Iridium satcoms have played a key role in a just-completed round-the-world record flight in a Cessna Citation CJ2 light business jet.
Last week youthful self-made millionaire Jared Isaacman and fellow pilot Doug Demko girdled the globe in less than 62 hours to smash the previous eastbound round-the-world record for light jets by a whopping 30 per cent.
Departing from Morristown, New Jersey, last Sunday, they flew eastwards to Europe, across the Middle East, south to the Philippines, up to Korea and Russia, into North America via Alaska, and arrived back at their base on Wednesday. Along the way they made a total of 14 stops, aiming to take no more than 15 minutes at each one to refuel and clear customs and immigration.
The two fliers used an Iridium phone supplied by Maryland-based EMS Sky Connect to co-ordinate with ground teams along the way to make sure the fuel trucks were waiting and to clear the formalities as quickly as possible. The system also delivered weather briefings to the pilots and supported live flight-following via the Website SpeedAroundTheWorld.com.
“We really enjoy supporting flights like this, which prove that an Iridium-equipped aircraft is never out of reach,” comments Sky Connect sales and marketing VP Wiley Loughran.
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This week on the Shephard Defence Podcast, senior naval reporter Harry Lye and military training & simulation reporter Norbert Neumann chat with Professor John Louth.
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