BGSU alumnus Barry Behnfeldt ‘83 is attempting to set a world record for the fastest journey by plane across the U.S. with fellow Falcon Aaron Wilson ‘04.
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Two Bowling Green State University alumni with greater than 70 years of mixed navy and industrial flying expertise are piloting the flight of a lifetime this summer time as they try to set a world record for the fastest journey by plane by way of all 48 contiguous United States.
Barry Behnfeldt ‘83 and his co-pilot Aaron Wilson ‘04 hope to accomplish the feat in fewer than 48 hours and are fittingly calling their journey 48N48.
In addition to setting a world record, Behnfeldt and Wilson need their world-record try to assist encourage the subsequent era of pilots as the U.S. continues to grapple with shortages in the aviation business.
As residence to the largest aviation program in Ohio, BGSU is dedicated to assembly workforce calls for in the aviation business by way of partnerships, expanded amenities and modernization of its fleet. The University additionally lately permitted the creation of a School of Aviation in the College of Technology, Architecture and Applied Engineering.
“Maybe someone out there will see what we’re doing and it’ll spark their interest in becoming a pilot,” stated Behnfeldt, a captain with Delta Air Lines and retired U.S. Navy captain. “Even better, maybe it’ll encourage them to consider the aviation program at BGSU.”
Setting a world record
Behnfeldt and Wilson estimate their world-record-setting, 5,008-mile journey across the nation will take roughly 39 hours and 57 minutes to full, barring any unexpected mechanical points or inclement climate situations.
Their calculation accounts for 10-minute stops at every airport, the place they need to get signatures to certify their presence as required by Guinness World Records and 5 gas stops they anticipate will take about 20 minutes every.
“I had never thought about setting a world record until a conversation with another pilot piqued my interest,” Behnfeldt stated. “I immediately got on my flight planning application and started planning this thing out and connecting the dots across the country. Within a day, I knew it was possible.”
Behnfeldt reached out to Wilson, a fellow veteran and Delta Air Lines pilot, to gauge his curiosity in becoming a member of him on the world-record try.
Wilson stated Behnfeldt didn’t elaborate on why he needed to meet however got here ready with a presentation and a well-thought-out plan of how they might accomplish the purpose.
“He had all the logistics and everything figured out,” Wilson stated. “Flying across the country in a small airplane is something I’ve always wanted to do, so I was immediately sold on the idea. I didn’t have any hesitation about saying yes.”
Early publicity to aviation
Behnfeldt and Wilson had been each uncovered to aviation at a younger age and stated it considerably impressed their careers.
Behnfeldt, whose father instilled in him a love of airplanes, began flying classes at the Henry County Airport in Napoleon, Ohio, at 16 years previous.
Behnfeldt graduated from BGSU with a bachelor’s diploma in aerotechnology, related to the present Flight Technology and Operations program, and spent almost 30 years in the U.S. Navy and Navy (*48*).
Wilson grew up in Put-in-Bay and started flying classes at 14 as a means to get off the island in the winter when Lake Erie froze. His curiosity in aviation continued when he enrolled at BGSU, the place he joined the Air Force ROTC program.
Wilson was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force after graduating and is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force (*48*).
“I think one of the most common pathways to a career in aviation is exposure,” stated Wilson, who now lives in Whitehouse.
Cross-country flight plan
Their plan is to depart on their cross-country journey at 11:20 p.m. on June 4 from Andrews University Airpark in Berrien Springs, Michigan, in Behnfeldt’s 1980 Piper Saratoga six-seat airplane.
Behnfeldt stated they’re taking off at evening and heading west to fly over the mountains in the western U.S. in the daylight. If all goes in accordance to plan, the crew will journey by way of Texas and Oklahoma and into flatter territory as the solar units on June 5.
They’ll proceed their journey by way of the southern U.S. and alongside the East Coast, arriving at the Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport in Sanford, Maine, at 3:07 p.m. on June 6.
Behnfeldt stated the flight from Maine to Northwest Ohio will embrace spelling out 48N48 over the Huffman Prairie Flying Field on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to commemorate a momentous event in aviation historical past – 120 years since the Wright brothers’ first profitable flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The whole flight shall be viewable in perpetuity in FlightConscious, the world’s largest flight-tracking platform.
“One of the most exciting things about this has been the support we’ve received from friends, family and our communities,” Behnfeldt stated. “I like seeing the excitement around this. Henry County, Ohio, may be a small, rural community, but it’s a cool place. We could put it on the map with a Guinness World Record.”
