Flying

U.S. Aviators Seek Round-the-World Helo Record

By Brad Tucker, Aviation.com Writer

posted: 08 August 2008 03:47 pm ET

: Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik depart New York LaGuardia Airport in an AgustaWestland 109 Grand on Aug. 7, 2008, in an attempt to beat the round-the-world speed record for a helicopter. The twin-engine Grand seats five passengers and was built in Milan. Credit: Douglas Sonders
: Steve Sheik (left) and Scott Kasprowicz are making their way around the world in their twin-engine AgustaWestland 109 Grand helicopter. The two were set to land in Western Europe on the evening of Aug. 8, after two days' flying. Credit: Douglas Sonders

It took about a day and a half for Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik to travel from New York to Iceland — a distance of about 3,000 nautical miles. That leaves only some 17,000 nautical miles (19,560 miles) to go before they are home again.

Kasprowicz and Sheik are attempting to fly their helicopter around the world in just 14 days. They call the endeavor "The Grand Adventure," and 14 days would mark the fastest time ever for such a journey.

The Grand Adventure team, consisting of six members, with Harlan Hamlin running ground operations out of Atlanta, has set up a Web site where the progress of the flight can be tracked. Not only is there a detailed map, showing the path already covered and the current location of the helicopter, but the team has set up a forum where they post updates for anybody whose keeping tabs.

Updates from the team have been positive, even jovial, as members on the ground relay messages from the pilots. They have stayed on course so far, bolstered by club sandwiches in Schefferville, Quebec and a nap in Nuuk, Greenland. The North Atlantic is expected to be the roughest patch of the journey, but it’s so far so good according to Hamlin.

As the two speed across meridian after meridian, the significance of Kasprowicz' and Sheik’s attempt at breaking the rotorcraft record for world circumnavigation ultimately may not be their time, but the fact they are using a stock helicopter.

They are flying an AgustaWestland 109 Grand, a twin-engine helicopter that has not been customized for the trip. The Bell 430, which set the current record with a 17-day world tour back in 1995, saved itself some time with a couple of modifications. The biggest advantage for the Bell crew was the addition of a 105-gallon fuel tank, which allowed the helicopter to carry around 400 gallons of fuel in total. It also was equipped with a bed, where one pilot could rest while the helicopter was in flight.

Kasprowicz and Sheik have neither of these luxuries, and will have to stop every 400 miles or so to fill their aircraft's 213-gallon tank.

Their trip, which has been more than two years in planning, took off from New York’s La Guardia Airport early on Thursday morning, and is heading east, taking the two pilots through 24 time zones and across 20,000 nautical miles in all, a large portion of that over uninhabited areas of Russia.

Once they pass Siberia and the Bering Strait, they will complete their journey over familiar territory. The last leg takes them over almost the entire continental U.S. — their initial plan had them crossing all 48 states — before they finally land back in New York.

Kasprowicz, the driving force behind The Grand Adventure, is the former CEO of Texel Corporation, and also served as deputy secretary of transportation in Virginia. Still a Virginia resident, he has turned his focus to the air, founding ROTOR1US Aviation with his friend and co-pilot Sheik. As a pilot, he has put some lofty goals in his sights.

If the team can stay on schedule, they will break their second world record this year. In February, Kasprowicz and Sheik flew an AgustaWestland Grand from New York to Los Angeles in just over 15 hours, shattering the previous record by nearly four hours.

To track how Kasprowicz and Sheik are faring in their quest to beat the round-the-world helicopter speed record, go to the Web site grandadventure08.com.