Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer

The Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, company Model 311, is a single-seat, single-engine jet designed by Burt Rutan and built by Scaled Composites to fly around the world nonstop without refuelling. Owned by the pilot Steve Fossett and sponsored by Virgin Atlantic, it made the first solo nonstop circumnavigation in 2005, landing after two days, 19 hours and about two minutes at an average of 342 miles per hour. In February 2006 it flew 25,766 miles, the longest flight by any aircraft, and in March 2006 it set the absolute distance record over a closed circuit. The aircraft has twin tail booms either side of a short central fuselage, a high-aspect-ratio carbon fibre wing of 114 foot span, and a Williams International FJ44 turbofan mounted above the fuselage. Fuel made up about 83 percent of its takeoff weight. It is on permanent display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center.