Russia posed some of the biggest problems as pilots Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik flew around the world in a helicopter in 11 days seven hours and two minutes to set a new world speed record. The pilots broke the current record by almost six days with an average speed of 74 knots over the entire 11 days including stops, with an average speed of 150 knots while in the air. The record of the flight will be submitted to the National Aeronautic Association for ratification.

They used a factory-standard AgustaWestland Grand to cover 18 countries, 24 time zones, 49 states, 78 fuel stops and almost 21,000 nautical miles. "This has been the trip of a lifetime and is a remarkable achievement for all of us," says Kasprowicz. "We had some challenging situations, especially in Russia, and the planning and coordination at each control point was key to our success."

No mission specific modifications or additional fuel tanks were added to improve the Grand's performance. Kasprowicz and his co-pilot Steve Sheik travelled eastbound across the Atlantic into Europe via Greenland, traversed western and eastern Europe into Russia, crossed 11 time zones in Russia, returned to North America over the Bering Strait crossing the U.S, and returning to New York City.