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The Staff of SOH
Longest Flight
- Thread starter airtj
- Start date
Drzook
Charter Member
I think my longest flight was from Brize Norton in the UK to Grand Rapids MI in a VC10. Back in the day I didn't realize you could slave the autopilot to the GPS so it was pretty much 'hands-on' for the whole flight.
About 6 months ago I flew from Bermuda to the Azores in an F-84F with full tanks. Don't remember the time or distance but I distinctly remember having only 175 gallons left on touchdown.
Ah...good times...
About 6 months ago I flew from Bermuda to the Azores in an F-84F with full tanks. Don't remember the time or distance but I distinctly remember having only 175 gallons left on touchdown.
Ah...good times...
Drzook - can you give me a quick & dirty on how you do that? I can devote a little more time to fuel management and other math by using that approach. Sure would make those long-distance flights a bit less tedious. Myself I've gone from Gatwick to Ghana in a BOAC B377 in one hop, took me about 8 or so hours, never bothered to record the exact time but it sure was a LONG hop. Another long hop is going from Nigeria to S. Africa in a SAAL Connie, done that too but didn't record the time.
My favorite is Denver to Anchorage via Seattle and using the Cal Classic propliners. The DC-6B and the DC-6A (the "Combi") are my propliners of choice. I also make this flight in the DC-7s and the Constellations.
I want to say I flew the Starliner from Seattle to Tokyo via Anchorage a few years ago -- that's far enough back that I don't remember it very well -- may have be Anchorage to Tokyo but in any case it was a looong flight. The route was out along the Aleutians instead of using a Great Circle -- the idea was to fly the Starliner somewhere near it's maximum range.
I've taken the Howard 500 on some pretty long flights too, and I think back during the London-Melborne rally flew from Turkey to Burma in one long leg. That's just from memory too so I could be a little hazy on the specifics.
Some flights I'll set up at night and let run until morning while I sleep. Interesting to get the propliners trimmed and then turn off the altitude hold and see how much they climb as they burn off fuel.
Long flights are great fun and illuminating use of our Flight Simulator 2004 ACOF "game".
I want to say I flew the Starliner from Seattle to Tokyo via Anchorage a few years ago -- that's far enough back that I don't remember it very well -- may have be Anchorage to Tokyo but in any case it was a looong flight. The route was out along the Aleutians instead of using a Great Circle -- the idea was to fly the Starliner somewhere near it's maximum range.
I've taken the Howard 500 on some pretty long flights too, and I think back during the London-Melborne rally flew from Turkey to Burma in one long leg. That's just from memory too so I could be a little hazy on the specifics.
Some flights I'll set up at night and let run until morning while I sleep. Interesting to get the propliners trimmed and then turn off the altitude hold and see how much they climb as they burn off fuel.
Long flights are great fun and illuminating use of our Flight Simulator 2004 ACOF "game".
Had to break out my logbooks for this one - I've done quite a lot of flights in the CC propliners.
My flight with the longest leg would have been Air France 271 (1958 timetable), which is a Lockheed Starliner flight. The first leg was Tokyo/Haneda to Anchorage, which was a 10 hour, 14 minute flight (3011 nm), marked by an engine failure on approach into Anchorage. (This was the result of using an older version, Volker later helped me finding the cause and remedy to the problem). The second leg was Anchorage to Paris/Orly, a 15 hour, 4 minute flight (4089 nm). My notes show me I used 31629 lbs on the first leg, and 44330 lbs on the second - both flown in real-time.
My longest continuous flight with stops would have been KLM 845 (1957 timetable), which is a Lockheed Super Constellation flight. That was a eight-leg flight from Amsterdam/Schiphol to Sydney/Kingsford Smith, via Frankfurt, Rome/Ciampino, Beirut, Karachi, Bangkok, Manila and Biak, again in real-time. My notes on that flight show following data:
EHAM - EDDF: 189 nm, 1 hour 39 minutes (due to Go Around), 5393 lbs used
EDDF - LIRA: 522 nm, 2 hours 43 minutes (again Go Around), 9131 lbs used
LIRA - OLBA: 1184 nm, 4 hours 4 minutes, 13929 lbs used
OLBA - OPKC: 1736 nm, 7 hours 13 minutes, 23464 lbs used
OPKC - VTBD: 2001 nm, 7 hours 47 minutes, 27511 lbs used
VTBD - RPLL: 1190 nm, 5 hours 18 minutes, 18127 lbs used
RPLL - WABB: 1298 nm, 5 hours 32 minutes, 16393 lbs used
WABB - YSSY: 2134 nm, 9 hours 56 minute (due to Go Around), 28131 lbs used
Around the beginning of last year, I did a number of Atlantic crossings as well - Copenhagen - Hamburg - London - New York per Pan Am Boeing 377 Stratocruiser; Tel Aviv - Rome - Paris - London - (Reykjavik) - Gander - New York per El Al Lockheed L-149 Constellation; New York - Boston - (Shannon) - Paris - Rome - Tel Aviv per Air France L-1049C Constellation; Tel Aviv - Athens - Rome - Zurich - Paris - Shannon - New York per TWA Lockheed L-749 Constellation; as well as a San Francisco - Honolulu - Canton Island - Nandi - Sydney flight per Pan Am Boeing Stratocruiser, but unfortunately I can't find my notes on those flights at present...
My flight with the longest leg would have been Air France 271 (1958 timetable), which is a Lockheed Starliner flight. The first leg was Tokyo/Haneda to Anchorage, which was a 10 hour, 14 minute flight (3011 nm), marked by an engine failure on approach into Anchorage. (This was the result of using an older version, Volker later helped me finding the cause and remedy to the problem). The second leg was Anchorage to Paris/Orly, a 15 hour, 4 minute flight (4089 nm). My notes show me I used 31629 lbs on the first leg, and 44330 lbs on the second - both flown in real-time.
My longest continuous flight with stops would have been KLM 845 (1957 timetable), which is a Lockheed Super Constellation flight. That was a eight-leg flight from Amsterdam/Schiphol to Sydney/Kingsford Smith, via Frankfurt, Rome/Ciampino, Beirut, Karachi, Bangkok, Manila and Biak, again in real-time. My notes on that flight show following data:
EHAM - EDDF: 189 nm, 1 hour 39 minutes (due to Go Around), 5393 lbs used
EDDF - LIRA: 522 nm, 2 hours 43 minutes (again Go Around), 9131 lbs used
LIRA - OLBA: 1184 nm, 4 hours 4 minutes, 13929 lbs used
OLBA - OPKC: 1736 nm, 7 hours 13 minutes, 23464 lbs used
OPKC - VTBD: 2001 nm, 7 hours 47 minutes, 27511 lbs used
VTBD - RPLL: 1190 nm, 5 hours 18 minutes, 18127 lbs used
RPLL - WABB: 1298 nm, 5 hours 32 minutes, 16393 lbs used
WABB - YSSY: 2134 nm, 9 hours 56 minute (due to Go Around), 28131 lbs used
Around the beginning of last year, I did a number of Atlantic crossings as well - Copenhagen - Hamburg - London - New York per Pan Am Boeing 377 Stratocruiser; Tel Aviv - Rome - Paris - London - (Reykjavik) - Gander - New York per El Al Lockheed L-149 Constellation; New York - Boston - (Shannon) - Paris - Rome - Tel Aviv per Air France L-1049C Constellation; Tel Aviv - Athens - Rome - Zurich - Paris - Shannon - New York per TWA Lockheed L-749 Constellation; as well as a San Francisco - Honolulu - Canton Island - Nandi - Sydney flight per Pan Am Boeing Stratocruiser, but unfortunately I can't find my notes on those flights at present...
If you're talking about slaving the autopilot to the GPS, it's simple as long as you have the right autopilot. Just look for a button or switch marked Nav/GPS. In Nav mode, you AP will follow the VOR radial you have dialed in, but once you're out of range, it will drop out. In GPS mode, it will follow the red line you have mapped out in your flight planner and continue to make each turn for you. Once ATC contacts you for descent though, you'll want to switch over to Heading mode and fly as instructed. If there are any winds, keep an eye on your GPS heading readout. If there's a cross wind, adjust your heading so that the GPS says you're going in the right direction, otherwise, ATC will constantly be telling you to make corrections to maintain the line it wants you to follow.
thunder100
Charter Member 2010
During Starliner testing I did that 3 times (actually Five attempts but in the beginning we had lots of fuel consumption,tank shifting issues) out of which one ended as Trimotor
Roland
OK Tom, thanks!!:salute:
Dug into my logbook file as well. I didn't use it at first with FS so it only goes back to 9/25/2003
Here's a few memorable ones
2/22/2006 B377 BOAC NTGJ - SCIP 7.0hrs I'm thinking this was carrying the baton across the S. Pacific in the RTW. Had a foo fighter pop in on the runway just as I was about to touch down at Easter Island. Went to dodge him and crashed. Luckily my wingman saved the baton flight for us.
2/21/2007 Comet 4 Dan Air TXKF - LPFL 9.8hrs (during the RTW. A lot of this was waiting around Bermuda for my turn to fly the baton)
11/26/2009 FSD C337 YBMA-YBCV-YMEN 5.1hrs London - Melbourne race. By the time I got to YBMA, I was ready to just go ahead and finish the race, so I flew on to Melbourne with the mandatory stop in Charleville
11/25/2010 Howard 500 NTGJ-SCIP 8.3hrs Around the world flight in the Howard 500. Flew straight to Easter Island from NTGJ and landed with 1% fuel. Didn't have enough for a go around if I had to.
2/4/2013 B307 TXKF-LPFL 7.6hrs Part of an Atlantic crossing in the JBK Boeing 307 Another squeaker on fuel.
I never can seem to get the NAV/GSP function to work.
Here's a few memorable ones
2/22/2006 B377 BOAC NTGJ - SCIP 7.0hrs I'm thinking this was carrying the baton across the S. Pacific in the RTW. Had a foo fighter pop in on the runway just as I was about to touch down at Easter Island. Went to dodge him and crashed. Luckily my wingman saved the baton flight for us.
2/21/2007 Comet 4 Dan Air TXKF - LPFL 9.8hrs (during the RTW. A lot of this was waiting around Bermuda for my turn to fly the baton)
11/26/2009 FSD C337 YBMA-YBCV-YMEN 5.1hrs London - Melbourne race. By the time I got to YBMA, I was ready to just go ahead and finish the race, so I flew on to Melbourne with the mandatory stop in Charleville
11/25/2010 Howard 500 NTGJ-SCIP 8.3hrs Around the world flight in the Howard 500. Flew straight to Easter Island from NTGJ and landed with 1% fuel. Didn't have enough for a go around if I had to.
2/4/2013 B307 TXKF-LPFL 7.6hrs Part of an Atlantic crossing in the JBK Boeing 307 Another squeaker on fuel.
I never can seem to get the NAV/GSP function to work.
Drzook
Charter Member
Yeah, what Tom said...the Nav/GPS switch had to be flipped to 'GPS'. Once you have a course set up on the GPS just hit 'nav' on the autopilot and you're good to go.
My brother once claimed he flew the default Lear 45 from Muskegon MI to Anchorage AK only to have the computer crash just before final approach
. I couldn't imagine but he said he was flying pretty slow and waaay up (around FL420 or so).
Longest recorded flight was from Dakar, Senegal to Aracaju in Brazil.
http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=zZ9TFl2EJEB8NEZpk1SIjLFEC3Y
I almost had a new personal record last summer with a B-2 flying wing flight from Edwards AFB to Moscow but overstressed the airframe in some wild turbulence as I was nearing the airport. Without a safe landing it didn't count.
http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=AtzXuLFnVOm8iY1xegUQ83YI
I'm sure I had some other long distance flights a long time ago but don't have documentation.
http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=zZ9TFl2EJEB8NEZpk1SIjLFEC3Y
| Aircraft: | Lockheed L049A Constellation, American Overseas Airlines |
| Flight time: | 8:42:31 [hh:mm:ss] |
| Flight distance: | 2,192.6 nm |
| Point-to-point distance: | 1,936.6 nm |
| Max. altitude: | 16,990.7 ft |
| Max. ground speed: | 274.8 kts |
| Avg. ground speed: | 251.8 kts |
| Max. indicated speed: | 216.8 kts |
I almost had a new personal record last summer with a B-2 flying wing flight from Edwards AFB to Moscow but overstressed the airframe in some wild turbulence as I was nearing the airport. Without a safe landing it didn't count.
http://fs-duenna.com/flights/ShowFlight.php?flight=AtzXuLFnVOm8iY1xegUQ83YI
| Aircraft: | ALPHA B-2A Spirit |
| Flight time: | 12:44:19 [hh:mm:ss] |
| Flight distance: | 6,346.2 nm |
| Point-to-point distance: | 5,304.0 nm |
| Max. altitude: | 41,442.8 ft |
| Max. ground speed: | 577.1 kts |
| Avg. ground speed: | 498.2 kts |
| Max. indicated speed: | 472.3 kts |
I'm sure I had some other long distance flights a long time ago but don't have documentation.
My brother once claimed he flew the default Lear 45 from Muskegon MI to Anchorage AK only to have the computer crash just before final approach
That's what I did across the South Pacific in the Howard, except I only had it up to FL240.
magoo
SOH-CM-2013
About a decade ago.
About six-seven hours.
I added some virtual "ferry tanks" to the Alphasim A-20....took off from Unalaska, climbed to "angels twenty'....set to autopilot with heading for Portland.....then went to bed. Got up and found the thing had slowly turned itself around and was now happily cruising somewhere over the Canadian Arctic. Got her down to some deserted old Dew line station full of imaginary polar bears and empty fuel drums....made a note to write Phil Perrot about the autopilot.
Things are so much easier now.
About six-seven hours.
I added some virtual "ferry tanks" to the Alphasim A-20....took off from Unalaska, climbed to "angels twenty'....set to autopilot with heading for Portland.....then went to bed. Got up and found the thing had slowly turned itself around and was now happily cruising somewhere over the Canadian Arctic. Got her down to some deserted old Dew line station full of imaginary polar bears and empty fuel drums....made a note to write Phil Perrot about the autopilot.
Things are so much easier now.
alastairmonk
Charter Member, F1CP
Like some others I'm mostly a GA pilot with flights of no more than a couple of hours, but on one occasion I spent 7-8 hours testing out the duration limits of the DreamFleet Bonanza, and on another occasion flew from the US West Coast to Hawaii in a DC-3, which took about 9 hours in total, but these are exceptions. Mostly I only get to fly at the weekends, and even then "real life" tends to get in the way !
Alastair
Alastair
What would really impress me is if someone completed Lindbergh's NY-Paris flight in the default Spirit of St. Louis. No autopilot...no GPS....no cheating! I think I'd last about an hour before going batty and becoming fatigued. It's hard to constantly fly a plane that's trying to kill you!
:isadizzy:
I can't recall my own longest FS flight, but I used to enjoy doing NY-Moscow or ATL-Moscow runs in the LD767, using Aeroflot and Delta liveries respectively. I think those were about 9-10 hours. It was fun to search for the longest flight plans on Flightaware.com and plug them into the FMS.
:isadizzy:
I can't recall my own longest FS flight, but I used to enjoy doing NY-Moscow or ATL-Moscow runs in the LD767, using Aeroflot and Delta liveries respectively. I think those were about 9-10 hours. It was fun to search for the longest flight plans on Flightaware.com and plug them into the FMS.