A British Airways flight from New York to London broke a commercial flight record last Wednesday, completing the journey in just over five hours. The plane arrived at Heathrow an hour and a half early.
The flight reached ground speeds of 745 miles per hour. For reference, the speed of sound is broken at 761 miles per hour. The Boeing 777-200 plane was caught in tailwinds of more than 200 miles per hour, allowing it to complete the journey in record time.
Being caught in a jet stream is "just like surfing," former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein told The Telegraph. "You try to sit in the core of the jet where it's not too turbulent and where you can pick up some free mileage. It's not unusual to get 100 mph tailwinds, but [these pilots] have got more than that. This must be a record."
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(Editors Note: This article originally misstated elements of the flight. It has since been corrected. We regret the error.)
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