Pilots Robert Timm and John Cook set a wild record in 1959. They climbed aboard a Cessna 172 in December 1958, then spent the next 64 days and 22 hours circling Nevada and California. They finally landed in February 1959, setting a world record that’s stood for 60+ years. And for good reason, the feat pushed their airplane–and bodies–to the absolute limit.

So how the heck do you keep a Cessna 172 in the air for over two months? The answer is low and slow and with a pickup truck full of aviation fuel following close behind. Even with Timm and Cook’s careful preparations, there were many ways this crazy mission could–and did–go wrong.

Setting up the Cessna 172

Robert Timm had been a bomber pilot in WWII. By the 1950s, he was a slot machine mechanic in Vegas. When an entrepreneur was opening up a new hotel and casino, Timm convinced the man to fund a world record attempt for publicity.

Timm had been dreaming of setting the nonstop aviation record. He decided a 1958 Cessna 172 was the sort of reliable, fuel-sipping plane to do it in. He made a few test flights, trying different configurations and co-pilots. At one point, he attempted to feed alcohol into the engine to clean the spark plugs. He abandoned this system, but built plumbing to pour fresh oil into the engine without turning it off.

Timm also upgraded the plane with an extra 95 gallon fuel tank for 142 gallons total. He replaced the co-pilot seat with a bed, added a tiny sink, and a bucket toilet. Finally, Timm rigged a small platform he could lower out the co-pilot door so he could literally step outside. This platform was critical for refueling, when the plane would fly over a tanker truck, connect a hose, and pump fuel up. It was also the only way the pilot or co-pilot could stand up, so they would use it to wash themselves and stretch. Sounds crazy? Well a Cessna 172 can slow down to about 50 mph without falling out of the air.

During an early test flight, Timm actually witnessed a 4 AM atomic bomb test. It turns out the military conducted 57 tests during the 1950s, just 65 miles from Las Vegas.

Flying for two months

Timm and Cook took off from Nevada on December 4, 1958. They had to meet the fuel truck on a long, straight road along the Nevada/California boarder to refuel twice a day. While refueling, the ground crew also sent up canteens of fresh food and water. The plane did at least one publicity flight out over Los Angeles and back. On Christmas, they made a special trip to Timm’s house. His son Greg was six at the time.

Greg remembered, “They flew by, in the airplane in the daytime, and tossed out of the airplane candy cane stockings with little parachutes. As they floated down my brother and I tried to snatch them before they hit the ground.”

Besides these brief adventures, most of their time was spent circling Nevada while flying low and slow. Both men reported being torturously sleep deprived, struggling to get any shut-eye with the constant engine noise and vibration. Timm even passed out for an hour during one of his shifts. “I awoke and was flying in a canyon heading due south. I flew for two hours before I recognized any lights or the cities.” He concluded,” I made a vow to myself that I would never tell John what had happened.”

The autopilot system likely saved their lives when Timm fell asleep. But shortly after, the system broke so the two men had to stay awake at all costs. Later, the plane’s generator failed. With no electric fuel pump, they had to pump their 140+ gallons of fuel by hand. Twice a day, every day. They refueled 128 times total.

The plane’s spark plugs fouled up with soot over time. They couldn’t shut off the engine to clean them out, so they just had to make do with reduced horsepower. By the end of two months, they didn’t have enough power to gain altitude, so they just cruised back and fourth right above the road where they were refueling.

Setting the world record

The record set in 1958 was a 50 days. Timm and Cook broke it on January 23rd. But despite all the problems with their Cessna, they agreed to keep going until they simply could not. It probably helped that the Hacienda Hotel had offered the men $1,000 a day–each–for staying in the air. They flew for 15 days after breaking the record, finally landing at 64 days, 22 hours, and 19 minutes. They had covered over 150,000 miles. That’s the equivalent of flying around the planet’s equator, six times!

Throughout the 1950s, there was an endurance-flight-record-fever, with pilots constantly one-upping one another. But after Cook and Timm shattered the previous record, everyone seemed to give up. More than 60 years later, their record still stands.