A Cessna 510 Citation Mustang has broken 17 world speed records on a round-the-world trip, raising $48,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation of New Jersey in the process.
Shaun Leach, one of the pilots, picked up two of the awards personally at NBAA from NAA president Jonathan Gaffney and director Art Greenfield. The awards, from the NAA and FAI, were for the leg from Newark, New Jersey to St Johns, Newfoundland, which was completed in 2h 30m 29sec at an average speed of 466.19mph.
The three-man team was trying to break a world record set in 1991 for an around-the-world flight for a jet weighing between 3,000 to 6,000kg. The aircraft, owned by entrepreneur Jared Isaac, and co-piloted by Shaun and Douglas Demko, managed the complete trip in 84h 5m in early April. Jared said: “We didn't quite make the new world record we had our sights on, but I think 17 awards is still quite an achievement.
“When the wheels touched down in Qatar we had completed our circuit approximately one hour shy of the current record. Over the nearly 21,000nm we traveled around the world, we maintained an average speed of 443kmh. This includes all the time we spent on the ground with delays and fuel stops. The current record maintained an average speed of 448kmh.”
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey is a non-profit organization that aims to help children with life-threatening illnesses.
Source: Flight Daily News
