Whats your longest flight ?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
We once did a flight of 150 miles from Lossie; took 14 hrs 35 min. The famous John Elias just wanted to prove a training crew could fly longer than an operational crew. There was no signs of scurvey and we still had sufficient water but the elsan was full to overflowing.
longest short trip
I should pass on a story from an old ex-Air America pilot I used to work with. He had a 14 minute flight following engine failure at 200 feet.
He used to be the private pilot to the King of Nepal; airstrip on top of mountain, final landing at bottom of very deep himalayan valley - the 200 feet agl had rapidly become something over 10,000 feet agl. Plane a bit bent, crew OK.
p.s. he said all the things that happened in the Air America movie were real, including the "crayoning in a CB" scene, but didn't happen to the same person.
He used to be the private pilot to the King of Nepal; airstrip on top of mountain, final landing at bottom of very deep himalayan valley - the 200 feet agl had rapidly become something over 10,000 feet agl. Plane a bit bent, crew OK.
p.s. he said all the things that happened in the Air America movie were real, including the "crayoning in a CB" scene, but didn't happen to the same person.
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Before the days of refuelling:
20th November 1978
LXX Sqn
C130K XV210
Gander - Nellis AFB
13hrs 25mins - of which 12 were at night (massive headwind - came back the next day in 6hrs 55mins!)
20th November 1978
LXX Sqn
C130K XV210
Gander - Nellis AFB
13hrs 25mins - of which 12 were at night (massive headwind - came back the next day in 6hrs 55mins!)
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January 1991 Belfast G-BFYU, Minhad to Cairo 7 Hrs 5 minutes. 90 minutes on the ground to gas up followed by a further 8 hrs 45 minutes to Lyneham. Bring back the Belsow!
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Longest civ flight I do regularly is 13.30 from Skidrow to Changi. Even on the super comfy 380 you still want to go outside for a walk round.
Longest glider flight was 5.30 in a decrepit old K8 one August day. 31C on the ground, so shorts and T-shirt on. Not 31C at 9,000 ft which was cloudbase that day, flying was too good to come down so stayed up as long as I could suffer the cold. Which was 5.30..followed by an 'arrival' and a hasty leap out of the cockpit behind the nearest bush where the part that I needed to find was so shrivelled I thought it had dropped off. I'm sure the old kite was trembling on the way down in sympathy with my shaking hands on the stick...
The seemingly longest military flight I had was in the bowels of a C130 with the company of a Harrier fuselage en route to Belize (God knows where the wings were, did it really need wings?) from Swinedown to Gander in a headwind. I thought it took about 9 years. I spent many an unhappy hour in the bowels of a 130. I have some video somewhere taking off from Swine in the pouring rain bound for Bari where the fuselage was leaking so badly we were all wearing kimwipe hats. Ah, the good old days........
Longest glider flight was 5.30 in a decrepit old K8 one August day. 31C on the ground, so shorts and T-shirt on. Not 31C at 9,000 ft which was cloudbase that day, flying was too good to come down so stayed up as long as I could suffer the cold. Which was 5.30..followed by an 'arrival' and a hasty leap out of the cockpit behind the nearest bush where the part that I needed to find was so shrivelled I thought it had dropped off. I'm sure the old kite was trembling on the way down in sympathy with my shaking hands on the stick...
The seemingly longest military flight I had was in the bowels of a C130 with the company of a Harrier fuselage en route to Belize (God knows where the wings were, did it really need wings?) from Swinedown to Gander in a headwind. I thought it took about 9 years. I spent many an unhappy hour in the bowels of a 130. I have some video somewhere taking off from Swine in the pouring rain bound for Bari where the fuselage was leaking so badly we were all wearing kimwipe hats. Ah, the good old days........
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We once did a flight of 150 miles from Lossie; took 14 hrs 35 min. The famous John Elias just wanted to prove a training crew could fly longer than an operational crew. There was no signs of scurvey and we still had sufficient water but the elsan was full to overflowing.
In about 1978 or 1979, there was rather a silly contest at Sunny Scampton, to see who could keep a Vulcan airborne the longest (within legal limits). This needed a 98+16 jet (with perhaps a drop more than 98?) and the right conditions.
The geriatric boat spotters had a go, then the dead dog mob had theirs. Fortunately our boss, the late 'Sweaters', heard about this nonsense and issued dire threats to anyone on 35 who was stupid enough to consider such a time wasting exercise - and the contest died its death.
The geriatric boat spotters had a go, then the dead dog mob had theirs. Fortunately our boss, the late 'Sweaters', heard about this nonsense and issued dire threats to anyone on 35 who was stupid enough to consider such a time wasting exercise - and the contest died its death.
One hour ABZ-LHR with ex-Lightning pilot.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Mind you, JE also provided one of the shortest Shackleton trips when the tail surface controls had been accidentally reversed during service: A straight in approach from Lossie to Kinloss (or was it vice versa) with everything working backwards (down is up and up is down). One for the "other thread" perhaps although I only know of this one through hearsay.
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No it were true. JE had of course been on Nimrods before regressing to Shacks. Now one thing did puzzle me, how did no one notice the elevators were misconnected during pre-flights?
My longest flight with 99 Sqn was on Britannia XM 520 from Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) to Lyneham. My logbook shows it took place on 17-18th June 1962 and took 12 hours, 10 minutes for the non-stop flight. Distance flown around 4,300 Great Circle miles I think.
Mind you at Seletar a couple of years earlier Flt. Lt. N. Bull (Norman Bull?) of 205/209 Sqn. flew a dedicated endurance flight from Seletar on 18/19th February 1958 with a Sunderland that was airborne for 20 hours 30 minutes. I left Seletar on posting in January 1958 so wasn’t present when this flight took place, but it was fairly common knowledge in FEAF.
Not sure if this was a record or not, but many years later whilst researching in the National Archives at Kew had a look at 205/209 ORB for the relevant dates and sure enough the squadron ORB records the following:
Aircraft. Sunderland ‘R’ RN303
Captain. Flt. Lt. N. Bull.
Airborne. 18th February 1958 at 14.55
Down. 19th February 1958 at 11.25
Mission. “NAVEX and Endurance Flight”
Mind you at Seletar a couple of years earlier Flt. Lt. N. Bull (Norman Bull?) of 205/209 Sqn. flew a dedicated endurance flight from Seletar on 18/19th February 1958 with a Sunderland that was airborne for 20 hours 30 minutes. I left Seletar on posting in January 1958 so wasn’t present when this flight took place, but it was fairly common knowledge in FEAF.
Not sure if this was a record or not, but many years later whilst researching in the National Archives at Kew had a look at 205/209 ORB for the relevant dates and sure enough the squadron ORB records the following:
Aircraft. Sunderland ‘R’ RN303
Captain. Flt. Lt. N. Bull.
Airborne. 18th February 1958 at 14.55
Down. 19th February 1958 at 11.25
Mission. “NAVEX and Endurance Flight”
Shack Mk 2 phase2 Nimrod MR2P
3 May 1965 LROFE - 15 hrs 25mins - Shackleton 204 Sqn
25 May 1982 3 prods 18Hrs 45mins Nimrod 120 sqn
I remember 205 Sqn history referring to 30hr plus flights, doing mail runs from Ceylon to Cocos Islands
25 May 1982 3 prods 18Hrs 45mins Nimrod 120 sqn
I remember 205 Sqn history referring to 30hr plus flights, doing mail runs from Ceylon to Cocos Islands
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January 1991 Belfast G-BFYU, Minhad to Cairo 7 Hrs 5 minutes. 90 minutes on the ground to gas up followed by a further 8 hrs 45 minutes to Lyneham. Bring back the Belsow!
WE 992, (don't know your name) quote:
"January 1991 Belfast G-BFYU, Minhad to Cairo 7 Hrs 5 minutes. 90 minutes on the ground to gas up followed by a further 8 hrs 45 minutes to Lyneham. Bring back the Belsow!"
My two longest flights in the Queen were with GBEPS Ascension to Brize, June 1983, 14.20hrs.
Later, also in GBEPS, Osaka to Honolulu, November 1997, 13.10hrs all over-water.
I know which seemed the longest; there's not a lot to do in 13 hours over the Pacific!
"January 1991 Belfast G-BFYU, Minhad to Cairo 7 Hrs 5 minutes. 90 minutes on the ground to gas up followed by a further 8 hrs 45 minutes to Lyneham. Bring back the Belsow!"
My two longest flights in the Queen were with GBEPS Ascension to Brize, June 1983, 14.20hrs.
Later, also in GBEPS, Osaka to Honolulu, November 1997, 13.10hrs all over-water.
I know which seemed the longest; there's not a lot to do in 13 hours over the Pacific!