DULLES, Va., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Northern Virginia businessman, community activist and helicopter pilot Scott Kasprowicz broke the international New York to Los Angeles transcontinental rotorcraft speed record at 07:21:30 pm EST on Saturday, February 16, 2008.
Kasprowicz broke the New York to Los Angeles transcontinental speed record with an all-inclusive flight time of 15 hours, 09 minutes and 10 seconds. The previous record, set in 1985, was 19 hours, 00 minutes and 16 seconds.
"We're excited to have set the transcontinental record," said
Kasprowicz upon arrival in Los Angeles. "There were many challenges to overcome in this flight including some rapidly changing weather conditions. The ground crews we encountered along the way were terrific. They got us in and out of our fuel stops in great time. We could not have done it with out
them."
Kasprowicz along with co-pilot Steve Sheik, made the record setting flight in helicopter N1US, Kasprowicz's standard factory outfitted, executive configuration AgustaWestland Grand helicopter. The record is validated, recorded and maintained by the National Aeronautics Association or NAA (http://www.naa.aero).
"The Grand performed perfectly," continued Kasprowicz. "N1US is a wonderful twin engine aircraft with superior speed, fuel economy and reliability. We look forward to many grand adventures and record setting flights in the future."
"We congratulate Scott Kasprowicz on his outstanding achievement in breaking the transcontinental speed record," said Lou Bartolotta, Executive Vice President of AgustaWestland for commercial sales for the Americas. "This record reflects the full extent and performance of the Grand and the capability, reliability, and exceptional quality of AgustaWestland's
products. We are proud to have been a small part of this tremendous accomplishment."
Departing from Sheltair Aviation at New York's LaGuardia airport at
04:12:20 am EST, Kasprowicz traveled 2,139.8 nautical miles or 2,462.3 statute miles as he crossed the United States making six fuel stops along the way. Because it is an international record, the official distance will be recorded as 3,962.8 kilometers.
Fuel stops made along the way included: Butler, Pa; Kokomo, IN;
Kirksville, MO; Great Bend, KS; Alamosa, CO and Grand Canyon, AZ. With an average airspeed of approximately 141.3 knots, or 161.8 miles per hour, Kasprowicz arrived at Landmark Aviation at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 07:21:10 pm EST on Saturday, February 16, 2008. Kasprowicz reported 10-15 knot head winds throughout the flight.
From Los Angeles Kasprowicz and Sheik will fly N1US to Houston to be formally recognized by AgustaWestland at the Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo 2008 tradeshow. At the Heli-Expo, Kasprowicz plans to officially announce his next world record speed attempt, a less than 17-day around-the-world flight in helicopter N1US. The record attempt, which Kasprowicz has named The Grand Adventure, is scheduled to launch in summer 2008.
Kasprowicz, 55, is the founder and former CEO of Texel Corporation, a communications systems integration company headquartered in Reston, Virginia, which he sold in 1999. Kasprowicz is also the former Deputy Secretary of Transportation for the State of Virginia under Governor Tim Kaine. In addition to his real estate holdings and other local business interests Kasprowicz, a resident of Middleburg, Virginia, currently serves
on a number of commercial and not-for-profit boards of directors. A fixed wing pilot since his teenage years, Kasprowicz has logged nearly 1,000 hours of helicopter flight time in recent years.
In 2007 he took delivery in Italy of N1US, his second helicopter, the twin engine AgustaWestland Grand helicopter in which he set the transcontinental speed record. Upon completion of AgustaWestland certification in Italy, he flew the new Grand to the United States from Italy over the North Atlantic Ocean making N1US one of the few commercial helicopters to have crossed the North Atlantic. Helicopter N1US, based in the Mid-Atlantic area, was the first Grand to be put into service on the
United States.
The Grand is a twin-engine helicopter designed for commercial and
private aviation use. Helicopter N1US is serial number 40 of the Grand line and is a standard factory model with a two pilot cockpit and five-seat executive configuration in back. The helicopter has all standard factory avionics and has not been specially outfitted for adventure flying or long distance missions. The Grand is a member of an extensive line of quality AgustaWestland aircraft serving civilian, commercial, government and military customers worldwide.
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