Flying from North America to Hawaii

"Al G" wrote:
Well, there is the Adak - Midway - Honolulu route. I think the
longest leg, Adak/Midway is about 1400nm.

It may be showing incorrect results, but the Google Earth product's
measuring tool shows the distance from Adak, Ak to Midway Atoll at about
1800 nm.

The only other route (not all the intermediate steps worked out!) seems to
be:

Aleution island chain - Yokohama, Japan - due south to Saipan via another
chain of islands - Palikir Island via some other possible smaller island
stops - Wake Island - Midway Atoll.

The Wake/Midway leg appears to be about 1200 sm or ~1040 nm.

"Jim Logajan" wrote in message
.. .
"Al G" wrote:
Well, there is the Adak - Midway - Honolulu route. I think the
longest leg, Adak/Midway is about 1400nm.

It may be showing incorrect results, but the Google Earth product's
measuring tool shows the distance from Adak, Ak to Midway Atoll at about
1800 nm.

The only other route (not all the intermediate steps worked out!) seems to
be:

Aleution island chain - Yokohama, Japan - due south to Saipan via
another
chain of islands - Palikir Island via some other possible smaller island
stops - Wake Island - Midway Atoll.

The Wake/Midway leg appears to be about 1200 sm or ~1040 nm.

A lat/long calculation showed 1421nm, but it is still a long way. I think my
longest
solo/single engine leg was around 2100nm. At least coming from the West your
odds of a tailwind are improved.

Al G

Al G wrote:

A lat/long calculation showed 1421nm, but it is still a long way. I think my
longest solo/single engine leg was around 2100nm.

I think it would take a massive set of balls to fly a single
piston-engined plane anywhere near that far over water. A life raft
suitable for saving your ass would be around 50 to 80 pounds that would
be needed for fuel.

I wouldn't try it in anything smaller than a Lear jet.

Your mileage may very but I'm partial to saving my ass... ;o)

Tony

"Anthony W" wrote in message
news:SDCLh.5559$DX5.394@trndny06...
Al G wrote:

A lat/long calculation showed 1421nm, but it is still a long way. I think
my longest solo/single engine leg was around 2100nm.

I think it would take a massive set of balls to fly a single
piston-engined plane anywhere near that far over water. A life raft
suitable for saving your ass would be around 50 to 80 pounds that would be
needed for fuel.

I wouldn't try it in anything smaller than a Lear jet.

Your mileage may very but I'm partial to saving my ass... ;o)

Tony

When we first looked at this, we were talking about taking the Lear. It
was an old 24B, (pure jets, no fans), and if it could do 1400nm, it would be
with a good tailwind, thinking clean thoughts, and NO reserve. Imagine
losing a cabin outflow valve or pressurization control about halfway. You'd
have to descend to fl240, until you ran out of O2, then 14,000, and then you
wouldn't have the fuel to get to land anywhere. Getting out of the lear
after ditching would not be easier than a light Cessna. As a recent ferry
pilot said: "Sometimes you get wet."

Let us not under-rate saving the Pilot's ass.

Al G

Al G wrote:

When we first looked at this, we were talking about taking the Lear. It
was an old 24B, (pure jets, no fans), and if it could do 1400nm, it would be
with a good tailwind, thinking clean thoughts, and NO reserve. Imagine
losing a cabin outflow valve or pressurization control about halfway. You'd
have to descend to fl240, until you ran out of O2, then 14,000, and then you
wouldn't have the fuel to get to land anywhere. Getting out of the lear
after ditching would not be easier than a light Cessna. As a recent ferry
pilot said: "Sometimes you get wet."

Let us not under-rate saving the Pilot's ass.

Any jet is out of my price range and I was going on hearsay. I'd heard
that the Lear would make it on one tank but there's a lot of BS out there...

My motto is "a little paranoia is a good thing." I regard saving my ass
under that credo...

Tony

"Anthony W" wrote in message
newsfDLh.8495$el3.1278@trndny01...
Al G wrote:

When we first looked at this, we were talking about taking the Lear.
It was an old 24B, (pure jets, no fans), and if it could do 1400nm, it
would be with a good tailwind, thinking clean thoughts, and NO reserve.
Imagine losing a cabin outflow valve or pressurization control about
halfway. You'd have to descend to fl240, until you ran out of O2, then
14,000, and then you wouldn't have the fuel to get to land anywhere.
Getting out of the lear after ditching would not be easier than a light
Cessna. As a recent ferry pilot said: "Sometimes you get wet."

Let us not under-rate saving the Pilot's ass.

Any jet is out of my price range and I was going on hearsay. I'd heard
that the Lear would make it on one tank but there's a lot of BS out
there...

My motto is "a little paranoia is a good thing." I regard saving my ass
under that credo...

Tony

Current fanjet Lears will indeed go non-stop, and do it quietly. Some
will go a lot farther than Hawaii. Ours was a 1969 Lear 24B, small fuselage,
plain vanilla wing, no reversers, big engines, and loud. It was cheaper
than other jets and a ball to fly. Did I mention Loud?


My motto is "a little paranoia is a good thing." I regard saving my ass
under that credo...


I concur. Also, I find this more common the older my students get.

Al G

"Al G" wrote in message
...

"Jim Logajan" wrote in message
.. .
"Al G" wrote:
Well, there is the Adak - Midway - Honolulu route. I think the
longest leg, Adak/Midway is about 1400nm.

It may be showing incorrect results, but the Google Earth product's
measuring tool shows the distance from Adak, Ak to Midway Atoll at about
1800 nm.

The only other route (not all the intermediate steps worked out!) seems
to
be:

Aleution island chain - Yokohama, Japan - due south to Saipan via
another
chain of islands - Palikir Island via some other possible smaller island
stops - Wake Island - Midway Atoll.

The Wake/Midway leg appears to be about 1200 sm or ~1040 nm.

A lat/long calculation showed 1421nm, but it is still a long way. I think
my longest
solo/single engine leg was around 2100nm. At least coming from the West
your odds of a tailwind are improved.

Al G
\

The mainland to Hilo flight has been done many times in single engine light
planes. You need about 25 hours of fuel depending on your risk tolerance.
There are absolutely no enroute landing options except the sea.

I know a pilot who flew a Piper Archer from San Diego Lindburg to Hilo on
the big island. He stripped the aircraft of anything not absolutely needed
and shipped the parts. Then he installed a big fuel cell where the rear
seat was. This put him about 300 pounds over gross.

His flight plan was to depart in late summer in hopes of contacting easterly
tradewinds in the 25 - 30 degree north latitude range. He liked Lindburg as
a departure point since the runway is long, at sea level and ends at the
water. Its also about about 32 north so the trades aren't far south.

He would be flying in ground effect until he burned off a few hundred pounds
of fuel, then he would climb as neccessary to maintain wide open throttle at
best L/D IAS. In those days, his main long range navigation aid was an ADF
and sometimes LORAN C. Once a few hundred miles at sea he could pick up AM
radio stations in HI.

He was asked about flying a single that far over water. His answer was, "If
I thought the engine might quit in the next 24 hours, I wouldn't fly it over
land".

Bill Daniels

"Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote:


He was asked about flying a single that far over water. His answer was, "If
I thought the engine might quit in the next 24 hours, I wouldn't fly it over
land".

Gotta admit, that puts it in a new perspective for me... makes a
certain fatalistic type of sense.

Mark "wonder if I can swim halfway" Hickey