There's another article on this flight, published around the same time, at https://www.damninteresting.com/the-unceasing-cessna-haciend...
The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
31–40 of 104 posts
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 1,800 hours time-before-overhaul That’s surprising! Do you mean the entire life of the engine, or just one run? If the former, doesn’t that get expensive? I imagine that’s not very sustainable.
Entire life of the engine. After 1800 hours total operation, the engine should be overhauled: taken apart, cleaned, each part examined and replaced if necessary. Note that per FAA regulations in the USA, only actual flight time counts toward this limit, not time spent taxiing on the ground. It'll take a normal private pilot a few years to reach 1800h of operation, so it's more economical if you're not flying the plan…
Most private pilots will never get to 1800 hours. Even 100 hours per year is a lot.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here is the result of a previous run. Probably this one came to the same fate? Turbulence or atmospheric conditions leading to mid air disintegration. When ZULU82 was lost, it was operating at a lower than usual altitude. https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2...
That was wild: "While climbing through 8,000 ft above mean sea level, the UAV experienced a series of uncommanded turns. The UAV self-recovered from the first two uncommanded turns however, the third upset resulted in the aircraft entering an uncontrolled spiral descent. Despite attempts to return to controlled flight, the UAV sustained an in-flight break-up." I can only imagine the control systems that go into these…
> I can only imagine the control systems that go into these gliders.
Fun fact, most planes are inherently stable, just like paper planes. If there is a disturbance, they will self correct most of the time. For example, glider pilots, if they do something stupid, are instructed to just let go of the controls, and the glider recovers on its own very quickly. Few ways this can go wrong: the wings start to "flap" by vibrating to a resonant frequency, in which case they need to change something, and also spiraling down towards the earth: not because the plane would not recover eventually, but because it might experience high forces that destroy them before recovery can happen.
Few planes are inherently un-stable: meaning they cannot keep flying without constant input, only examples I know of are fly-by-wire modern fighter jets (4th generation onward) and planes with weird shapes like the B2 bomber.
I don't think there is too much control put into these gliders for second to second operations, they are probably just letting it fly forward, with the control being: point it in a very general direction and don't lose contact with it.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#34Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#35I spent what felt like 64 days in a Cessna 172 one afternoon. Or maybe it was a 152 :)
An afternoon will feel like 64 days in a 152! If it has seats behind you it was probably a skyhawk. If you could do tricks it was probably a 152.
Are you thinking of a 152 Aerobat? 150 Aerobats are pretty rare, 152 Aerobats even more so.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#36Pilots are truly some of the craziest people around. Just last summer, a guy flew a Cessna 172 from California to Hawaii.
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N490NW/history/20220820/...
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#37There's another article on this flight, published around the same time, at https://www.damninteresting.com/the-unceasing-cessna-haciend...
Ooh, that's a very good telling of the tale.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#38Pilots are truly some of the craziest people around. Just last summer, a guy flew a Cessna 172 from California to Hawaii. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N490NW/history/20220820/...
How the $*^% is that possible...
Are there any more details available about this, or is there just that FlightAware log? How does one ensure they have enough fuel to do this?!
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
Entire life of the engine. After 1800 hours total operation, the engine should be overhauled: taken apart, cleaned, each part examined and replaced if necessary. Note that per FAA regulations in the USA, only actual flight time counts toward this limit, not time spent taxiing on the ground. It'll take a normal private pilot a few years to reach 1800h of operation, so it's more economical if you're not flying the plan…
Interesting, thanks for the context. TIL!
Piston engines like you get in a Cessna 172 are also about the worst-case for overhaul times, since there's so much mechanical complexity and because they're often run at/near maximum rated power for long periods.
Turboprop engines (effectively these are jet engines with propellers attached) like the ubiquitous P&W PT6A have TBOs up to 4,500 or even 6,000 hours.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
That was wild: "While climbing through 8,000 ft above mean sea level, the UAV experienced a series of uncommanded turns. The UAV self-recovered from the first two uncommanded turns however, the third upset resulted in the aircraft entering an uncontrolled spiral descent. Despite attempts to return to controlled flight, the UAV sustained an in-flight break-up." I can only imagine the control systems that go into these…
> I can only imagine the control systems that go into these gliders. Fun fact, most planes are inherently stable, just like paper planes. If there is a disturbance, they will self correct most of the time. For example, glider pilots, if they do something stupid, are instructed to just let go of the controls, and the glider recovers on its own very quickly. Few ways this can go wrong: the wings start to "flap" by vibr…
Fighter jets and the B2 are by no means inherently stable, in fact they're inherently extremely unstable relative or to earlier designs. It's just that the fly by wire systems make them fly stable.