48 States in 48 Hours: Success!

World record setting mission to land in all 48 contiguous states in less than 48 hours.

The goal was 48 states in 48 hours. They came up with a plan of 43 hours 31 minutes with room for setbacks. They completed their mission in 44 hours 7 minutes! This could not have come together any better. That’s only an average of 45 SECONDS off per state! Well done gentleman from the control center.

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Project Objectives

  • Promote general aviation
  • Promote the Bowling Green State University School of Aviation; one of the fastest growing aviation schools in the state.
  • Inspire the next generation pilot
  • Make a donation to Veteran’s Airlift Command (VAC). VAC provides free, private air transportation to our nation’s combat injured veterans for medical or other compassionate purposes through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots.
  • Set a Guinness and National Aeronautic Association Record
  • Commemorate first powered flight and the US birthplace of aviation
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Flight Plan

Meet The Team

Barry Behnfeldt

President & Primary Pilot

Barry is a 1979 graduate of Napoleon High School, Ohio and a 1983 graduate of Bowling Green State University. He began his flying at Henry County airport, Ohio in April 1978.

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Aaron Wilson

Director of Operations & Second Pilot

Aaron is a 1999 graduate of Put-In-Bay High School, Ohio and a 2004 graduate of Bowling Green State University. He started taking flying lessons in the summertime at the age of 14 at Put-in-Bay airport.

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Thomas Twiddy

Director of Maintenance & Inflight Technician

Thomas left high school early in 1977 to join the US Navy. While in the Navy he received his GED, an AA and BA from Columbia College and a MS in Acquisition Management from the American Graduate University.
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Nuts & Bolts

Event timing
  • Near summer solstice to maximize daylight
  • Full moon 4 June
  • Launch window starts at 2310, 4 June
Weather Requirements
  • Day Visual Flight Rules over mountainous
  • Visual Flight Rules preferred for majority of mission
Team Structure
  • 2 pilots (BGSU grads & Delta pilots)
  • Onboard A&P (tool box and high failure items)
  • Flight Coordinators 24 hours in OCC at 7W5
Aviation Physiology
  • Onboard rest facility-fatigue mitigation
  • All food and water-carried onboard
  • Physiological requirements
Survival Kit
  • Satellite phone
  • Food and water
  • First aid kit
Aircraft
  • 1980 PA32R Piper Saratoga 6 seats
  • Home airport: 7W5
  • Cruise Specs: 160 knot true airspeed, 15 gallons per hour

In The Media

Feel Good Friday: Wheels Up - 48N48
Read Article
Local pilots attempting to smash 48-state flying record
Watch Video
48n48 Crew Featured on the Podcast: 'The Way I Taught It' with Pete Reddan, Episode 32.
View Episode
48 states in 48 hours: BGSU alumni attempting to set a world record for the fastest journey by plane across the U.S.
Read Article

Guinness World Record Rules

Fastest journey by plane through all 48 contiguous states: Record definition
  • This record is for the fastest journey by plane through all 48 contiguous states.
  • This record is to be attempted by an individual or a team of two pilots.
  • This record is to be measured in days, hours, and minutes, down to the nearest minute.
Rules for Fastest journey by plane through all 48 contiguous states 

  1. If this record is to be attempted by a team of two, both participants must fly/pilot together in the same aircraft throughout the entirety of the attempt.

  2. The pilot(s) of the plane must have a private pilot certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

  3. Each flight must take place at an appropriate venue that is open to the public and with the knowledge and approval of the location. Proof of permission must be submitted with the claim.

  4. The flight must reach a minimum height of 152.4 m (500 ft) unless ground conditions require a different altitude based on FAA regulations.

  5. There must be a separate flight between each of the individual contiguous US states. This means that there must be 47 flights minimum, each flying between two states. Flights in between two locations in the same state are allowed (to make the attempt work, or for whatever reason) but they must be recorded and documented in the same way as the rest of flights.

  6. Timing begins when the plane leaves the ground in the first state and ends when the final flight lands

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Mission Merchandise

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Barry Behnfeldt

President & Primary Pilot

Barry is a 1979 graduate of Napoleon High School, Ohio and a 1983 graduate of Bowling Green State University.  He began his flying at Henry County airport, Ohio in April 1978.  Upon entering college in September 1979, he had already completed his private, instrument and commercial ratings and was a certified flight and ground instructor.  After graduation from BGSU Aviation, he joined the U.S. Navy and following training was assigned to fly the FA-18 Hornet. During his 17 years of flying duty, he accumulated over 3,000 hours in the FA-18, was a graduate of the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun), and a graduate of United States Navy Test Pilot School.  He accumulated over 750 carrier arrested landings on 9 different aircraft carriers and flew contingency operations over Bosnia and Iraq.  He had three command tours in charge of Strike Fighter Squadron 204, Navy Reserve COMFAIRMED 1082 and the Navy Reserve Customer Service Unit.  Upon leaving active duty from the Navy, he was hired by Delta Air Lines  and has served as flight engineer on the 727, first officer on the 737, 757 and A350 and captain on the 757 and A320.  He has accumulated over 16,000 flight hours in 52 different aircraft.  He retired from the US Navy as a Captain in 2014 after over 30 years of service and is currently serving as a captain on the A320 for Delta Air Lines based in Detroit, Michigan.

Aaron Wilson

Director of Operations & Second Pilot

Aaron is a 1999 graduate of Put-In-Bay High School, Ohio and a 2004 graduate of Bowling Green State University.  He started taking flying lessons in the summertime at the age of 14 at Put-in-Bay Ohio airport.  Upon, graduation from high school Aaron joined Air Force ROTC while attending BGSU.  After graduation from BGSU, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the USAF with a follow-on assignment to attend Joint-Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) at Whiting Field, FL and Vance AFB, OK.  Upon graduation from UPT Aaron spent 10 years on active duty flying the C-17 Globemaster III before joining the New York Air National Guard and currently serves as a Traditional Reservist flying C-17s as an Evaluator Pilot and Flight Commander in the US Air Force Reserve at Wright-Patterson AFB.  He has accumulated over 4,000 hours in the C-17 and deployed numerous times supporting contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Upon leaving the active duty Air Force in 2014, he was hired by Delta Air Lines and has served as a first officer on the A320, B757, B767 and captain on the A320.  Aaron has accumulated over 8,000 flight hours in a variety of aircraft and currently serving as a captain on the A320 based in Detroit, Michigan.

Thomas Twiddy

Director of Maintenance & Inflight Technician

Thomas left high school early in 1977 to join the US Navy. While in the Navy he received his GED, an AA and BA from Columbia College and a MS in Acquisition Management from the American Graduate University.  In his nearly 32 year career in the US Navy he went from airman aviation structural mechanic (E1) to Senior Chief (E8) and then was commissioned as a limited duty officer as an Aerospace Maintenance Duty Officer and retired as a Lieutenant Commander (O4) in February 2009.  He performed maintenance and maintenance oversight leadership on the following aircraft: F-5 Tiger, F/A-18 Hornet, A-6 Intruder, A-4 Skyhawk, C-130 Hercules, SH-60 Seahawk, H-46 Sea Knight and was a member of the A-12 Avenger II acquisition program.  During his time in the US Navy he made numerous deployments onboard ships and also was selected to lead multi service teams in the combat zones of Iraq, Kuwait.  After his retirement from the US Navy, he returned as a contractor to Iraq and also to Afghanistan working on the MQ-5B Hunter Unmanned Air vehicle and the Persistent Threat Detection System (74K Aerostat).  Upon his return back to the US, he accepted a position as the General Manager and Quality Assurance at U.S. Aerospace Corp in Selmer, TN.  Leaving this position in July 2014, he started his own FAA 145 repair station and is the owner and President of T.T. AEROTECH Corporation in Savannah, TN.