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The Double Sunrise service was formed in July 1943 to re-establish the Australia–England air link that had been cut due to the fall of Singapore in February 1942. The service initially operated from its base in Nedlands, Western Australia near Perth, [4] to the Royal Air Force base at Lake Koggala near Galle in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
Taking between 27 and 33 hours, with departure timed so that the flight crossed Japanese occupied territory during darkness, the crew and passengers would observe the sunrise twice, which led to the service being known as "The Double Sunrise". [37] The Double Sunrise flights remain the longest (in terms of airtime) commercial flights in history.
PBY Catalina G-AGKS of the Double Sunrise service. September 9, 1940 (): Pan Am set another record for the longest non-stop commercial flight by changing their eastbound trans-atlantic route between Bermuda and Lisbon to no longer have a scheduled stop in Horta, Azores.
The modified Catalinas had their crews reduced to three and were loaded with extra fuel and 69 kilograms (152 lb) of diplomatic and armed forces mail. Dubbed The Double Sunrise, these top secret flights remain the longest-duration nonstop commercial flights at 32 hours 9 minutes. [2] [5]
In accordance with the Lend-Lease agreement, the five modified Catalinas used for Double Sunrise service were scuttled after the war. Qantas obtained seven former Royal Australian Air Force Catalinas, using them to serve outlying South Pacific islands. The last two Catalinas were retired in 1958. [40]
The current record for the longest non-stop, non-refueled airplane flight in history (9 days and 3 minutes) was achieved in the Rutan Voyager. The flight endurance record is the longest amount of time an aircraft of a particular category spent in flight without landing.
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The first Easter Sunrise Service recorded took place in 1732 in the Moravian congregation at Herrnhut in the Upper Lusatian hills of Saxony. [3] After an all-night prayer vigil, the Single Brethren—the unmarried men of the community—went to the town graveyard, God's Acre, on the hill above the town to sing hymns of praise to the Risen Saviour. [3]