In 1949, an Aeronca airplane called The Sunkist Lady set a record for non-stop flight of 42 days. The effort was sponsored by the Fullerton, California Chamber of Commerce. The flight went from California to Florida and back. Upon arrival in California, The Sunkist Lady would then stay aloft over the Fullerton airport, until the old record was broken.
They were accompanied on their flight by a similar aircraft containing their ground crew. At airports along their route, the ground crew would land, and board Willys Jeepsters. When the Sunkist lady slowly passed over the airport, the ground crew race along the runway in the Jeepsters, and hand up 3-gallon cans of gasoline and food supplies.
They broke a record set in 1939. Their record only lasted 6 months.
The pilots of the Sunkist Lady were Dick Riedel and Bill Barris.
