Whats your longest flight ?
11hr 15mins in a Cessna152 from Goose Bay - Angmassilik (Greenland). No autopilot, big fuel tank instead of a RH seat (with an HF radio strapped on top). 4hrs actual. Part of a delivery from Arizona to Israel.
Luckily I have an extra bladder instead of a brain.
Luckily I have an extra bladder instead of a brain.
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11hr 15mins in a Cessna152 from Goose Bay - Angmassilik (Greenland)
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Cunning Artificer
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Not military but as supernumary crew on a Royal Nepal Airlines charter flight from Kathmandu to Nagoya and back (via Calcutta and Hong Kong) as certifying engineer for transits. 46 hours including ground stops - working on the transits and sitting on the "jump" seat while flying. Ended up with a square bum and a serious need for a lie down.
28 May 1983 Hercules CMk1 XV293 10.35 Day. Bodo - Elmendorf, double gyro and routing directly over the geographic North Pole.
Nothing special about the trip, not a stunt, the crew just elected to go to Alaska via Bodo and north rather than Gander and west for training purposes. Astro was the only fixing aid once out of Tacan range.
9 May 1984 Hercules CMk1K XV203 10.45 (7.30 Day, 3.15 Night). Tanker ferry from Port Stanley to Ascension, no AAR involved.
Nothing special about the trip, not a stunt, the crew just elected to go to Alaska via Bodo and north rather than Gander and west for training purposes. Astro was the only fixing aid once out of Tacan range.
9 May 1984 Hercules CMk1K XV203 10.45 (7.30 Day, 3.15 Night). Tanker ferry from Port Stanley to Ascension, no AAR involved.
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Quote:
I think the all-time E-3D record for Op VERITAS was 17.50, with the average being around 13.15. [But these missions did include AAR and I'm not sure what the non-AAR record would be]
My longest over 'stan (Jan 2002) was 15:40 - again due to the USAF E-3C not turning up on time. I believe that the longest E-3D sortie was the crew that was retasked on 9/11 to monitor returning civil traffic to UK after the US closed their airspace - probably PLE for a full toilet! Not sure of the exact time although I understand that 2 x AARs were needed. Good effort by all!
I think the all-time E-3D record for Op VERITAS was 17.50, with the average being around 13.15. [But these missions did include AAR and I'm not sure what the non-AAR record would be]
My longest over 'stan (Jan 2002) was 15:40 - again due to the USAF E-3C not turning up on time. I believe that the longest E-3D sortie was the crew that was retasked on 9/11 to monitor returning civil traffic to UK after the US closed their airspace - probably PLE for a full toilet! Not sure of the exact time although I understand that 2 x AARs were needed. Good effort by all!
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I seem to remember an F3 in the 80s flying transatlantic unrefuelled West to East with 2x 2250l and 2x 1500l tanks ("ferry fit") - don't know how long that was
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Long Trips
My longest : 13:55 31 Dec 1992, requiring AAR listening to Big Ben at midnight on HF on a trip from Asi - MPA
This having done 12 hrs the previous day on a Comp A callout from MPA - ASI, with the promise of a night in Rio New Years Eve on the return trip - but the fun detectors stopped this.
This having done 12 hrs the previous day on a Comp A callout from MPA - ASI, with the promise of a night in Rio New Years Eve on the return trip - but the fun detectors stopped this.
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My father has a number of flights of over 16 hrs in his logbook, all complted in a Mk2 Shack. One involved a diversion from Labuan to Singapore due to WX at Lab.
On a personal note, I have 6 flights of over 12 hrs in various gliders. One is 13.50 in a failed attempt to fly from France to S Italy. Nimbus 3. Last month flew AUH - ORD around 16 hrs as a pax.
However, the longest I have ever seen entered in a logbook was a flight of 46 (?) hrs in a Catalina/PBY 17. The owner of the logbook was an ex RAF AG who explained that they had been patrolling beteen Iceland and Norway and landed in a fiord a couple of times to refuel from drums stocked on shore. Kudos.
On a personal note, I have 6 flights of over 12 hrs in various gliders. One is 13.50 in a failed attempt to fly from France to S Italy. Nimbus 3. Last month flew AUH - ORD around 16 hrs as a pax.
However, the longest I have ever seen entered in a logbook was a flight of 46 (?) hrs in a Catalina/PBY 17. The owner of the logbook was an ex RAF AG who explained that they had been patrolling beteen Iceland and Norway and landed in a fiord a couple of times to refuel from drums stocked on shore. Kudos.
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Got me back into old logbooks.
All non-AAR and standard fuel tanks;
26Jan77 Hercules C1, XV301 - Calgary direct Lyneham 13:30 hrs.
22Oct86 VC10 C1, XR808 - Nairobi to Lossie 10:15. I put a note in my logbook that we did the last hour at FL430! Pilot was 'Pop' Randell.
Also memorable for length - 27Sep73 XV185 Turkey low-level 7:55hrs. At least I wasn't on my own - we were a 'stream' of 36 Hercs!
All non-AAR and standard fuel tanks;
26Jan77 Hercules C1, XV301 - Calgary direct Lyneham 13:30 hrs.
22Oct86 VC10 C1, XR808 - Nairobi to Lossie 10:15. I put a note in my logbook that we did the last hour at FL430! Pilot was 'Pop' Randell.
Also memorable for length - 27Sep73 XV185 Turkey low-level 7:55hrs. At least I wasn't on my own - we were a 'stream' of 36 Hercs!
Beat me to it larss...
....I once spoke to a Catalina captain who described doing a flight from Sullom Voe to the op area SE of iceland. They patrolled their box for the briefed time then set off for home. It was late in the year and it had been o'cast all day. After a long transit they discovered they had made landfall at Benbecula!! What really ticked the crew off was the fact of the four more hours transit following the coast back to SV.
My question was "Where did you actually patrol?"
Response "I have no bloody idea! However I was amused by the nav on our Nimrod complaining that the nav error as we parked was inside the wingspan of the aircraft! Haven't times changed"
The Ancient Mariner
My question was "Where did you actually patrol?"
Response "I have no bloody idea! However I was amused by the nav on our Nimrod complaining that the nav error as we parked was inside the wingspan of the aircraft! Haven't times changed"
The Ancient Mariner
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check this out
May 1982
Hercules XV196 Corporate 13:00 day, 4:10 night (17:10 total). Unrefuelled airdrop sortie.
Used a couple of old Andover tanks in freight bay for extra fuel - one h*ll of a bodge.
RTB ASI on fumes!
Turned round and flew another trip but only 15:55 in total this time.
July - two back to back 24:00 sorties but with two prods each this time.
And don't ask about my long SK sorties in the '90s.
It's no wonder my hearing is not what it was......
Hercules XV196 Corporate 13:00 day, 4:10 night (17:10 total). Unrefuelled airdrop sortie.
Used a couple of old Andover tanks in freight bay for extra fuel - one h*ll of a bodge.
RTB ASI on fumes!
Turned round and flew another trip but only 15:55 in total this time.
July - two back to back 24:00 sorties but with two prods each this time.
And don't ask about my long SK sorties in the '90s.
It's no wonder my hearing is not what it was......
VC
Ancient Mariner
I think even John Cruickshank did 15 hours when he won his VC, It took the Catalina many hours to get home before he got treated for his multiple wounds.
I think even John Cruickshank did 15 hours when he won his VC, It took the Catalina many hours to get home before he got treated for his multiple wounds.
Funny you should mention that name, 17171....
....for t'was JC himself who told me that tale. I first met him when I was 4yrs old and he stayed with my family for a short time after his VC winning mission. When I met him again after 40 + years he said all he wanted at the end of the war was to "get back to being a banker again, having been so rudely interrupted". Super chap.
The Ancient Mariner
The Ancient Mariner
Wasn't operating on this one (supernumerary crew/BCR pilot, RWR-watching on the jumpseat) - longest unrefuelled flight in a Chinook was 10h 30m. At least I was able to get up and stretch my legs in the acres of space between the 3 Robertson tanks in the cabin, unlike the HP/NHP. Not that the cabin was much better - all hatches open, which meant that the gunners (there to provide cover if we'd found who we were looking for) had to be carried off at the end of the sortie. OAT MS03 plus 120 kts through the cabin makes for some serious windchill.