Branson around-the-world plane bid

The wing span of the single-engined plane will be 114 feet Story Tools RELATED • Steve Fossett: 'The risks paid off'

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Richard Branson and his Virgin team are hoping to set a new record, this time for the first solo non-stop flight around the world.

The super light and fuel efficient plane will travel 25,000 miles, 40,000 kilometers, in about 80 hours, if the "grand endeavor" goes according to plan next year.

The specially-designed plane will have 17 fuel tanks and a wing span of 114 feet.

Setting off from central U.S., it will cross the Atlantic to the UK, before following a route south to the Mediterranean and then through the Gulf to Pakistan, India, China and Japan. It will then fly across the Pacific, returning to its base.

Branson and his team already hold records for boat and hot air balloon adventures.

If they become the first to achieve the non-stop record, it will come 71 years after the first solo flight around the world. Wiley Post made aviation history in 1933 when he made it around the globe with 11 stops -- taking under eight days.

Branson, who teams up with his fellow record-breaker Steve Fossett for the project, describes the attempt as the "last great aviation record left inside the Earth's atmosphere."

Both are in training for the attempt, which will take place next April or October, depending on the jet streams and testing of the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.

Fossett said: "The First Solo Non-Stop is a grand endeavor. Flying around the world has always been a great romance and adventure.

"To do it first by airplane alone and non-stop will be very special.

"If successful I hope to earn a place in aviation history in the legacy of Wiley Post ..."

The flight will test the pilot's endurance and will "demonstrate the finest in lightweight aircraft construction and improvements in jet engine fuel efficiency," Fossett added.

It is not clear at this stage whether Branson or Fossett will fly the aircraft.

The single-engined plane is expected to reach heights of 52,000 feet (17,000 meters) and travel at speeds in excess of 250 knots (285 mph, 440 kph).

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