In 1944 he was the captain of Lancaster PD328 which carried out a 53 day tour of the USA, Pacific area and the Middle East, thereby completing the first circumnavigation of the Earth by an RAF aircraft and setting a new England to Australia record of 72 hours.. However, there was a practical purpose to the flight, that of preparing the route for RAF aircraft to make the long journey to the Pacific planned for once the war in Europe had ended. In May 1945 he again captained the aircraft, now named 'Aries', in a trans-polar flight to establish the exact locations of both the geographic and magnetic north poles.