 hours 49 minutes and 3 seconds | 1992 | 1992 | Concorde | |
Michel Dupont and Claude Hetru | 31 hours 27 minutes and 49 seconds | 15 August 1995 | 16 August 1995 | Concorde with 98 passengers and crew, no equatorial crossing |