Longest possible flight on a single heading?

IK04

IK04

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After watching this guy take up a challenge to walk across an entire country in a straight line:


I am wondering if there is somewhere in North America where you can take off and land and never deviate from a single heading. The planning for this challenge would require a reconnaissance that would take into consideration terrain, airspace, weather and aircraft performance.

This would be a full fuel load, not some short hop. That would be cheating.

Finding suitable landing surfaces might be an issue.

I'll do some chart recon and see if this is possible.
 
If the crosswinds cooperate, I'm sure there are lots of options. I'd be surprised if there are any where you can fly a particular course (including the two runways), though.
 
Yeah....just follow one of the lines of variation. You'll always be N or S magnetically.

Though I guess we need to define it as course because any change in wind would change the heading.
 
I know someone who claims to have taken off and landed at the same airport in a Cessna 150 and never changed course. It requires a slow airplane, a very heavy headwind and great big brass ones.
 
bflynn said:
I know someone who claims to have taken off and landed at the same airport in a Cessna 150 and never changed course. It requires a slow airplane, a very heavy headwind and great big brass ones.
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Why “great big brass ones”? Very little risk in this.
 
My closest came to mind immediately. Colorado Leadville LXV to Buena Vista AEJ. Takeoff LXV runway 16. Turn left 10 degrees, fly 25-26 miles, land AEJ runway 15.

Better yet, since AEJ is 2000 feet lower than LXV, after climbing to an initial safe altitude, it's pretty much a 25 mile final with a gradual descent.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Why “great big brass ones”? Very little risk in this.
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Because you will be landing into a head wind strong enough to push a 150 backwards. Any change in wind direction will cause strong directional changes.
 
bflynn said:
Because you will be landing into a head wind strong enough to push a 150 backwards. Any change in wind direction will cause strong directional changes.
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Not exactly. What happens aloft isn’t what happens at the surface. Not to mention ‘slow flight’ is very slow in a 150, it wouldn’t take that much wind to put the airplane in reverse.
 
Ryanb said:
Not exactly. What happens aloft isn’t what happens at the surface. Not to mention ‘slow flight’ is very slow in a 150, it wouldn’t take that much wind to put the airplane in reverse.
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Yeah, this.
 
Ryanb said:
Not exactly. What happens aloft isn’t what happens at the surface. Not to mention ‘slow flight’ is very slow in a 150, it wouldn’t take that much wind to put the airplane in reverse.
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Something in the neighborhood of 50kts+ if all you did was take off, climb and then descend and land at minimum speed. I have never seen low level winds aloft at those speeds without significant gusts on the runway. Granted, that’s only 10 years of observation, so maybe there is some special circumstance I’m not aware of, but I don’t think you can get wind that strong and not have it be an impact to landing.
 
bflynn said:
I know someone who claims to have taken off and landed at the same airport in a Cessna 150 and never changed course. It requires a slow airplane, a very heavy headwind and great big brass ones.
Click to expand...

Now I have a new challenge for this winter.
 
There are airports where that would not even be a challenge. KOSC comes to mind.
 
Using the same airport is totally cheating. Requires no route planning.

midlifeflyer said:
My closest came to mind immediately. Colorado Leadville LXV to Buena Vista AEJ. Takeoff LXV runway 16. Turn left 10 degrees, fly 25-26 miles, land AEJ runway 15.
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That's the idea. With a Northerly wind, that scenario could be flown on a single heading...
 
Except in certain degenerate cases, a constant heading doesn't take you in a straight line.
 
bflynn said:
I know someone who claims to have taken off and landed at the same airport in a Cessna 150 and never changed course. It requires a slow airplane, a very heavy headwind and great big brass ones.
Click to expand...

Greg Bockelman said:
Why “great big brass ones”? Very little risk in this.
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Hmm yeah. Actually sounds fun. Especially if the runway is into the headwind.

midlifeflyer said:
My closest came to mind immediately. Colorado Leadville LXV to Buena Vista AEJ. Takeoff LXV runway 16. Turn left 10 degrees, fly 25-26 miles, land AEJ runway 15.

Better yet, since AEJ is 2000 feet lower than LXV, after climbing to an initial safe altitude, it's pretty much a 25 mile final with a gradual descent.
Click to expand...

You know this but for others, this is also the “oh s*** this thing won’t climb” escape from LXV. Hahaha. Gentle turn down valley... go land at Buena Vista, and rethink your departure decisions today. It’s probably way too hot out for whatever you’re flying. :)
 
IK04 said:
Yep. That's why it is a planning challenge. Gotta do the TVMDC thing!
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There's more to it than just the true vs. magnetic issue. Let's completely forget about magnetic for a moment. Get out a globe. Pick two points on the earth. Unless they are both on the same line of longitude (or both on the equatory), you'll find that the points on the line connecting them change bearing constantly.

For example, pick two points on the 45 degree north latitude line. You'll see that the line isn't due east-west. It arcs up towards the north pole. and then arcs down towards the far point.
 
flyingron said:
There's more to it than just the true vs. magnetic issue. Let's completely forget about magnetic for a moment. Get out a globe. Pick two points on the earth. Unless they are both on the same line of longitude (or both on the equatory), you'll find that the points on the line connecting them change bearing constantly.

For example, pick two points on the 45 degree north latitude line. You'll see that the line isn't due east-west. It arcs up towards the north pole. and then arcs down towards the far point.
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Correct.

Make the course an arc so that the magnetic heading remains the same. That is an added planning step that requires some backward planning from the destination.
 
It would have to be done in a Cirrus so you could do a straight in and not enter the pattern.
 
bflynn said:
I know someone who claims to have taken off and landed at the same airport in a Cessna 150 and never changed course. It requires a slow airplane, a very heavy headwind and great big brass ones.
Click to expand...

That's not impressive. I've done 4 or 5 stop-and-go's "at the same airport ... and never changed course". A Quad City CH2 and a 6000' runway. It'll take off, fly straight a bit, and land, all in 1000'.
 
KGSP to KAVP is 493nm taking off on Rwy 04 from GSP, heading 040, land on Rwy 04 at AVP.
 
bflynn said:
at least around here, a headwind is never constant, especially near the ground.
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Well yeah, you might have to do some of that pilot s***. Haha.

Taxiing out in the silliness will be harder than launching into it and then flying backward and then creeping back up on the runway and landing.

It’ll all go wrong when the airplane is broadside to a wind like that. :)
 
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