Lucky Lady II is a United States Air Force Boeing B-50 Superfortress that became the first airplane to circle the world nonstop, when it made the journey in 1949, assisted by refueling the plane in flight.
Total time airborne was 94 hours and 1 minute. As of 2010 it is one of only five B-50 Superfortresses still in existence.
The plane had a double crew with three pilots, with each crew taking a shift of four to six hours on duty and four to six hours off.
The plane started its round-the-world trip with a crew of 14 under the supervision of Capt. James Gallagher at 12:21 PM on February 26, 1949. The plane took off from Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas, heading East over the Atlantic Ocean.
After flying 23,452 miles (37,742 km), the plane passed the control tower back at Carswell AFB on March 2 at 10:22 AM.
After having flown around the world it landed there at 10:31 AM after being in the air for 94 hours and one minute. The landing took place two minutes before the estimated time of arrival calculated at take-off.
En route, the plane was refueled four times by B-29 Superfortresses converted into aerial refueling tankers.
Above Lajes Air Force Base in the Azores, Dhahran Airfield in Saudi Arabia, and Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.
The plane flew at altitudes between 10,000 to 20,000 feet (3,000 to 6,100 m) and completed the trip around the world at an average ground speed of 249 miles per hour (401 km/h).
Source: Wikipedia
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