Question about comfort of long distance flights

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flightmedic

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I routinely drive my vehicle gas tank to gas tank which is about 5 hour legs quite comfortable. How would that translate to long distance flying in regards to comfort?
 
flightmedic said:
I routinely drive my vehicle gas tank to gas tank which is about 5 hour legs quite comfortable. How would that translate to long distance flying in regards to comfort?
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I am going to assume you are talking of single pilot operation. If the weather is good five hours is no biggie as long as I don't need a bathroom break. Solid IFR and getting beat up I would'nt like it much. I used to routinely do 12 hour trips, but I had a relief pilot, a bathroom, a coffee machine and room to take a stroll.
 
Think of it this way. What takes you five hours in your car would take only two in an airplane. Anything you go beyond two hours in the plane you are coming out ahead. With that said, I usually limit my XC legs to 3.5 hours so I can stretch my legs and use the restroom.
 
Maybe, like most of my questions, this question was a cart-before-the-horse question and not based on any particular plane, trip, experience or even style of seat. The thought came to my mind when I read another post about a 5 hour plane trip that may be done in 2 legs. I thought to myself, I can drive for 5 hours, I wonder if I could fly for 5 hours. I guess I was just thinking out loud. I should probably stop doing that.
 
flightmedic said:
Maybe, like most of my questions, this question was a cart-before-the-horse question and not based on any particular plane, trip, experience or even style of seat. The thought came to my mind when I read another post about a 5 hour plane trip that may be done in 2 legs. I thought to myself, I can drive for 5 hours, I wonder if I could fly for 5 hours. I guess I was just thinking out loud. I should probably stop doing that.
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No don't stop. A guy with the moniker "Captain" even posted his Private Journal here:rofl:
 
That's what the internet is all about - thinking out loud. :)
 
Depends on what you're flying, the environmental conditions (particularly turbulence), and whether you have an autopilot and what sort it is. Also depends on the condition of your bladder and prostate when you get to be my age.
 
I have enough trouble lasting 5 hours in Business Class even with reclining seats, free booze and 50 channels of in seat entertainment. No way could I see doing it while aviating, navigating and communicating in a Light airplane. Maybe a G4 that flys itself but it might be a stretch. :D

Cheers
 
Can only speak for myself.
I have done quite a few "long" (more than 1000nm) xc's in ASEl and even though I could go for 4 hours without fuel.
I stopped most times at 2-3 hours, if for no other reason than to just get out and walk around and topped the tanks.

Never know when that airport you have planned to stop at, at 4 hours just got closed for something and the nearest place that has fuel is over an hour away from there.
Maybe overly conservative, but that is how I always thought about it.

Can't call the "auto club" in a plane when you are running out of fuel to come bring you a couple of gallons. LOL
 
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Comfort on longer trips is fairly easy to forecast. If you're flying a high-wing plane with seats that are truly adjustable (meaning the entire assembly moves along the floor rather than some cheesy set-up that allows the cushions to slide along the spar cover) and able to engage a nice autopilot so you can move around and change position while you sit in the shade provided by the wing (as opposed to sitting in those sweat-box green-house misery-inducing low-wing piles of crap that nobody with a lick of sense would own) it's easy to fly long legs in delightful comfort.

Next? :rofl:
 
The key to endurance flights is peeing in a jug. Seriously, its the accelerated dehydration with altitude that really ramps up with oxygen. It's all there to dull you down. Drinking plenty of fluids is a key, but for that an in flight draining or two will be required.

If I don't stay hydrated I go down hill quick as far as run down.
 
Henning said:
Drinking plenty of fluids is a key, but for that an in flight draining or two will be required.

If I don't stay hydrated I go down hill quick as far as run down.
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I totally agree. My plane does not have A/C. I have a small cooler that will hold six bottles of water. The night before my flight I freeze the six bottles of water. While I'm preflighting and taxi for takeoff, I have a small fan that blows into the cooler of frozen bottles to help provide some cooling in the cockpit. By the time I get to altitude the bottles have thawed enough to have plenty of cold water for the trip and have provided a little more comfort in the cabin in the process.
 
MickYoumans said:
I totally agree.
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Me three.

I regularly do 4.5 hr legs (my plane's limit w/ 1 hr reserve) but I'm solo, have plenty of water and plenty of empty wide mouth 1 litre Gatorade bottles.

No autopilot and I'm flying a '58 182. It was made before the word "ergonomic" was even invented. Still, it's just fine.

But, as others have said this is VFR and not on days that are beating the **** out of you.

I typically won't go over 2.5 to 3 hours in instrument conditions.
 
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Henning said:
The key to endurance flights is peeing in a jug. Seriously, its the accelerated dehydration with altitude that really ramps up with oxygen. It's all there to dull you down. Drinking plenty of fluids is a key, but for that an in flight draining or two will be required.

If I don't stay hydrated I go down hill quick as far as run down.
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When I would fly the 152 solo from Raleigh to Nashville after work on Friday , 85kts LOP at 10,000 feet, I'd drink a red bull, and a big Gatorade during the flight. And I'd fill up an old big wide mouth Gatorade bottle from my last trip with pee

I agree the key is pee

I did this ifr at night but usually I wound up stopping for fuel anyway. Kdkx was my normal stop. Really cool airport and surprisingly cheap gas
 
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Done a few looong legs of over 6 hours before. Auto pilot does help, so does sliding the seat back a notch or two and stretching my legs.

I plan on stoping every 4 hours if I have a passenger though. I did once push on for a smidge over 5 with Angie in the plane once. Figgured I'd let her sleep a little longer. :rofl:
 
Skylane81E said:
I plan on stoping every 4 hours if I have a passenger though. I did once push on for a smidge over 5 with Angie in the plane once. Figgured I'd let her sleep a little longer. :rofl:
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For me this is the bonus of Dramamine. My girl is prone to motion sickness, also gets a little nervous and extra prone to sickness in IMC. If I think it's gonna be a rough ride she will take a 1/2 dose of Dramamine and usually sleeps through the whole flight.
 
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Great replies. Thanks. The one I didn't anticipate was about hydrating because of the altitude. When driving I rarely drink anything. Good stuff.
 
I've done a 12 hour solo flight and a 15.8 flight with 2 pilots on board. Bring plenty of liquids, and it helps if they are in bottles which are easy to refill when you are finished with them.
 
I do a lot of 3, and occasionally due to headwinds 4, hour legs in a 172. I've got a good IFR machine with coupled autopilot which helps a lot, but yes sometimes it gets long. You will need water (not frozen to keep cool, never had a problem with that at any realistic cruise altitude for a long leg) and you will need a good lightweight headset as they all start to get a little heavy at about the start of Hour Number 3 on the second leg of the day. I never drink coffee or gatorade on a long leg, just water. I don't use oxygen, usually cruise between 6500 and 9500, occasionally higher (or lower) as weather requires but I prefer higher as it's smoother and cooler.

Once in a while I'll stop to pee at an airport somewhere and just walk around for 5 minutes, it helps a lot to keep you alert. It has been known to happen on a deserted county road back in the day - but these days I always use flight following and they ask too many questions about "private unmarked" fields - now I just listen to some good music (that interrupts for the radio) and it's all good. Yes, on the wide-mouth gatorade bottles, I just start with them empty in the airplane. I only need them when I'm water-loaded on takeoff and drinking tea or coffee with a meal, but it does happen once in a while.

Living where I do in west TX, flying west into NM and north into OK like I usually do, one of the biggest issues I run into on long legs is weather. For afternoon flights it's not unusual to make a 50 or 75 mile excursion from great circle route for afternoon thunderstorms. If a cold front is moving through the area don't be too surprised to spend 2-3 hours on the ground waiting for a squall line to pass. It just depends on where you're at, and where you're going.

Longest leg with a passenger was 3:10 and they were hollering for relief. Longest personal leg was 5:40 solo but it was a question of which would give out first - bladder or fuel - it was a close call.
 
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I'd be curious about Dr. Bruce's take on this. What is the physiological effect of sitting in a GA aircraft for 3 or 4 or 5 hours with respect to blood clots, etc.?

I had surgery last year, and during the month that followed, was advised to spend no more than 90 minutes in the car without getting out to walk around. Now, I can go 2-3 hours, but after that I feel like I really need to get out and move around, as well as drain the tank.
 
dell30rb said:
For me this is the bonus of Dramamine. My girl is prone to motion sickness, also gets a little nervous and extra prone to sickness in IMC. If I think it's gonna be a rough ride she will take a 1/2 dose of Dramamine and usually sleeps through the whole flight.
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Be careful about altitude with people sleeping on Dramamine, there's evidence of bad potential with hypoxia. Keep them below 10k is what I do, but that's fine by me, 7500'-9500' is my optimum altitude.
 
Good to know. I don't get above 10k much anyway in the low powered airplanes I fly..
 
MickYoumans said:
I totally agree. My plane does not have A/C. I have a small cooler that will hold six bottles of water. The night before my flight I freeze the six bottles of water. While I'm preflighting and taxi for takeoff, I have a small fan that blows into the cooler of frozen bottles to help provide some cooling in the cockpit. By the time I get to altitude the bottles have thawed enough to have plenty of cold water for the trip and have provided a little more comfort in the cabin in the process.
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GENIUS! :idea:
 
It will probably depends a lot on how much you fly as well.

I find in the spring when I start soaring and I haven't done many flights over an hour for a few months that 3 to 4 hours is about my max. As the soaring season progresses and I fly long flights regularly I can easily increase this 6 to 7 hour flights.

My longest flight to date was last summer at 7.5 hours, could have went longer but it was getting dark and the ground crew was threatening to eat my dinner for me. I usually drink a minimum of two quarts of water and the plane has a relief system installed.

Brian
 
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