NAA’s Memorable Aviation Records of 2009

March 22, 2010—Do you think there are no aviation records left to set? Wrong! Each year the National Aeronautic Association presents its list of the most memorable aviation records of the previous year. Some records on the 2009 list include: Greatest Payload: 176,450 pounds After loading a Lockheed Martin C-5M Super Galaxy with stacks of pallets totaling 176,450 pounds, Major Cory Bulris, USAF and his crew departed Dover AFB, Delaware on September 13 on a mission to set 41 world records. This was the first of those records, and it beat the previous record of 161,023 pounds set in 1993. Largest Freefall Formation: 181 persons Jumping from nine aircraft over Perris, California, the women of the “Jump for the Cause” team joined together during freefall for a 181-person formation. Their jump on September 26 beat the previous record of 151-person formation in 2005. Speed Around the World, Eastbound: 370 mph Departing from Morristown, New Jersey on April 12, Jared Isaacman and Douglas Demko flew a Cessna Citation CJ2 around the world, making 14 stops before returning to Morristown on April 15. Their flight averaged 370 mph, beating the previous record of 279 mph set in 1991. Highest Takeoff: 14,110 feet Taking off from Colorado Springs, Colorado in a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter on October 12, Mark Young landed at the summit of Pikes Peak, an elevation of 14,110 feet. His subsequent takeoff from Pikes Peak set the first altitude record in this class. Watch his landing on YouTube. Free Three Turnpoint Distance: 623 miles After releasing from tow near Rosamond, California on April 25, James Payne flew a Windward Performance SparrowHawk ultralight glider a distance of 623 miles. His flight beat the previous record of 497 miles set in 2003. Speed Over a Commercial Airline Route: 605 mph Flying a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 from Washington, D.C., to Paris, France, on January 14, Martin Kemp and his crew made the flight in 6 hours, 23 minutes, averaging 605 mph. Their flight beat the previous record of 574 mph set in 1990.

Master Sgt. Richard Biasi, 512th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, marshals a C-5M Super Galaxy moments before the plane takes off for a flight on September 13, 2009. An aircrew of active duty and Air Force Reserve members flew the C-5M, named “The Spirit of Normandy,” on a mission that set 41 records in a single flight, including greatest payload. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force/Jason Minto Jump for the Cause jumped into the record books on September 26 with their 181-person formation. Photo credit: Jump for the Cause Shaun Leach, Jared Issacman and Doug Demko with the Cessna Citation Mustanng Model 510 behind them at the Morristown Airport. Photo credit: Ed Murray/The Star-Ledger

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