4 hours, 40 minutes in a helicopter..
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SkyGod
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From: Palm Coast, Florida, USA
4 hours, 40 minutes in a helicopter..
From Bodø Norway to the island of Jan Mayen in the Artic Ocean in a Norwegian rescue helicopter.
They shut down 1 engine to save 10% fuel.
Is this some kind of record breaking flight?
The crew below, they seem happy to be on terra firma.
They shut down 1 engine to save 10% fuel.
Is this some kind of record breaking flight?
The crew below, they seem happy to be on terra firma.
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From: USA
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From: Den Haag
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SkyGod
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From: Palm Coast, Florida, USA
Hat off to the pilot and the ground crew.
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From: not where I want to be
Not wanting to drift too far from TowerDog's initial post (cool feat BTW!) but subsequent posts led me to wonder if there's been any [re]fueled attempts at a long-duration fling-wing flight, so I went looking...
... and haven't been able to locate any, whereas I found a number of fixed-wing attempts. Most here will know of the nearly 65-day continuous record flight of the Hacienda 172, which I'd have thought might have provided a template of sorts for someone in a heli, but apparently not?
Not my cup of tea, but given the passion shown by many for flight records, and that something like this presumably wouldn't be simply yet another re-hash of an earlier flight, I was somewhat surprised. So, does anyone here know of any attempts that flew below the radar, or do we all need to pitch in to put up a choccy fish for the first successful attempt?
FP.
... and haven't been able to locate any, whereas I found a number of fixed-wing attempts. Most here will know of the nearly 65-day continuous record flight of the Hacienda 172, which I'd have thought might have provided a template of sorts for someone in a heli, but apparently not?
Not my cup of tea, but given the passion shown by many for flight records, and that something like this presumably wouldn't be simply yet another re-hash of an earlier flight, I was somewhat surprised. So, does anyone here know of any attempts that flew below the radar, or do we all need to pitch in to put up a choccy fish for the first successful attempt?
FP.
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From: Norfolk
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SkyGod
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From: Palm Coast, Florida, USA
My source is this article from a Norwegian online newspaper.
https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/kw7X2Q/h...m_medium=share
https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/kw7X2Q/h...m_medium=share
Thread Starter
SkyGod
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From: Palm Coast, Florida, USA
i had no idea a stock helicopter had that kind of endurance, wow.
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From: Gold Coast, Australia
The HAS1 had only 5,000lbs of fuel, so 5 hours endurance: Lt Cdr Vic Sirett and RAeC Record, 13 May 1970
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From: Den Haag
I believe that one of the requirements for the Portuguese tender was that the aircraft could fly from the mainland to the Azores, which is close to 6 hours I think
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From: Hobe Sound, Florida
Not a record, but…..
in 1965 there was an effort at the Army Avition Test Board to prepare to fly a CH-47A to the Paris Air Show with a USCG C-130 along for navigational assistance if needed. Anyway we put a 2000 gallon pillow tank on the cargo compartment floor and received a speed vs altitude optimal range chart from Boeing engineering, along with approval to run the GW to 36000 lbs and set out to confirm the range required by flying a closed circuit route*. It was, for Alabama, a cold February day and the heater refused to function ( tail no. 13106 and it was a new ship we had recently picked up in Philadelphia ).
Other than the temperature at 8000 with zero heat, the aircraft behaved according to the Boeing expectations. Unfortunately there was an administrative fiasco re that mission idea and the flight to Paris was cancelled. Couple of years later an Army crew did fly to Paris and I am certain eclipsed the 1002NM/8 hours,59 minutes we logged that day.
*flew over to Louisiana and back, then up to FT Benning and back, Had 800 lbs left on shut down.
in 1965 there was an effort at the Army Avition Test Board to prepare to fly a CH-47A to the Paris Air Show with a USCG C-130 along for navigational assistance if needed. Anyway we put a 2000 gallon pillow tank on the cargo compartment floor and received a speed vs altitude optimal range chart from Boeing engineering, along with approval to run the GW to 36000 lbs and set out to confirm the range required by flying a closed circuit route*. It was, for Alabama, a cold February day and the heater refused to function ( tail no. 13106 and it was a new ship we had recently picked up in Philadelphia ).
Other than the temperature at 8000 with zero heat, the aircraft behaved according to the Boeing expectations. Unfortunately there was an administrative fiasco re that mission idea and the flight to Paris was cancelled. Couple of years later an Army crew did fly to Paris and I am certain eclipsed the 1002NM/8 hours,59 minutes we logged that day.
*flew over to Louisiana and back, then up to FT Benning and back, Had 800 lbs left on shut down.
Last edited by JohnDixson; 29th August 2025 at 10:33.
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From: SW England
Longest unrefuelled trip (Chinook Mk1) into Iraq that I went on during GW1 was 7+ hours - 3 internal tanks at 2400kg each plus a complete top-off of the main tanks just prior to departure. Enjoyed watching the HH53 who was leading (light conditions too poor to rely on NVG alone, so he sparingly used TFR) peel off after we crossed back into Saudi and plug into the KC130 at low level; very professional bunch of people all round 
. As for the folk we were looking for - you could write a book about that (some people already have) 
.
. As for the folk we were looking for - you could write a book about that (some people already have) .Last edited by Thud_and_Blunder; 29th August 2025 at 10:21. Reason: effed up
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From: KoN
This was probably not an attempt to set a record. It was rather to demonstrate what the new SAR helicopter is capable of. Perhaps also to show the flag in this remote location. This was a civilian MOJ helicopter but operated by the Air Force, visiting the military base on the island.
If you look at the map, Jan Mayen is located in the northwestern part of the Norwegian sea at 71°N 8°30' W. One thing is the leg out (and home), about 475 nm one way from the nearest airport in Norway. Another is alternates, the nearest is about 270 nm on the east coast of Greenland, the next 320 nm on the north coast of Iceland. That is relevant in this fog ridden sea area (25-30% of days with fog reported) and unreliable weather forcasts.
If you look at the map, Jan Mayen is located in the northwestern part of the Norwegian sea at 71°N 8°30' W. One thing is the leg out (and home), about 475 nm one way from the nearest airport in Norway. Another is alternates, the nearest is about 270 nm on the east coast of Greenland, the next 320 nm on the north coast of Iceland. That is relevant in this fog ridden sea area (25-30% of days with fog reported) and unreliable weather forcasts.
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From: Ireland
Here are a few numbers from the YOH-6A record flight in 1966.
Gross weight at take-off was 3,235 pounds. By comparison, the current MD530F is limited to 3,350 pounds for an internal load.
Fuel quantity at take-off was 1,850 pounds, with 10 pounds remaining on landing.
Fuel flow for the YOH-6A averaged 20.4 gallons per hour, averaging 1.23 nautical miles per pound of fuel burned. By comparison, Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" burned 12.5 gallons per hour which equated to 1.2 nautical miles per pound of fuel burned.
Both the YOH-6A and the "Spirit of St. Louis" are estimated to have the same lift-to-drag ration of 6.5.
The YOH-6A's Specific Fuel Consumption was calculated to be approximately 0.7. Phil Cammack, the Hughes flight engineer for the YOH-6A record distance flight, calculated that if a small turbine engine with an SFC of 0.5 could be produced, the YOH-6A could theoretically (in still air) fly from the west coast of the USA to Hawai'i!
The engine in the YOH-6A was a prototype Allison C-10 engine which was probably a little less powerful and more fuel-efficient than a standard C-18 so helped towards the distance achieved in the record flight. The prototypes also probably had thinner sheet metal for the fuselage skin than a production aircraft and other non-production standard fixtures and fittings that would have made the YOH-6A lighter than a production OH-6A. The addition of the extra fuel tanks would have brought the empty weight back up a bit.
With regard to drag, the OH-6A has a flat plate area of 5.00. By contrast, the CH-47 has a flat plate area of 43.20! Does anyone know of a helicopter currently flying or in production that has a flat plate area less than 5.00? The A109 must be in that ball park.
The only aerodynamic modification made to the helicopter was to tape over the edges of three of the doors to seal the gaps.
Thus, it seems, if you currently want to better Bob Ferry's record, you should probably get an old OH-6A, find a very efficient engine and lighten her up as best you can. And go on a diet, just as Bob Ferry did for the record flight!
500 Fan.
Gross weight at take-off was 3,235 pounds. By comparison, the current MD530F is limited to 3,350 pounds for an internal load.
Fuel quantity at take-off was 1,850 pounds, with 10 pounds remaining on landing.
Fuel flow for the YOH-6A averaged 20.4 gallons per hour, averaging 1.23 nautical miles per pound of fuel burned. By comparison, Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" burned 12.5 gallons per hour which equated to 1.2 nautical miles per pound of fuel burned.
Both the YOH-6A and the "Spirit of St. Louis" are estimated to have the same lift-to-drag ration of 6.5.
The YOH-6A's Specific Fuel Consumption was calculated to be approximately 0.7. Phil Cammack, the Hughes flight engineer for the YOH-6A record distance flight, calculated that if a small turbine engine with an SFC of 0.5 could be produced, the YOH-6A could theoretically (in still air) fly from the west coast of the USA to Hawai'i!
The engine in the YOH-6A was a prototype Allison C-10 engine which was probably a little less powerful and more fuel-efficient than a standard C-18 so helped towards the distance achieved in the record flight. The prototypes also probably had thinner sheet metal for the fuselage skin than a production aircraft and other non-production standard fixtures and fittings that would have made the YOH-6A lighter than a production OH-6A. The addition of the extra fuel tanks would have brought the empty weight back up a bit.
With regard to drag, the OH-6A has a flat plate area of 5.00. By contrast, the CH-47 has a flat plate area of 43.20! Does anyone know of a helicopter currently flying or in production that has a flat plate area less than 5.00? The A109 must be in that ball park.
The only aerodynamic modification made to the helicopter was to tape over the edges of three of the doors to seal the gaps.
Thus, it seems, if you currently want to better Bob Ferry's record, you should probably get an old OH-6A, find a very efficient engine and lighten her up as best you can. And go on a diet, just as Bob Ferry did for the record flight!
500 Fan.
Last edited by 500 Fan; 29th August 2025 at 16:31.
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From: Canada
Normal Ops in 2017 ….S-92 with 2 aux tanks Offshore St. John’s NL ….quite often 280nm directly eastbound from the continent out to the fogbank the rig is hiding under 2 approaches (nothing seen) back to St. John’s our onshore alternate. Rinse, repeat. 560 NM plus the 2 approaches plus one at St. John’s so +- 600 NM . Farthest I ever saw the rig was 292nm. due to ice.
Good way to gather some ice. for the post flight martini. The deice on 92 worked very well. …we were usually clear of cloud at 7500.
Usually a “boomerang” ( no offshore landing) was 4.5 +-
Sometimes, not often, as our ILS limits in YYJ were 600 RVR and 100’, we had to hold Gander as our onshore alternate. In that case ….Most fuel I remember starting with was 6350 lbs. ( we never went to the alternate when I was there nor did I speak to anyone else who had. ) …..come to think of it I don’t recall ever going to an IFR alternate in my career except in the sim.
We were told it was ( 2017 ) the longest regular offshore oil support flight in the world…our aching butts, backs and necks agreed. Even if we did land on the rig we did a rotors running turn around and refuel. So if you were PF then by the time you shut down back in St.John’s you had been in the seat 5+ hrs. Of course we wore full immersion suits year round.
Note on WX
We often had low level Jetstream in St. John’s so we saw some impressive ground speeds outbound. we cruised about 145 TAS at 7500 ft so 200++ GS was not uncommon. Groundspeed coming home was slow but we cruised as low as possible to “get under the wind” 1500+- or even lower if we were VMC. The rig was situated close to the Gulf Stream / Labrador current hence all the fog. Saw lots of bergs, whales etc. St John’s wx could be extremely variable. Don’t like it? Wait 15 minutes. The TAF could be long and hilarious. As for the METAR “ Oh look Bob —-wind 270 at 30G45 vis 1/8 in fog VV200” ….20 minutes later … Hey Bob Special now they got wind 24 at 5 vis 10 + clouds 2000 SCT 10000 BKN. Fun daze.
Good way to gather some ice. for the post flight martini. The deice on 92 worked very well. …we were usually clear of cloud at 7500.
Usually a “boomerang” ( no offshore landing) was 4.5 +-
Sometimes, not often, as our ILS limits in YYJ were 600 RVR and 100’, we had to hold Gander as our onshore alternate. In that case ….Most fuel I remember starting with was 6350 lbs. ( we never went to the alternate when I was there nor did I speak to anyone else who had. ) …..come to think of it I don’t recall ever going to an IFR alternate in my career except in the sim.
We were told it was ( 2017 ) the longest regular offshore oil support flight in the world…our aching butts, backs and necks agreed. Even if we did land on the rig we did a rotors running turn around and refuel. So if you were PF then by the time you shut down back in St.John’s you had been in the seat 5+ hrs. Of course we wore full immersion suits year round.
Note on WX
We often had low level Jetstream in St. John’s so we saw some impressive ground speeds outbound. we cruised about 145 TAS at 7500 ft so 200++ GS was not uncommon. Groundspeed coming home was slow but we cruised as low as possible to “get under the wind” 1500+- or even lower if we were VMC. The rig was situated close to the Gulf Stream / Labrador current hence all the fog. Saw lots of bergs, whales etc. St John’s wx could be extremely variable. Don’t like it? Wait 15 minutes. The TAF could be long and hilarious. As for the METAR “ Oh look Bob —-wind 270 at 30G45 vis 1/8 in fog VV200” ….20 minutes later … Hey Bob Special now they got wind 24 at 5 vis 10 + clouds 2000 SCT 10000 BKN. Fun daze.
