Threshold Aviation Group announces that their founder and CEO, Mark DiLullo and crew member Travis Holland set a world speed record from Agana, Guam to Cleveland, Ohio on March 25, 2023. The flight averaged a ground speed of 515.5 mph (Mach .80) over 7,633 miles and a duration of 14:47:56 in a Gulfstream G450.
DiLullo and Holland were able to achieve something special, as not many Gulfstream IV-series aircraft have been able to travel 7,000 miles while setting a speed record. The G450 has a normal maximum range of approximately 4,000 nm.
“The G450 is a state-of-the-art aircraft and performed with superiority; it’s a clear testament to the dominance continuously displayed by the Gulfstream IV platform for over 35 years,” said Holland. “Mark commanded the aircraft as quickly and safely as possible, and as a consequence, we were able to achieve an average ground speed of 80 percent the speed of sound.”
According to Holland the aircraft did have a fuel stop, but the impeccable crew coordination allowed swift refueling which kept the aircraft on the ground for minimal time. The outstanding crew performance, coupled with DiLullo’s experience with many thousands of flight hours across more than 35 type ratings, allowed this speed record to be possible.
“It was very fulfilling to achieve the record,” said DiLullo. “This record could not have been set by a single individual alone – it was best-in-class coordination by Travis, the professional ground crews, and the whole team at Threshold that made it happen. We can all be proud of that.”
This is DiLullo's first sanctioned world record.
The National Aeronautic Association sanctions and qualifies aviation world records and is the official US representative to the Federation Aeronautic International (FAI) for qualifying and recording world aviation records.
For more information on DiLullo’s speed record, visit https://naa.aero/.
