I can't wait to get my hands on the PMDG 777. I did a lot of long hauls with the POSKY 777-200LRs and 777-300ERs with the PSS panel merge in FS9. I would takeoff, let it fly, take care of my business, go to work, come home, and land. So, Im looking forward to doing the long hauls with this beauty, especially since it seems that the LR will be released first. First I will do a few runs between ATL-JFK, MCO, and maybe DTW, the its on to the ATL-LAX-SYD route. Can't wait. :(

Flew it all over again... NOT fun.

It really isnt once its ruined.. Rented a flat some months back, and some electricians came to visit without me knowing it.. the rest, as they say, is history..

Most of my 777 flights will be rather short such as ORD-MIA-CVG-JFK-DEN and such with ORD being my central hub.

I wish I could say that I'm surprised that most people posting in this thread have said that they leave their computer and only do the departure and landing. Thats not long haul lol! I hope you guys dont fly online

I hope you guys dont fly online

haha... I dont fly online, but I barley leave my computer while doing long haul! Just like to make sure everythings going to plan. The only time when Im not by the computer is when Im taking a nap :( You have to take a nap! :(

I wish I could say that I'm surprised that most people posting in this thread have said that they leave their computer and only do the departure and landing. Thats not long haul lol! I hope you guys dont fly online

I usually do late evening flights across the pond to Europe. The LAX-SYD route, I had got called into work and had to leave it running. But I haven't tried flying online yet, then I would have to be close to the sim while I was inflight. Then really would be long haul flying. :(

Long haul flights are something that cannot be matched to any domestic / short haul flight. The atmosphere is different, the piltots are (look) more experienced and the relief of a safe landing at the end of it is just great!...Anyway, back on topic lol - I think that you should stick to long hauls on the weekend and do medium / short haul flights during the weekday whenever possible.

I do them on occasion. Like many people, most of my allotted computer time is about 1-3 hours. However, if it's a weekend, and I've got nothing else going on, I've been known to do a long-haul flight.One of the more interesting long-haul flights I recently did was with the PMDG 737-600 NGX from KJFK to EGLL. I configured it basically like a corporate VIP jet, very lightly loaded with a full gas tank. With ETOPS equipment on board for the safety of my virtual VIP passengers. I had no trouble making the hop across the big pond with plenty of fuel to spare. I think the whole flight took about 6.5 hours. Experiments like these, using narrow-body aircraft for long-haul operations, are one of the many things that makes flight simulation fun for me.That being said, what drives real-world flight dispatching is pure economics. You don't see as many domestic wide-bodies like the 777 these days due to fuel prices. I would imagine that if fuel prices were still under $1/gallon, and tickets were priced accordingly, domestic wide-bodies would be a much more common sight here now. Another interesting aspect of flight simulation for me is the reverse of the above scenario - what if fuel was so cheap, that the economics worked out that it would be possible to have a domestic wide-body airline. What would it look like, trying to land a 777 at some places that never see 777s in real life, save for diversions? It's this pure fantasy aspect of flight simulation that also makes it interesting for me.But initially, at least, I'll probably fly the PMDG 777 on missions very similar to how it is used in real life.

I do all my long hails on Vatsim. If I have to leave the house I disconnect and then reconnect when I get back. but if I'm in the house and there's no controller ill usually leave the flight but check back every 10-15 mins. Sometimes more if I'm over land just to make sure no atc is contacting me. But if I'm over the ocean I only usually check every 20-30 minutes. Lee

You can get banned from VATSIM if you only check your cockpit every 20-30th minute. If a supervisor contacts you and you dont answer back within ~5 minutes they can boot you off the network, and if this happens again in the future you can get suspended for X amount of time (where X might be forever)

You can get banned from VATSIM if you only check your cockpit every 20-30th minute. If a supervisor contacts you and you dont answer back within ~5 minutes they can boot you off the network, and if this happens again in the future you can get suspended for X amount of time (where X might be forever)

I thought it was 30 minutes, I've only been rung up once by a supervisor but after explaining that I simply fell asleep by accident he left me alone. I usually stay in the same room but occupied by playing on the PS3 or whatever while glancing at the computer every 5 minutes.

I just looked at the schedule for next week and there is no B777 service on KSFO-KLAX. However, I swear they used to! (Here is the A.net thread to prove it: http://bit.ly/H1a04c)

Indeed they did. You still will routinely see hub-to-hub 777 flights of UAL (even the shorter ones like ORD-IAD, DEN-ORD/LAX/SFO, etc. pop in every once in a while, same is true for the 747 but a bit rarer). A few years back, because A319/320 pilots at UAL were maxing out their hours one month around the holidays (forget the exact circumstances), a 777 was placed on SFO-LAS once a day.

You can do a long haul in smaller time frames. It is your call as to whether you want to do the entire flight real time..and I do try to do that when I can but the reality is smaller legs work for me. My most recent trip is LEMD(Madrid) to OMDG(Dubai) in the 747-8i Cargo and I think i did it in 3 or 4 different sessions.

 

Doing long,short or medium flights depending on the plane is a judgement call on my part bu the planning and execution of a long haul flight is a mark of your skill level in FSX.

Once did PHNL - YSSY overnight and lost power at T/D."That.. sucks.. I'm not going to scream... BUT I'M GOING TO HUNT DOWN THE **** WHO CUT THE POWER OFF!!" :( :( :( B);)Flew it all over again... NOT fun.

I remember back in 2010, when I went to school in the Midwest, I woke up and started a flight from Narita back to JFK in the Boeing 747-400. I took off, got to cruise altitude, and went to class. When I came back to my dorm two hours later, I walked past the front desk only to notice that my friend, who was working the desk at the time....wasn't behind the desk, as the gate to the desk was closed, but instead, she was sitting on a stool in front of the front desk with another stool in front of her. Not knowing what was going on, she told me the building had lost power, and although the power had been restored, the gate wouldn't open. Not knowing how long the power was out, I started bolting down the hallway back to my room. I got back to my room, tossed everything, and ran up to my computer to see that my plane was still up in the air flying along at 33,000 feet. That was a close call.

 

Of course, a couple hours later, she told somebody else that I took off, then went to class, at which point, I told her I was going back up to check on the flight, so at least I didn't completely abandon my plane. Of course, without delay, she told me I abandoned it when I went to class, in which I told her I went to check on it when I came back from class. Her claim was that I'd done that after she told me the power had gone out. Well....not quite, as I was going to check on it either way. Only difference was I was running when she told me that.

United even has a KSFO-KLAX flight on a B777. However, it is likely the only reason they run it is for aircraft repositioning.

 

Yes. Mostly we operate wide body for repositioning between bases and to operate long haul flights then, like IAH to EWR and then EWR HKG or DEL. Also we can pick up customers and relief 737s of doing such leg instead and route 737 or 757 to other destinations.