non etops flights

[mkahanek]

Capt,

What is the rule for distance from land for 2 engine planes that are not ETOPS. Last month I flew from IAH-CME and we hugged the coast line both ways. It seems all flights to/from this destination hug the coast line. CO flies the regional's to this destination. This routing seems to add significant time to the flight.

[tusphotog]

I bet this has to do more with a lack of life jackets than ETOPS. I know Alaska stuck the jackets and rafts in their planes and Southwest put jackets on all their planes. This allows them to go out over water on shorter routes. I read somewhere that Alaska ended up saving 45-60 minutes on their LA/Seattle-Cancun legs by going over the water.

I think non ETOPS planes are limited to 45 minutes away from land. If the plane isn't equipped with life jackets, I think they can only go only a few miles out over the water, I could be totally wrong though.

[Captain Hutch]

Yes the rule has to do with life rafts and over water equipment, but is based on distance from a shoreline. Without life rafts a commercial airliner can't go further than 50 NM (nautical miles [one NM = approx 6080 feet]) from a shoreline. With life rafts the distance is 162 NM at any latitude below 35 degrees and 100 NM above. A couple of years ago I had a run for a coule of months from Fort Lauderdale to San Juan. We followed the Bahamas down to the Caicos and Turks, then off the coast of Hispaniola and then into San Juan. One big advantage to that 162 NM distance is that for flights coming from the northeastern US down to southern Florida can coast out from Wilmington, NC and head straight down to Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm (PBI), and Miami Intl. without exceeding 162 NM, although just barely. Though if you have to deviate due to weather it is allowed to go beyond that distance momentarily.

In one instance I was flying from DC down to FLL and just prior to Wilmington ATC notified me that they were closing the overwater routes and thus my only choice was to take the overland route. Under those circumstances I didn't have sufficient reserve fuel to fly all the way to FLL so I diverted to Jacksonville FL to pick up more fuel. I suppose we were about an hour and a half late which was a small inconvenience as opposed to the alternative.

Hutch :tiphat: