Around the world in 53 hours and 45 minutes .

[Arsey]

This wil be a very short trip report .
We were on 10 wheels . Sorry, no £130k camper. This one was only £230000000
I picked up an overtime trip to Tokyo.
It’s normally a 4 day trip but someone had swapped to allow a colleague to extend to 5 days and so he was now on a 3 day . Then he went sick. Prick.
So idiot here picked it up. But it could pay for a new CF Moto 550 MT-X.

We pushed off the gate at LHR at 0910 on Monday 2nd Nov.
Landed Tokyo Haneda at 2237z or 0737 local on Tuesday 3rd. Flight time 13 hours 27 minutes. 7775 miles.

Yup, still running



Out for dinner at a very local restaurant where you have to remove shoes .

Given free ‘starter’ which @EVskiy would devour



Then much stuff he wouldn’t , including this bbq Mackerel



Off to bed then up next morning to fly home .

Pushed at 0032z or 0932 local on 4th Nov.

Flew back way up over Arctic via Alaska and Greenland



Got on the gate at LHR at 1455 yesterday, flight time 14 hours 23 minutes , 7835 miles and exactly 53 hours and 45 minutes after leaving .
We were airborne for exactly 27 hours and 50 minutes so over half the time flying 15610 miles.
That works out at 290 miles per hour, including the time on the ground …and in bed
A well ridden GS….. Pah….

Route on way out



And way back



Jet lag ? Well,I’ve been awake since 0430….

The End

 

[grantmac]

Fek me! Others would have gotten at least 10 pages out of this, kicking it down the road ever so often if it wasn’t getting enough “likes”

Just brilliant

 

[Arsey]

Sorry my maths is out . Shouid have been 53 hours 50 minutes, not 45

 

[Paul G (BHT)]

So the difference in going the long way round rather than over the circle is just 60 miles?

Do any flights in the South ever go over the Antarctic?

 

[parkys100]

Brilliant ,thank you for posting .

I would have to work for longer to afford a CF Moto 550 MT ,but I m on the case .

 

[leadfarmer]

Shitty job but someone’s got to do it

 

[Arsey]

So the difference in going the long way round rather than over the circle is just 60 miles?

Do any flights in the South ever go over the Antarctic?

Yup,very similar distances , though routes vary slightly each day .
We only use ETOPS 180 so staying within 3 hours of a suitable diversion on one engine .
But some of these are extreme and only in emergency such as Shemya Island (PASY) that we used yesterday



It’s here



It’s an old Air Force Base and now a strategic US miliary field .
Fuck all there and probably no steps to get us off !


The issue is diversion airports or lack of them . We have ETOPS 180 so need a diversion within 3 hours flying time .
Other airlines have ETOPS up to 370, which is 6 hrs 10 minutes on one engine

• Air New Zealand: A pioneer in extreme ETOPS operations due to its geographical isolation. It became the first airline to operate an ETOPS-330 revenue flight using a Boeing 777 on its Auckland (AKL) to Buenos Aires (EZE) route. They also utilize ETOPS-330 for their Boeing 787 fleet on routes to North America. [1, 2]
• Qantas: Operates extensive South Pacific networks (e.g., Sydney/Melbourne to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santiago). Qantas utilizes ETOPS-330 certifications on its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to fly the most direct, fuel-efficient paths across the empty expanses of the southern oceans. [1, 2]
• LATAM Airlines: Frequently flies remote routes across the South Atlantic and South Pacific (such as Santiago to Sydney or Auckland). They rely on high ETOPS authorizations (ETOPS-330/370) for their Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 fleets.
• United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines: Major US legacy carriers maintain FAA approvals for ETOPS-240 and ETOPS-330. These are deployed on ultra-long-haul Pacific routes (e.g., US Mainland to Australia or Southeast Asia) and deep Polar routes connecting North America to Asia.[1, 2]
• Singapore Airlines: Operates some of the world's longest commercial flights using the Airbus A350-900ULR. They make extensive use of the A350's maximum ETOPS-370 capability to cross remote stretches of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
  
  
  [1, 2]
• Cathay Pacific & Emirates: Both carriers utilize modern widebodies like the Boeing 777, 787, and Airbus A350 with ETOPS-330/370 capabilities to optimize direct routing across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. [1]

Don’t know of any commercial scheduled flights that actually fly over Antarctica apart from sightseeing but some airlines go pretty far south

 

[g00ner]

Those shots over Alaska and Greenland make me wonder if you’ve noticed a change in ice coverage @Arsey

 

[Davey B]

Interesting post...thanks Martin

 

[leadfarmer]

Very nice hotel for an overnight in Haneda airport, stayed in January

Do you get to choose or does the company book it ?

Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport

[Official website] Sumitomo Fudosan Villa Fontaine | Directly connected to Haneda Airport's international terminal / Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport

www.hvf.jp

 

[Arsey]

Those shots over Alaska and Greenland make me wonder if you’ve noticed a change in ice coverage @Arsey

Nope

 

[Arsey]

Very nice hotel for an overnight in Haneda airport, stayed in January

Do you get to choose or does the company book it ?

Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport

[Official website] Sumitomo Fudosan Villa Fontaine | Directly connected to Haneda Airport's international terminal / Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport

www.hvf.jp

Company , though our union always inspect before a change as we have set standards to achieve such as black out blinds, naked dancing girls and free flow Moet.

Might have made up one of those

 

[Paul G (BHT)]

Yup,very similar distances , though routes vary....

Thank you for the explanation Martin.

 

[Gavla04GS]

Boys own stuff....

Now I am going into a monthly HR review and got a meeting to discuss next years budget on a reduced price of poultry litter, versus the need to avoid landfill tax increases......

Thanks for positing Cap'n

 

[Arsey]

Boys own stuff....

Now I am going into a monthly HR review and got a meeting to discuss next years budget on a reduced price of poultry litter, versus the need to avoid landfill tax increases......

Thanks for positing Cap'n

It was poultry in motion

 

[paul08]

What stops all airlines adopting the most extreme ETOPS? And what costs are involved in ETOPS operations?

 

[wessie]

What stops all airlines adopting the most extreme ETOPS? And what costs are involved in ETOPS operations?

insurance premiums are bound to be a factor

 

[Arsey]

What stops all airlines adopting the most extreme ETOPS? And what costs are involved in ETOPS operations?

Route Network ?
We don’t need more than 180 .
The higher the ETOPS the greater the cost obviously

 

[jetjock]

What stops all airlines adopting the most extreme ETOPS? And what costs are involved in ETOPS operations?

A lot more extra maintenance and the cost of it

 

[Mr Derek]

Interesting post. Thanks for that. Who decides which route you fly if there are reasonable alternatives?