Re: Flights & Flying
 

Ah yes I've found it. So using Google Maps and great circles it looks like in the worst case of an engine failure, you'd only have to glide 1000 miles. Shame that's about 10 times further than most jets can manage :(

Re: Flights & Flying
 

I'm not aware of any commercial jets where one engine failure necessitates gliding.

Please don't make some people more frightened of flying than they usually are.

Twin-engined A/C are required to have an en-route landing diversion capability with one engine shut-down....otherwise that route is a no-no....:nod:

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Always good to have ex and current airline pilots on forum. Very interesting people. Whatever happened to rusty747 ?

Totally off topic but a twin engined air conditioner would be very useful in my condo lounge.

Re: Flights & Flying
 

hahaha...I 'trust' you meant trusty 747...otherwise I'll have to kill you...as that was my baby for 10 years..:p

I don't know any airline currently flying the 200-300 series B747...maybe some charter or cargo operators but the 400 series are still in service. The 400 has those vertical fins on the end on the wings.
Many cargo operators bought the newer B747-8 but few passenger models made as airlines prefer the two-engined carbon fiber B787 (Dreamliner) as more fuel efficient.
The 4 engined A380 isn't selling well either.

Reminds me of a story about a previous president of the FAA. He was asked why he always took 4 engined aircraft when he flew...he replied "'coz they don't make too many with five!"..:nod:

If you're in the market for a new split system air-con I recommend you buy the invertor type...much more efficient and consumes less power.

BTW I'm flying back to Vancouver next week in a B777. I'll notice the difference when in turbulence...those light aircraft bounce around whereas the B747 was as solid as a .... I'll leave to your imagination.

Re: Flights & Flying
 

What one would need are ‘Diversion Airports’. Even a trans-Atlantic flight between Europe and the USA looks like a lot of water, but in fact there are several places a pilot could land if necessary, such as the Azores, Bermuda, Gander in New Foundland, or Keflavik. In reality the plane would rarely if ever be more than 90 minutes away from one of them, Western Europe or the USA.

I don’t know what the 'worst case' flight time to an Indian Ocean diversion airport would be, but I believe 3+ hours is permitted these days depending on the type of aircraft, but a pilot flying from the Far East to Mauritius would have several options on that route too, including Cocos (Keeling) Islands Airport, Diego Garcia, Seychelles International, and Malé International (Maldives). I guess the pilot might even choose to turn fly East if nearer.

Boeing for example received type-design approval from the FAA for up to 330-minute extended operations (ETOPS) for its 777 fleet.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversion_airport

JC3

Re: Flights & Flying
 

For those reading this thread and starting to get worried please relax...the rules for engine failure on a 2-engine aircraft are laid out here....

http://www.boeing.com/assets/pdf/com...enroutealt.pdf

I suggest make a copy and, when seated on the aircraft and having a glass of wine, start to study...by the time you get to page two you'll be fast asleep.... NO worries...:rofl:

Not been to Diego Garcia but landed at Cocos (Keeling) twice. Cocos runway is short and there is....um...um...well nothing...except coconut trees...:eek:

Re: Flights & Flying
 

That's not very flattering Davita!
There's only 14 words and two photographs on Page 2.

But then maybe it's the "grass of goatsextramanure" that's so soporific.

JC3

Re: Flights & Flying
 

An EgyptAir flight heading from Paris to Cairo has disappeared from radar this morning. The Airbus A320 went missing shortly after entering Egyptian airspace. It looks like it has crashed into the Med somewhere south of the Greek island Karpathos.

JC3

Re: Flights & Flying
 

I saw that news this morning but hadn't seen an update.

I don't know where Egyptian airspace begins but Karpathos (near Rhodes) is well north of Egypt. It did a u-turn?

Re: Flights & Flying
 

I don’t think so, only that the plane was in Cairo’s Flight Information Range (FIR) when it vanished.

JC3

Re: Flights & Flying
 

They are confirming it has likely crashed. Air traffic contact was lost 10 miles inside Greek airspace and it disappeared off radar 11 miles inside Egyption airspace. Looking very much like it was a bomb to me.

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Food, rum, plantations, rum, golf, rum, LOADS of historical sites, AWD, food, the people are super friendly, nice and very educated, sailing

We would stay at the 4 seasons, during off peak (June), where the weather is normally lovely but can be very rainy, and prices drop massively

The food and rum really are superb - kind of like French Carribean but closer

Re: Flights & Flying
 

May their souls rest in peace.

If it is a bomb rather than a hijack or malfunction, that means there is a serious security issue with CDG

Re: Flights & Flying
 

And what about rum? Is there any rum? :sneaky:

Re: Flights & Flying
 

Sorry BB. There's none left.
OS has used up the whole EU quota of Mauritian rum in one post!

JC3