Danny...
I don't know if you were including me in the group of non-worthy pilots (sarcasm intended) who have never flown LR 4 eng ops, but for the record I have a decade of experience flying DC-8's around the globe.
My point was and is that there must have been a gross miscalculation of the EFOA or else it would not have ended up in a fuel emergency. Some are quicker than others to accomplish the mission even if it means reducing the margin of safety a little. I'm pretty sure that they felt they could make it, but they had to know it was going to be close. I contend that it is far better to pop into a MX base (Gander was a bad choice, JFK?) and err on the side of safety than to be the subject of Monday morning quarterback discussion.
This could happen to any of us, but the heat will always come down on the crew if things don't work out. It is easy to be led down a path that you may consider to be your second or third choice initially. If we conduct the flight with a threshold of safety that we will never cross, then we lessen the likelyhood of getting to know the CP on a first name basis.