Sunday, August 27, 2006

How Far Did I Fly?


From: BOI (43°33'52"N 116°13'22"W) To: PDX (45°35'19"N 122°35'51"W) Distance: 344 mi

From: PDX (45°35'19"N 122°35'51"W) To: NRT (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) Distance: 4822 mi

From: NRT (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) To: SHA (31°11'52"N 121°20'11"E) Distance: 1142 mi

From: SHA (31°11'52"N 121°20'11"E) To: HKG (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E) Distance: 764 mi

From: HKG (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E) To: SGN (10°49'08"N 106°39'07"E) Distance: 925 mi

From: SGN (10°49'08"N 106°39'07"E) To: HKG (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E) Distance: 925 mi

From: HKG (22°18'32"N 113°54'53"E) To: NRT (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) Distance: 1842 mi

From: NRT (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) To: SFO (37°37'08"N 122°22'30"W) Distance: 5124 mi

From: SFO (37°37'08"N 122°22'30"W) To: PDX (45°35'19"N 122°35'51"W) Distance: 550 mi

From: PDX (45°35'19"N 122°35'51"W) To: BOI (43°33'52"N 116°13'22"W) Distance: 344 mi

That is a total of: 16,783 miles!
More than 33 hours of flying!

Code - Location
BOI - Boise [Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field], ID, US
PDX - Portland [Intl], OR, US
NRT - Tokyo (Narita) [New Tokyo Intl], Honshu, JP
SHA - Shanghai [Hongqiao], CN
HKG - Hong Kong [Intl (Chek Lap Kok)], HK
SGN - Ho Chi Minh City [Tan Son Nhat Intl], VN
SFO - San Francisco [Intl], CA, US

These flight paths where generated using ETOPS.

Er, what is an ETOPS?

ETOPS is an acronym for Extended-Range Twin-Engine Operations.

Without an ETOPS rating, an aircraft with only two engines must be able to get to an airport where it can safely land within 60 minutes if an engine fails in-flight. ETOPS extends this "rule time" to 90 minutes or more, up to a maximum of 180 minutes. Obtaining an ETOPS rating requires certification of the reliability of an airframe/engine combination as well as an airline's flight operations and maintenance. Usually extra equipment is required as well, such as additional backup systems for electrical power. ETOPS does not require over-water equipment (e.g., life rafts) or additional fuel tanks, though these are usually required for the typical missions of ETOPS-rated aircraft.

Some pilots claim ETOPS really means:

"Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim."

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