Earlier this year, I posted a couple challenges for the 777 to give people something new to try, just to get a break from the norm and flex the mental "muscle." It just so happens that an idea for the NGX popped up, so the challenges begin here, as well.

 

 

 

My day job gives me a unique vantage point to sit and stare at all things aviation-related, albeit mixed in with actual job tasks, and not get fussed at. Over the past few months, since part of my job concentrates very heavily on the oceanic environment, I've noticed a bunch of delivery flights heading across the Pacific. Since the 737 doesn't have the range of a 747 or 777, those flights are obviously shorter hops, stopping at islands you may or may not recognize, and likely haven't flown through. I know most of the simulation of delivery flights usually happens right when a developer releases a plane, but I figure some might be interested in trying a delivery flight across the vast stretch of the Pacific, using some of the common city pairs.

 

A good example of this challenge is shown in China Eastern's deliveries - even on a single call sign. Looking at CES9001, you can see it's been used for the delivery of a 737 and a 777 within the past month. The 777 obviously made a single hop across the Pacific, while the 737 was forced to do multiple 5-6 hour hops over a few days. The route taken on that trip was KBFI-PHNL, PHNL-PKMJ, PKMJ-PGUM, and PGUM-ZSPD. Looking at some of the other trips, the KBFI-PHNL-PKMJ-PGUM portion is pretty standard, with variations through airports like PTPN for weather or other ad hoc issues. From PGUM, the flight is usually a pretty simple hop to the final destination, or at least to a larger landmass, where the flights can be operated more like "normal" 737 flights.

 

Both of the links above have the route information for each leg if you're looking to copy the flights exactly (remember that ASN, and many other weather programs, offer the ability to use historical weather, which can help - for extra detail on how to set this up, see Tutorial #1.5 for the 777). If you're looking for fuel numbers, SimBrief is free. If you're looking for more in-depth planning, PFPX can give you a more detailed look at ETOPS, and all of the planning required, if you have it.

 

Looking at the flights on FlightAware, your leg times will be around:

KBFI-PHNL: 5 - 6.5 hours

PHNL-PKMJ: 4.5 - 5.5

PKMJ-PGUM: 4 - 4.5

PGUM-Final: 4.5 - 6.5

 

 

 

If you do decide to try that out, come back and post about the trip. While I'm sure many have flown through PHNL, PKMJ and PGUM are simply airports that happen to have a little bit of island surrounding them (particularly the case with PKMJ).

 

One thing to think about when you're heading into airports like PKMJ (or PMDY, if you decide on a different routing):

When Pan American World Airways ("Pan Am") was pioneering the Pacific routes, the initial pilots sent out to survey the sites found those islands via ded reckoning alone. Radio navigation was still in its infancy (in aviation, anyway - more here), and satellite navigation wasn't even a topic of science fiction yet, much less the FMS. As you're approaching the proverbial needle island in the haystack of the ocean, let that thought sink in for a moment: someone found this with a slide rule and a map.

 

 

Radio navigation was still in its infancy

 

True, thank goodness celestial navigation has been around for thousands of years.  I am ever fascinated at how the islands were discovered in the first place by a bunch of guys in an outrigger.

 

 

True, thank goodness celestial navigation has been around for thousands of years.

If anybody gets tired of doing long-hauls with GPS/FMS guidance, find a piston with the requisite range and install the sextant gauge: http://kronzky.info/fs/sextant/index.html

 

It doesn't actually require you to have an accurate Hc, and there's no necessary corrections for Coriolis. It will only take the AP an the input Zn give you an Hs and distance from the AP in ±5 NM. I've done a couple of single LOP landfalls using it in a Martin M-130. It's really quite rewarding.

Ok, I had the day off at home, so I decided to start this. Coincidentally, there was a Xiamen Airlines 737-800 doing the same flight, so I pulled their flight plan and callsign.

 

CXA6485 on FlightAware

CXA6485 on Vataware (It thinks it's CanadianXpress  :rolleyes: )

 

Their filled flight plan is consistent with other aircraft that have flown this city-pair.

SEA J70 ELMAA HQM SEDAR A331 ZIGIE MAGGI3

I used FSBuild to calculate fuel, then added on the APU burn manually. I selected KPDX and PHNL as my ETOPS alternates. Some quick math put the ETOPS entry point 375 NM west of PDX, and the exit point 300 NM north of HNL. More math put our equal time point 1241 miles west of PDX. Using skyvector allowed me to plot these points on my route, then enter them as along-track waypoints for reference on the flight. 

 

I reach TOC about an hour ago, and so far I am doing well in terms of fuel burn. 

 

Imgur album documenting the flight: http://imgur.com/a/Tihv1

 

 

I like the NGX flights to PHNL.  The ETOPS alternates I always use are PHTO and KMRY, not that it means too much in this case.

If anybody gets tired of doing long-hauls with GPS/FMS guidance, find a piston with the requisite range and install the sextant gauge: http://kronzky.info/fs/sextant/index.html

 

It doesn't actually require you to have an accurate Hc, and there's no necessary corrections for Coriolis. It will only take the AP an the input Zn give you an Hs and distance from the AP in ±5 NM. I've done a couple of single LOP landfalls using it in a Martin M-130. It's really quite rewarding.

 

 

I found before, though I couldn't when I searched just now, someone used the Sextant to fly to an Island recreating a war time effort. It was an amazing read. I'll see if I can find it, I've found it twice before when posting on Avsim. It's out there.

 

 

I found before, though I couldn't when I searched just now, someone used the Sextant to fly to an Island recreating a war time effort. It was an amazing read. I'll see if I can find it, I've found it twice before when posting on Avsim. It's out there.

This wouldn't be the thread you're thinking about would it? 

 

http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/showthread.php?255238-RTW-by-the-seat-of-my-pants

It wasn't, but that's on the same lines