“Operation Power Flite”: The First Nonstop Around-the-World Flight Completed by Three U.S. Air Force B-52 Bombers

  The 52Bs launched from Castle AFB, California at 1:00 PM, and landed at March AFB, California.  The flights were completed at an average speed of 534 miles per hour (859 kilometers per hour) and required multiple in-flight aerial refuelings to stay airborne. In-flight aerial refueling (AAR) transfers fuel between two aircraft mid-air, extending range and […]