From April 4th to June 24th in 1997, Mike Melvill (flight lead) and Dick Rutan (wingman) left Mojave Civilian Flight Test Center on the Spirit of EAA Friendship World Tour.

This odyssey took them around the world, this time with many stops. "Around The World In 80 Nights" allowed Mike and Dick to visit many incredible places and meet aviators from all over the globe.

Dick's LongEZ, Old Blue, built over three decades ago, has been decommissioned and retired. He is currently building a Berkut and plans to regain some of his LongEZ world records, as well as break some of his old standing world records.

At this time, we are not sure of the final resting place for Old Blue. We are hoping it will be on permanent display at a museum.

*Experimental Aircraft Association