How far did a Neptune fly nonstop in 1946?

Short answer

About 11,236 miles, 18,083 km, from Perth (Australia) to Columbus (Ohio), nonstop and without refueling, in 55 hours and 17 or 18 minutes, according to different sources (according to different sources). The National Naval Aviation Museum puts the distance at 11,235.6 miles.

Published: November 6, 2026 · Updated: November 6, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How far did a Neptune fly nonstop in 1946?

P2V-1 Truculent Turtle 1946

Takeoff in Perth

In September 1946 the aircraft departed from Perth, Australia, bound for the United States. The flight was planned to continue to Washington D.C. It was crewed by Commanders Thomas Davies, Eugene Rankin and Walter Reid and Lieutenant Commander Roy Tabeling, in the aircraft with serial number 89082. Also aboard was a nine-month-old grey kangaroo, a gift from Australia.

Landing in Columbus

The aircraft touched down in Columbus, Ohio. It covered about 11,236 miles (18,083 km) nonstop and without refueling, in 55 hours and 17 or 18 minutes, according to different sources (according to different sources): the National Naval Aviation Museum gives 11,235.6 miles and 55 hours and 17 minutes, while Adastron and Forgotten Props give 55 hours and 18 minutes.

A long-lived record

The flight set a world nonstop flight record. It surpassed the unofficial record of 10,212 miles (16,435 km) set by the Japanese Tachikawa Ki-77. It stood until 1962, when it was broken by a United States Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. As a record for a piston-engine aircraft it remained in force until 1986, when it was broken by the Rutan Voyager. The aircraft is preserved at the National Naval Aviation Museum, at Naval Air Station Pensacola.