Yesterday I was checking out flighaware out of KORD and clicked on the flight plan for UA895 to VHHH.  I thought I would mess around with PFPX to see what the route looked like (below from flightaware).  I noticed it took a pretty northern route (if the flt plan is correct in flightaware).  

 

I was a little stumped on picking a suitable ETOPS airport for this flight plan.  What would you pick for the flightplan below?  I do understand the basics of ETOPs planning but would be curious to hear what you might pick.  I also added the suitable ETOP airports PFPX generated below.

 

This is "sort of" PMDG 777 related since I was using that aircraft in PFPX.  Okay....maybe a stretch for this forum.

 

 

RAYNR..BRTMN..DNIKA..TAAYZ..PETTY..TVC..50N084W.55N083W.60N082W.66N080W..TUDAP..80N080W..DEKMO..DEVID.B480.PETAG.B934.SERNA.A310.POLHO.G218.TMR.B458.WXI.A461.LIG.R473.WYN.W18.NLG.W23.ZUH.R473.SIERA

 

KORD CYAM CYYU CYGL CYPX CYUX CYSR CYRB UOHH UERP UECT UITT UIUU ZMUH ZBHH ZHCC ZGHA VMMC

 

 

This is "sort of" PMDG 777 related since I was using that aircraft in PFPX.  Okay....maybe a stretch for this forum.

 

Kind of...not a huge deal though.

 

Honestly, you can choose any airport you'd like that will satisfy the ETOPS minute requirements (though you must keep in mind that if you use it, you have to be able to potentially land there). Instead of me (or someone else) telling you what to use, I think you'd learn more by simply trying various pairs in the ETP Pair boxes. When you're selecting your ETP Airports, the map is visible to the right. Select one of the options in the suitable airports list (note, these are suggestions and not actually the only options allowed). Note how selecting an airport depicts a giant "ring" around the field. The goal is to get the route covered entirely by simply being within 60 min of any airport, or - during the ETOPS segment (basically, where 60 minutes is not available) - within the ETOPS range you're using (330, etc).

 

For your case, it's not so much overwater ETOPS as much as it's "giant land of isolation" over the ice caps/tundra. My suggestion in any case is to find an airport as close to your route as possible on the near side that covers the most part of the ETOPS segment. Then, do the same for the far side. If two airports won't cover it (usually not the case with ETOPS330, but can be if you're using lower ETOPS ratings), then choose an intermediate point, and the ETOPS pairs could be Airport1/Airport2 and Airport2/Airport3. As an example, for the VOZ1 flight, I used KLAX/PHNL and PHNL/NCRG.

I think you'd learn more by simply trying various pairs in the ETP Pair boxes.

 

You absolutely correct.  If using 330, looks like PANC will cover it.  I'll do some more messing around with different airports, kind of an interesting route to play around with.

 

Cheers

You absolutely correct.  I'll do some more messing around with the airports.

 

Good call. The only time I made "intelligent" airport selections is when I'm flying from the US to Europe (and back), where I'm familiar with the airports. The rest of the time, I'm just trying near/far side airports to get the most route coverage. If I'm feeling extra realistic, I'll try to make it an airport that I know the airline has service to.

You absolutely correct.  If using 330, looks like PANC will cover it.  I'll do some more messing around with different airports, kind of an interesting route to play around with.

 

Cheers

 

After dealing with a couple sketchy deviations, I try to look up the airport charts for alternates now. I picked a couple random airports from your list above and the two I randomly chose were gravel runways with no instrumented approach, and one had been closed in 2011. My minimum for 777 alternates is atleast 6,0000ft runway and an instrumented approach.   

I flew a UA895 trip KORDVHHH about mid-Nov and found that most days their routes were polar then south through Russia, China and into VHHH: 

 

ATC ROUTE: N0493F300 DCT PMPKN DCT NEATO DCT DLLAN DCT RONIC DCT BAE J89 DLH
           J538 VBI DCT YTH DCT 58N100W 62N105W 65N110W 69N120W/N0484F320
           70N124W 71N130W 73N141W 75N151W DCT BARIP/K0897F320 B722
           RITOT/K0893F340 B722 OLMIN G912 NERPA B806 LIGDA/K0766F180 B806 FA
           W223 MAGOR/K0886F360 W223 BANIR G494 SIMLI DCT HEK DCT FYU DCT SEY
           DCT LCH DCT DBL DCT XDX DCT NKG DCT ABBEY ABEY3A

 

Interesting to find that ETOPS didn't apply on the above route.  When flying Pacific routes I found that airlines generally choose PACD Cold Bay and RJCK Kushiro... found that return trip UA896 takes the PACOTS routes on the way home.  I believe that ETOPS can legally be most anything but for planning purposes the companies will prefer locations that can handle 300 pax and usually have agreements in-place at specific locations for such contingencies.

 

 

Interesting to find that ETOPS didn't apply on the above route.

 

If you're polar, you're definitely ETOPS (and ETOPS special procedures at that, due to the cold weather, I believe).

Thanks, Dan.  I've also noticed, generally speaking of course,  they take southern Russia, China, route.  I go to that part of the world quite a bit in real life for work, so always have fun seeing what our routing is (I go out of IAD).  A few months ago I went KIAD to ZBAA and we went a similiar route and came over Mongolia.  Channel 9 was on the whole way...it was very quiet over Mongolia.  Actually, my final destination was Ulan Bataar...wish they could have opened the doors for me to let me off.

 

I'll have to do this on Vatsim some time.  I'm actually on right now and noticed someone doing UA896.

If you're polar, you're definitely ETOPS (and ETOPS special procedures at that, due to the cold weather, I believe).

That's what I assumed but PFPX allowed flight planning without ETOPS.  I just reloaded the route in PFPX because I couldn't remember exact solution and wanted to rule out PFPX bug. That route stays within the 'adequate airport circles' all the way. It looks like you stay within 60 min of an adequate airport if you stay below 76-78N crossing Alaska to Russia.

That's what I assumed but PFPX allowed flight planning without ETOPS.  I just reloaded the route in PFPX because I couldn't remember exact solution and wanted to rule out PFPX bug. That route stays within the 'adequate airport circles' all the way. It looks like you stay within 60 min of an adequate airport if you stay below 76-78N crossing Alaska to Russia.

 

Gotcha - looking at today's route, it's closer to Greenland than Alaska, so you might be able to pick up BGTL or BGSF, but I'd imagine once you're north of those, you're definitely ETOPS. Cutting it all closer to Alaska, that makes more sense.