PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Endurance Records..
View Single Post
Old 19th May 2006, 17:52
  #8 (permalink)  
Brian Abraham
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sale, Australia
Age: 80
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Off thread a little but during WWII QANTAS operated Catalinas from Perth to a British flying boat base on Koggala Lake in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka.

Against the winds, the non-stop flights on that leg typically took about 28 hours. One lasted just over 32 hours. Passengers experienced two sunrises on that leg and after each flight they were presented with what became a much-sought-after certificate known as The Rare and Secret Order of The Double Sunrise.

From June 1943 until the flights ended in July 1945, the five planes made 271 crossings to Ceylon and carried 648 passengers, according to Qantas. Not one plane was lost or had to ditch. With a max of three passengers per trip not one you would want to pay for out of ones own pocket. Crew of five.
Brian Abraham is offline