lax to sydney

[Guest rennman]

direct from lax to yssy can be done...but its by such a slim margin that i dont like doing it...i dont see real pilots taking that risk...although lightening the load was mentioned....my stop over is phnl...i think that qantas does that too

[G-CIVA 62]

direct from lax to yssy can be done...but its by such a slim margin that i dont like doing it...i dont see real pilots taking that risk...although lightening the load was mentioned....my stop over is phnl...i think that qantas does that too

Real Airline Pilots do not take risks...& they have multi-million dollar flight planning departments & many many years of operational route data & mean weather conditions in addition to very accurate & individual hull fuel burn data to rely on.A tech stop at PHNL westbound from LAX will take you a long way away from the great circle track (& the airways) to the eastern coast of OZ....but I stand to be corrected.As those in the know like Q & others have pointed out RR Engined 744s do make this flight...probably load limited with a tech stop in YBBN (Brisbane) & perhaps? NZAA (Auckland) depending on the winds.

[Guest 413X3]

Qantas do not stop in PHNL as a tech stop. The flights you are seeing to PHNL then YSSY are Qantas Cargo flights operated by Atlas Air and their beautiful 747-400Fs

[Chairman 8]

I know this is blasphemy and Boeing would withdraw the warranty on the plane if they ever heard about it, but couldn't you just edit the aircraft.cfg file and increases the capacity of the centre tank by 9.8 tonnes and call it an ER ? Worked nicely as a way of installing 'temporary ferry tanks' in my dc3 :( Or even (yeah, I know, straight to hell, I'll send you a postcard :( ) pause the flight at some point and transfer 9.8 tonnes from a cargo hold into the centre tank ?Gary

[Guest rennman]

those are really great ideas!i would love to do thatill try the config edit and see how that worksthanks

[martybuzz 2]

those are really great ideas!i would love to do thatill try the config edit and see how that worksthanks

I looked and don't know exactly what to change, so let us know. i would like to add the extra fuel and make it an ER.Marin Buzzell

[Chairman 8]

I presume it's something to do with this bit :

[fuel]											// Combi/ER + optional stab (Center2)LeftAux   =  -112.0, -36.5, -3.0,  4482.0, 0.0	// Main 1LeftMain  =   -96.0, -28.0, -4.0, 12546.0, 0.0	// Main 2RightMain =   -96.0,  28.0, -4.0, 12546.0, 0.0	// Main 3RightAux  =  -112.0,  36.5, -3.0,  4482.0, 0.0	// Main 4LeftTip   =  -130.0, -73.0,  0.0,  1322.0, 0.0	// R2RightTip  =  -130.0,  73.0,  0.0,  1322.0, 0.0	// R3Center1   =   -83.5,   0.0, -7.0, 17164.0, 0.0	// CWTCenter2   =  -193.5,   0.0,  6.0,  3300.0, 0.0	// STAB [Optional]Center3   =   -83.5,   0.0, -7.0,	50.0, 0.0	// Otherfuel_type = 2									 //Fuel type: 1 = Avgas, 2 = JetAnumber_of_tank_selectors = 4					electric_pump=0

(with due reference to this bit :)

												// WARNING : DO NOT EDIT !

The number you're interested in is the second to last one in each row (the big one). This is the usable fuel capacity in gallons of the tank. 9.8 tonnes equates to ~ 21600 lbs, and at 6.6 lbs/gallon that means you have to add 3272 gallons - that'll be 1636 on each side. I haven't tried this, you can be the guinea pig :) I reinstalled FS9 a couple of hours ago purely to install the Queen and have a look at the aircraft.cfg file, and suddenly remembered how much I like it so now I'm busy flying :( DO make a backup of the aircraft.cfg file before you start to mess with it !Hope that helpsGary

[martybuzz 2]

Thanks Gary, I've changed it. I'll load up the Buenos Aires to Sydney run tomorrow and let you know. I like this flight as it tracks very close to the South Pole.

[martybuzz 2]

It works! Though it's added the fuel to Mains 2 & 3, so I might change it to add the extra to the Centre Tank.

[cowpatz 243]

direct from lax to yssy can be done...but its by such a slim margin that i dont like doing it...i dont see real pilots taking that risk...although lightening the load was mentioned....my stop over is phnl...i think that qantas does that too

It is not about taking risk (at least in the sense you are referring to). Real world pilots do fly this sector with non ER aircraft. As with every flight it is a matter of matching distance, payload and fuel.A decision to divert from the TOD point and diverting to destination saves about 2800 KG for a GE and 3100 KG for a RR (The fuel saved by not descending and then climbing back to altitude again for the diversion). If a divert is made from 3000 ft this reduces to 1650 KG for both. This effectively reduces the amount required for the B to C (diversion fuel). During the later stage of the cruise you will have to decide if the weather at destination is good enough to continue to it (and land with less fuel than required to get to your diversion airfield) or to divert from TOD or 3000 ft (start of approach). Usually if the weather is better than alternate minima it is safe to continue.The enroute fueling airfields available largely depend on the route flown but NSFA (Western Samoa), NSTU (Pagopago), NFFN (Nadi in Fiji) or even YBBN (Brisbane) could be used.I wouldn't muck around with the config file just fly the aircraft as it was intended.