Two pilot friends accomplished an extraordinary feat, setting a world record. According to the Guinness World Record, John Skittone and Robert Reynolds, both from the USA, achieved the fastest journey by plane through all 48 contiguous states in a fantastic time of 1 day, 14 hours, and 13 minutes from May 17 to 19, 2023.
Several factors drove their decision to break this record. Firstly, it was a personal accomplishment, allowing them to fulfil a long-standing item on their bucket list of visiting all 48 states in one trip. Additionally, they aimed to promote general aviation and showcase the ease of traversing the country in a small aircraft while inspiring others to explore and experience the world.
“We just set a Guinness World Record for landing in all 48 lower contiguous states. We did it in 38 hours and 13 minutes,” pilot John Skittone shared with TMJ4 News.
During their journey, Skittone and Reynolds landed their plane in each of the lower 48 states before promptly taking off again.
Skittone mentioned, “The shortest duration between two states was probably about four minutes, which happened twice between Nebraska and Iowa, and Ohio and West Virginia.”
For Skittone, this adventure was a significant accomplishment on his bucket list. Reflecting on it, he stated, “You know, for me, it was personal. I have a bucket list. I wrote the bucket list about 15 years ago, and many things on that list were aviation-related places I wanted to go and things I wanted to see. Well, one of the things on that list – I wanted to visit all 48 states in the same trip.”
