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When we talk about an around the world flight we usually refer to a flight departing and arriving at the same airport after circumnavigating the world.
You need to figure out which plane will get you from Dulles Airport (IAD) in Virginia, travel around the world and land back in Virginia the fastest! We'll use the circumference of Earth as our distance (same distance as the equator). That's a total distance of 24,901 standard miles.
To figure out the average speed each plane flies, you need to divide total miles flown by the total time it took to fly that distance.
average speed = total miles/total time in hours
Read the information below and use that flight information to figure out which plane will get you to around the world first.
How will you figure minutes into your calculations?
Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer (nonstop, non-refueled) 2005
Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer (nonstop, non-refueled) 2005
In 2005 accomplished aviator, balloonist, and sailor Steve Fossett became the first person to fly nonstop, solo around the world in the turbofan-powered Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer. He flew from Salina, Kansas and back covering a distance of 22,928 miles in just over 67 hours.
What was the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer's average speed for this trip?
Rutan Voyager (nonstop, non-refueled) 1986
Rutan Voyager (nonstop, non-refueled) 1986
In 1986 the Rutan Voyager completed the first nonstop, non-refueled flight around the world. It flew from Edwards AFB, California and back covering a distance of 24,986 miles in 216 hours. For their record-breaking flight, the pilots, Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, the designer, Burt Rutan, and the crew chief, Bruce Evans, earned the Collier Trophy, aviation's most prestigious award.
What was the average speed of the Rutan Voyager for this groundbreaking trip?
Which plane do you think will Circumnavigate the world first?
Which plane do you think will Circumnavigate the world first?
Click the button to see if you are right!
Click the button to see if you are right!
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