"Two pilots have flown a helicopter around the world in a record 13 days,
breaking the previous record by four days during a trip that took them through
15 countries, 24 time zones and 30 states.

Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik landed at LaGuardia Airport at 10:15 a.m.
today, ending a whirlwind global journey that started with a record-setting
jaunt across the Atlantic but nearly fell apart in Russia when lousy airports
and an engine problem threatened to sideline them. But they kept at it, pushing
themselves and their aircraft to the limits in pursuit of a dream.

"Both Steve and I love a challenge," Kasprowicz told us. "We figured flying
around the world was pretty big."

Kasprowicz is an aircraft junkie with 30 years of experience who knows his way
around a chopper. Earlier this year, he and Sheik flew from New York to Los
Angeles in 15 hours, 9 minutes and 10 seconds to set a new transcontinental
helicopter-speed record.

He got the idea for a round-the-world helicopter run two years ago when he first
saw the AgustaWestland Grand and its two Pratt & Whitney PW207C Turboshaft
engines. With a range of 575 miles and a maximum cruising speed of 175 mph, it
is, Kasporwicz says, unparalleled in sophistication and performance. "I knew
that if there was a rotorcraft that could help me break some records, it would
be the Grand," he told us." wired.com

And from - http://www.verticalmag.com/

"Early this morning, N1US, a stock AgustaWestland A109 Grand Helicopter piloted
by Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik, successfully completed a round-the-world
flight, touching down in New York having circumnavigated the globe in exactly 11
days, 7 hours, and 3 minutes – smashing the previous record time for a
helicopter flight around the world. During the flight, N1US flew over 20,000
nautical miles, and eclipsed the previous record of just under 17 days by more
than 143 hours – almost 6 full days.

In preparation for the N1US Grand Adventure flight, LatitudeÂ’s SkyNode S200-021
satellite voice and tracking equipment and the LWS Sentinel data management
system on-board N1US had been sanctioned by the National Aeronautic Association
to authenticate the AFF (automatic flight-following) data transmitted during the
flight from N1US both to the National Aeronautic Association flight-monitoring
desk and to the N1US ground logistics team at the Grand Adventure Coordination
Center.

Latitude President Mark Insley was elated at news of the safe arrival of N1US
and the completion of the record-setting Grand Adventure flight. “On behalf of
everyone at Latitude, we offer our heartiest congratulations to Scott, Steve,
and the stellar team at the Grand Adventure Coordination Center. The Grand
Adventure was a team effort that started many weeks before the flight and
required round-the-clock attention to every logistical detail every hour of the
flight. We're honoured to have been part of the team as communications provider
for the Grand Adventure '08.” "
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