December 23

What happened on December 23 in aviation and space history.

• December 23, 1986

  Rutan Voyager's nonstop round-the-world flight

  Record — The Rutan Model 76 Voyager, designed by Burt Rutan and flown by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, took off from the 15,000-foot runway at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert on 14 December 1986. It landed on 23 December after 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds aloft, completing the first flight around the world without stopping or refuelling. The aircraft covered 26,366 statute miles westbound at an average altitude of 11,000 feet.