jgf Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 https://www.theautopian.com/heres-how-a-pilot-flew-a-little-cessna-172-over-18-hours-nonstop-from-california-to-hawaii/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder Nels_Anderson Posted May 6, 2023 Founder Share Posted May 6, 2023 Could that be the world's most boring flying job? 18 hours of looking at nothing but ocean... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhrogPhlyer Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 50 minutes ago, Nels_Anderson said: nothing but ocean... And ocean, and ocean, and ocean... Always Aviate, then Navigate, then Communicate. And never be low on Fuel, Altitude, Airspeed, or Ideas. Laptop, Intel Core i7 CPU 1.80GHz 2.30 GHz, 8GB RAM, 64-bit, NVIDIA GeoForce MX 130, Extra large coffee-black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrzippy Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 23 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said: And ocean, and ocean, and ocean... Sí, I see the sea! 1 Still thinking about a new flightsim only computer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhrogPhlyer Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 11 minutes ago, mrzippy said: Sí, I see the sea! The pilot flew the sea, to see what he could see, but all that he could see, was nothing but more sea. Good thing he didn't get sea sick. Always Aviate, then Navigate, then Communicate. And never be low on Fuel, Altitude, Airspeed, or Ideas. Laptop, Intel Core i7 CPU 1.80GHz 2.30 GHz, 8GB RAM, 64-bit, NVIDIA GeoForce MX 130, Extra large coffee-black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 Glad he did it, I wouldn't have even attempted it. Being an old chopper guy I usually fly low and slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnuss Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 Si, si, señores, a salty guy... Ferrying light aircraft overseas is pretty common, especially across the Atlantic, but a C-172 over the Pacific isn't as common. Still, that's how most of those get to Hawaii and other places overseas, for the reasons mentioned in the article. Nels is right, in that it has to be extremely boring, especially with no company, but I think it pays well. Larry N. As Skylab would say: Remember: Aviation is NOT an exact Science! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrzippy Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 2 hours ago, PhrogPhlyer said: Good thing he didn't get sea sick. So says Cecil the seasick sea serpent! Still thinking about a new flightsim only computer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhrogPhlyer Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 1 hour ago, mrzippy said: Cecil the seasick sea serpent! Blast from the past. Beany and Captain Horatio Huffenpuff (for the younger members, NO not associated with Harry Potter). 1 Always Aviate, then Navigate, then Communicate. And never be low on Fuel, Altitude, Airspeed, or Ideas. Laptop, Intel Core i7 CPU 1.80GHz 2.30 GHz, 8GB RAM, 64-bit, NVIDIA GeoForce MX 130, Extra large coffee-black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgf Posted May 6, 2023 Author Share Posted May 6, 2023 Not just a long monotonous flight, but one sitting with your back to a 200 gallon fuel tank, with a fuel pipe snaking past you out the window to the wing. While reading their rationale I still find it difficult to believe that gutting the interior of the plane, fabricating and installing the fuel tank and associated plumbing, getting FAA permission for this and the flight, paying the pilot plus his return to the mainland, and removing the tank and returning the interior to stock would be any quicker/simpler/cheaper than just crating up the plane and shipping it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnuss Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 45 minutes ago, jgf said: I still find it difficult to believe that gutting the interior of the plane, fabricating and installing the fuel tank and associated plumbing, getting FAA permission for this and the flight, paying the pilot plus his return to the mainland, and removing the tank and returning the interior to stock would be any quicker/simpler/cheaper than just crating up the plane and shipping it. You have to keep in mind what it takes to disassemble the aircraft, and get space on a ship to take it there (could be weeks for that), as well as the travel time of the ship, then reassemble it after arrival, and ensure that it had been done right. And certainly that size of cargo on the ship isn't cheap to transport, plus the chance of damage with the cranes and such to get it on board in the first place. In contrast, the ferry tank setup was not something new that would take forever to get FAA approval, since many folks have done it before, including this pilot ferrying since 1988, so it was a known process with well tested equipment and with a fairly short installation time (compared to shipping), then the inspection and paperwork with the FAA shouldn't take long. So a big difference in travel time plus it remained flyable throughout the whole process. Also, "gutting the interior of the plane" wasn't necessary- they just remove the rear seat, which is pretty quick to do. At the beginning of WWII they shipped aircraft to Europe and Africa in crates, then had to reassemble them and test them, and it took a LOT of time. So they eventually were able to establish a North Atlantic route and set of bases that were close enough together that they could fly these aircraft instead, getting them to the war zone weeks sooner than taking them by ship. So it's the same deal with this ferry flight, same reasons, same advantages. The procedures and equipment have been refined and tested and refined some more over the last 75+ years. I know the article almost made it sound unbelievable, but the pilot (Lopes) himself thought it was no big deal: "'Lopes has been doing it since 1988, and says that this isn’t even the first time that he’s taken a small plane nonstop over similar distances. Thus, he was a little surprised when his routine job spread around the net." And: "The next weekend, he flew a Cessna 208 Caravan across the Pacific to Thailand." Don't get me wrong, it's still quite an undertaking, and not everyone can sit there for 18 hours without stretching, certainly I can't do that, but it has enough advantages that it's been happening for a long time. Routine, for him and others in his business... Larry N. As Skylab would say: Remember: Aviation is NOT an exact Science! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbauder Posted May 6, 2023 Share Posted May 6, 2023 8 hours ago, Nels_Anderson said: Could that be the world's most boring flying job? 18 hours of looking at nothing but ocean... I doubt he/she was too bored. Checking the winds, fuel log, trying to reach someone on the radio for position reports, rearranging the 'plumbing' on the extra fuel bladders installed for the flight, etc.... Once, I was the Copilot on a 767 flying MIA-MAD. There was a single engine Cessna flying from Newfoundland to the Azores who was having trouble with his Loran (this was 30 years ago) and had been dead-reckoning for a few hours and couldn't make contact with Santa Maria radio. He called out on Freq 123.45, found us and we relayed to Santa Maria on HF for him. He found an island in the Azores but not the one he wanted. However, he now knew where he was for certain and found his destination. Fast forward two days and we're flying MAD-DFW. There he was, on his way to Portugal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snave Posted May 15, 2023 Share Posted May 15, 2023 On 5/6/2023 at 3:24 PM, mrzippy said: Sí, I see the sea! I sea a seal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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