By Ben Shanahan

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

Two Bowling Green State University alumni, Barry Behnfeldt (‘83) and Aaron Wilson (‘04), broke the world record by landing in all 48 of the contiguous states in 44 hours and 13 minutes. They shattered the previous record, which stood at just over 16 days.

The pilots shared their story with the community on Saturday at the Bowling Green Flight Center.

During Saturday’s celebration, pilot Barry Behnfeldt ’83 and co-pilot Aaron Wilson ’04 shared details about their 44 hours and 16 minutes cross-country journey and answered questions. Participants were also able to take photos with the plane the pair flew across the country.

Ben Shanahan | Sentinel-Tribune

The idea of this mission around the country got into Behnfeldt’s head from a fellow pilot he worked with at Delta Air Lines, who told him about the current record, and it has stuck with him ever since.

“It was a pilot I had flown with. We were chit-chatting. He had flown with someone who attempted this in 2021. They started in Maine, and he went clockwise around the country, starting in Maine, checking off states, and ending up having a mechanical issue in Florida that ended their run. Supposedly they were going to attempt it last year but didn’t, and I got my hands on it, and that is where the dream started.” Behnfeldt said.

From there came the planning process to make this dream a reality. Finding out where to land and taking the shortest route for the trip came first.

“For some reason, this is a dream that stuck with me, and I acted on it. Then I did some calculations, started doing some math, got ForeFlight out, started putting dots on the map, and tried to use some of the skills I learned at BGSU. the shortest distance between two places is a straight line, and with the minimum number of dots on the map, I ended up moving those straight lines as little as I could to grab all the airports to get all 48 states captured.” Behnfeldt said.

BGSU President Rodney Rogers looks over the plane.

Ben Shanahan | Sentinel-Tribune

The next question was who would be on this record-breaking crew, and this is how Wilson joined in on Behnfeldt’s dream.

“I want to express how lucky I am to be apart of this. Barry came to me around January and sent me a text that said, ‘Let me run something by you.’ So we met at a local coffee shop, and in true Barry fashion, he had a PowerPoint presentation that looked like you were joining a pyramid scheme with all the calculations already set up. He asked me to join, and I said yes right away.” Wilson said.

Once the pilots were in the air, they did not calculate the excitement this would bring to people all across the country, even being delayed in a very small Kansas town by 50 people looking to meet the crew.

“We pulled into Coffeyville, Kansas; it was not a planned fuel stop. They gave us a heads-up that there were people to meet us at 11:30 at night out in the middle of nowhere. There were close to 50 people out on the ramp looking to meet us. I told the crew we had to shut down here. We got fuel and started handing out t-shirts, and that took a little bit, then next thing you know, everyone started lining up for signatures,” Behnfeldt said.

The pilots were celebrated and shared their story with the community on Saturday at the Bowling Green Flight Center.

Ben Shanahan | Sentinel-Tribune

By the time the record run was over, both pilots who planned to break the record realized it ended up being way more than just getting their names etched in history.

“The journey started with getting the Guinness World Record, but I am telling you in my heart now that is way down the list. The three pillars of this were to promote aviation, inspire the next generation of pilots, and give back to the veteran airlift command, and we knocked all three out of the park.” Behnfeldt said.

In pursuit of a world record and to raise awareness about the critical need for skilled pilots, Behnfeldt and Wilson landed at the Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine, at 6:42 p.m. on June 6 to a group of locals who celebrated the pair’s remarkable achievement.

The pilots executed their meticulously planned 5,008-mile trek across the U.S. nearly four hours ahead of their original goal of 48 hours, experiencing near-perfect conditions throughout the entire two days. They called their journey 48N48.

Behnfeldt and Wilson chronicled their 48-state journey on Facebook, with regular updates on the weather, picturesque views from the sky and the latest on their schedule. They amassed a loyal following of fans and aviation enthusiasts, who shared encouraging messages online and gathered at airports to celebrate their arrival.

The pair received signatures at each stop to verify their presence. Those signatures and additional documentation will be reviewed by officials at Guinness World Records before Behnfeldt and Wilson officially are deemed world-record holders.

The crew also raised awareness and funds for a nonprofit organization called Veterans Airlift Command, which provides private air transportation to combat-wounded veterans. Behnfeldt said he expects donations to reach $25,000.