Pilots 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?!
The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
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Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#42Pilots 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?!
You remove the back seats and replace them with auxiliary fuel tanks. Typically this is done by couriers delivering aircraft for sale - the seats are then shipped separately as freight.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#43Earlier 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…
I think you have a typo at the start of your second paragraph. Fairly certain you're calling out the few planes that are inherently UNstable there :)
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#44Well it certainly beats the record the RNZAF have for keeping an Orion aloft for 21.5 hours - although that was with no resupply.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#45I remember reading about this flight when I was a kid - it's truly impressive that they were able to overcome the challenges they faced and complete the flight successfully. The fact that their record still stands today is a testament to their determination and hard work. Great stuff!
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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…
I think you have a typo at the start of your second paragraph. Fairly certain you're calling out the few planes that are inherently UNstable there :)
thanks, that made my whole comment hard to understand
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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.
yeah, it was a typo, I meant unstable
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#48Earlier 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.
In a car running at 100 kph, that would be 180000 km (roughly 110 miles). Most cars would need at least some parts replaced by that time as well..
Yet only 54000 km at the more typical average speed of 30 km/h. Are aircraft engines typically under high load at cruising speeds? It would seem they are generally overbuilt to overcome the high demands of takeoff.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#49Earlier 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…
What I was (jokingly) told when flying paragliders is, if you just put your hands in the air and scream, the problem will probably resolve itself.
Re: The longest ever flight was 64 days in a Cessna 172 (2021)
#50Reminds me of the cannon ball run, is there a flight equivalent?