In 1932, Griffin along with Jimmie Mattern attempted to break the world record for aerial circumnavigation set by Wiley Post and Harold Gatty.

In 1941, he was also the first pilot to land at National Airport, flying for American Airlines at the time.

July 1932, Griffin and Jimmie Mattern flew "The Century of Progress",[2] a Lockheed Vega, powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine, from Floyd Bennett Field, New York to Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, and then non-stop to Berlin, Germany in 18:41 hours.

They continued as far as Borisov, Belarus, USSR in this failed round-the-world flight attempt.

They did set a new record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 10 hours, 50 minutes.