He almost made it.

[Brett327]

I imagine this is true with most platofrms, but in mine, you do the preflight planning like everyone else, then once airborne, you're constantly working the fuel numbers to make sure you can get to where you're going. I can't help but think that this was just a basic failure in planning.

Brett

 

[KBayDog]

I imagine this is true with most platofrms, but in mine, you do the preflight planning like everyone else, then once airborne, you're constantly working the fuel numbers to make sure you can get to where you're going.

Hmm...maybe they should start teaching this practice in early on in flight school.

 

[Fog]

Good lord, that's one hell of a flight. Thank god for two engines and some rudder trim. I'm sure he needed a drink after that.

My God, John Lear has lived 10 lifetimes. What a story! I assume he had a good diary, cause no one could remember all that stuff otherwise - and certainly no one could ever make it all up.

 

[scoolbubba]

Now some of you may be asking why so many airlines collapsed that I worked for and why I got fired so many times. My excuse is simple. I am not the brightest crayon in the box, I am extremely lazy, I have a smart mouth and a real poor attitude.

Awesome.

 

[Flash]

My God, John Lear has lived 10 lifetimes. What a story! I assume he had a good diary, cause no one could remember all that stuff otherwise - and certainly no one could ever make it all up.

Maybe not all of it but certainly quite a bit of it, my favorite was George H.W. Bush being flown back to the states via SR-71 after arranging the 'October Surprise' in Paris before the '80 election. He's also a 9/11 'truther'.....'nuf said.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I imagine this is true with most platofrms, but in mine, you do the preflight planning like everyone else, then once airborne, you're constantly working the fuel numbers to make sure you can get to where you're going. I can't help but think that this was just a basic failure in planning.

I used to pay attention to fuel, now - not so much... In the fleet we would routinely push it to try and go a little farther on a leg (especially if we were cold fueling). Now, it's a bunch of old guys in the cockpit who's bodies (mine included) can't really tolerate much more than 2+30. So, instead of planning for close to 3 hour legs, we plan for between 2:15 and 2:30 legs... PLENTY of reserve there. Now, it's just a cursory check to make sure we're not streaming fuel...

Being unfamiliar with a 310, I don't know if that is a long flight or not.

Hilo is about 2,300 miles west of Monterey, where the pilot's flight began.
According to the aviation site Airliners.net, Cessna 310 aircraft have a range between 760 to 1955 miles, depending on various factors including cruising altitude, weight, amount of reserve fuel and the specific model.

Clearly, it's well outside the normal range of a 310... However, ferry pilots often go well outside the normal range... I read Air Vagabonds (great book BTW), and these guys will take off with gerry-rigged gas tanks in the passenger seat... They routinely push the limits, and have to in order to deliver aircraft...

 

[PropStop]

I used to pay attention to fuel, now - not so much... In the fleet we would routinely push it to try and go a little farther on a leg (especially if we were cold fueling). Now, it's a bunch of old guys in the cockpit who's bodies (mine included) can't really tolerate much more than 2+30. So, instead of planning for close to 3 hour legs, we plan for between 2:15 and 2:30 legs... PLENTY of reserve there. Now, it's just a cursory check to make sure we're not streaming fuel...

I was never a fan of nat's assing the fuel planning. Sure, it's a good exercise to make sure you can run the numbers and understand the process - but I've never had a situation where I was sorry I had as much gas as I had. I don't know if the FE's in P-3 land still like to argue with their PPCs about how much gas to take (they always wanted to take exactly want we needed) but I remember it happening quite a few times. While yes, bagging it out for a 5hr burner isn't (usually) good headwork, neither is precisely planning for a mission which may well change during the course of the mission - even if it's just a repo.

I'd like to hear the full story on this guy's flight, (back to the OP). Seems like a below average as someone above pointed out. Once again though, the Coasties bailed someone's ass out of a bad situation - they're a great group of men and women, practically revered up in the AK.

 

[Brett327]

I think it's probably more of a TACAIR thing, as gnat's assing your fuel matters for a whole host of reasons around the boat.

Brett

 

[Brett327]

I think it's probably more of a TACAIR thing, as gnat's assing your fuel matters for a whole host of reasons around the boat.

Brett

 

[MasterBates]

The Hawkeye has 2 fuel states at the boat.

1- Too much (can't trap)
2- Not enough (can't tank)

 

[HokiePilot]

Here is the flight aware track of the flight:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N23BT/history/20111007/1300Z/KMRY/PHTO
A 12 hour flight. Wow that's long time to be in the seat by yourself.

What is more interesting is this flight from 2 days before:
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N23BT/history/20111005/1530Z/KOAK/PHTO
He turned around ~1 hour into the flight.

 

[pourts]

Here is the flight aware track of the flight:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N23BT/history/20111007/1300Z/KMRY/PHTO
A 12 hour flight. Wow that's long time to be in the seat by yourself.

What is more interesting is this flight from 2 days before:
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N23BT/history/20111005/1530Z/KOAK/PHTO
He turned around ~1 hour into the flight.

Can you track military flights with that? With BUNO's?

 

[Gatordev]

A few years ago (when I was instructing in the VTs), I tried playing with FlightAware to see if you could. It looked like, for the most part, you can't. All the base ops stuff doesn't actually get put in "the system" unless you're going somewhere non-military (and even then it's a crap shoot if it makes it in there). I think, at least back then, it even said it was only for N-numbered aircraft (or at least civilian only), but I may remembering that wrong.

 

[nittany03]

I was never a fan of nat's assing the fuel planning.

I think it's probably more of a TACAIR thing, as gnat's assing your fuel matters for a whole host of reasons around the boat.

Not to cast any aspersions on P3 vs TACAIR mission planning techniques, but isn't the First Rule of Military Anal-Retentiveness that the size of the ass of the gnat is directly proportional to rank of the person who will be fired if things go sideways?

 

[HokiePilot]

I believe that the data from military flights are blocked from leaving the FAA.