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Delivery Flights - Small Turboprops To New Zealand

NZ8800 From New Zealand, joined May 2006, 425 posts, RR: 2
Posted (7 years 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 3570 times:

I was wondering how small turboprops with ranges of 1500 - 2000km manage to get as far as New Zealand when delivered from North America or Europe. Q300s are somehow arriving here all the way from Toronto! I know its range of 1557km is likely the fully loaded figure, and it could likely fly further with only the pilots on board (perhaps a few relief crew members on board as passengers?), but when the nearest overseas airports to Auckland are Norfolk Island (1086km NW and a bit out of the way), Noumea (1832km NW), Tongatapu (1870km NE), Nadi (2146km N) and Sydney (2170km W) - I rather wonder how it's done, especially as the nearest airport north of Nadi would be Honolulu - about 4900km NE from there.

MDZWTA ~ Mobile Disaster Zone When Travelling Abroad

15 replies: All unread, jump to last

Xjramper From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 2345 posts, RR: 52
Reply 1, posted (7 years 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 3571 times:

Im sure they take out all the seats and put in gas tanks.

XJR

Look ma' no hands!

Sinlock From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 1532 posts, RR: 3
Reply 2, posted (7 years 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 3560 times:

It's unlikely the aircraft would take an over water route like the what you have shown. The airceaft would hop over land till getting to a location like SYD. Then would load up on fuel and water survival equipment, and have an second aircraft shadow it to NZ.

From using the range numbers from the A.net database.
Dash-8-Q300 shows a range of 1228nm with aux tanks (with 50 pax)

Great Circle Mapper with a range of 1228nm

The B-1900D has a Max range 1496nm (with 10 pax)
SAAB 340A has a range of 2145nm (Max Fuel)
The Metro-23 has a range 1314nm (with 19 pax)

So even though these numbers are highly subjective it can reasonably be assumed that the ferry range from SYD is well with reach of all these aircraft.

My Country can beat up your Country....

Tom12 From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2005, 1078 posts, RR: 14
Reply 3, posted (7 years 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 3557 times:

Quoting Xjramper (Reply 1):
Im sure they take out all the seats and put in gas tanks.

I'd second that, i think thats what happened when they ferried a friend of mines Cessna 182 from the states : )

Tom`

"Per noctem volamus" - Royal Air Force Bomber Squadron IX

Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15870 posts, RR: 66
Reply 4, posted (7 years 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3522 times:

For the lightest planes, you can always plonk them on a ship. Ships have EFLOPS (Extended FLoating Operations Procedure Specification) and thus don't have to worry about diversion harbors.

"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo

SunriseValley From Canada, joined Jul 2004, 3952 posts, RR: 4
Reply 5, posted (7 years 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 3498 times:

When the first Q300 was delivered to NZ there was a thread that showed the route. As I recollect it flew from Gander to Greenland to Iceland to Glasgow and then across Europe and Asia . Don't remember where the "jumping" off point was for the last leg to AKL.

EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9286 posts, RR: 13
Reply 6, posted (7 years 5 days ago) and read 3487 times:

First, the aircraft are tanked. Then they just island hop. The tanks I've seen used in the SF340 look like 2 oversized water beds. The plumbing goes out one of the windows through a special window plug and right into the fuel tank through a special fuel access panel. Cabin pressurization forces the fuel into the tank. It's a very simple and effective system. I think they would run from LAX to SYD with 3 stops..... I want to say they went LAX-HNL-GUM-???-SYD

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[Edited 2006-05-18 22:37:26]

[Edited 2006-05-18 23:01:59]

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"

NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40
Reply 7, posted (7 years 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 3413 times:

Either these or they hop through Lord Howe Island and or Norfolk Island to Kaitaia and continue south. Using the LDH and NLK stops, the maximum for one leg less than 900km.

It's all about the destination AND the journey.

ANother From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 8, posted (7 years 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 3341 times:

Quoting NZ8800 (Thread starter):
the nearest airport north of Nadi would be Honolulu

Don't forget Christmas Island

2 segment path: 3519 mi
NAN (17°45'19"S 177°26'36"E) CXI (01°59'10"N 157°20'59"W) 2189 mi
CXI (01°59'10"N 157°20'59"W) HNL (21°19'07"N 157°55'21"W) 1330 mi

CXI was closed a couple years ago (for resurfacing etc) and our FJ flight NAN-HNL-YVR had to go via Apia as a result.

NZ8800 From New Zealand, joined May 2006, 425 posts, RR: 2
Reply 9, posted (7 years 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 3261 times:

Thanks for the explanations... food for thought! I didn't think they'd have Transtasman ability, but they obviously do... thanks again Smile

MDZWTA ~ Mobile Disaster Zone When Travelling Abroad

SlamClick From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 10062 posts, RR: 71
Reply 10, posted (7 years 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 3244 times:

I was at the Embraer factory in Sao Jose dos Campos Brazil many years ago picking up a Bandierante and met a crew who were there to ferry one to Australia.

Their intended route was Sao Jose - Manaus - Jamaica - El Paso Texas, Los Angeles. In LA, they were going to have a ferry tank installed on the cabin deck and plumbed into the aircraft fuel system. Then the route was expected to be LAX - Hilo - (some south Pacific Island like Fiji or Funafuti) - Brisbane - Sydney.

The seats were being shipped from the factory direct.

We remarked that if they'd been able to transit Antarctica, the flight would have been about 1/3 the distance.

Happiness is not seeing another trite Ste. Maarten photo all week long.

LouA340 From Canada, joined Oct 2005, 376 posts, RR: 0
Reply 11, posted (7 years 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 3213 times:

Quoting SunriseValley (Reply 5):
When the first Q300 was delivered to NZ there was a thread that showed the route. As I recollect it flew from Gander to Greenland to Iceland to Glasgow and then across Europe and Asia . Don't remember where the "jumping" off point was for the last leg to AKL.

That makes it quite a trip for the delivery flight. With all those hops from place to place doesnt that add to the ware of the aircraft even brfore it arrives with its carrier?

RyEng

UA777222 From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 3348 posts, RR: 13
Reply 12, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 3 days ago) and read 2986 times:

Might be off topic but recently an Air Nelson (AZ) Dash-8 made an overnight stop here at CCR. CCR is one small airport here in California and no more than 25nm East of OAK/SFO. So I was surprised to see this thing sitting there when I was doing some T & G's that day.

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Photo © Benjamin Vehige

Why would they choose such a small airport. There is nothing really around this airport other than a hotel, a small golf place, and car delerships...

Thanks!

Matt

"It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark."

Mr AirNZ From New Zealand, joined Feb 2002, 766 posts, RR: 1
Reply 13, posted (6 years 11 months 3 weeks 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 2952 times:

Its cheaper to land there.

OzLAME From Australia, joined Feb 2005, 338 posts, RR: 0
Reply 14, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 2813 times:

Sydney-Lord Howe Island-Norfolk Island-NZ and vice versa is the standard method for all sorts of light aircraft to cross the Tasman. I have also met a few turboprop twins at Sydney at the conclusion of their ferry flights. Most have gone across the North Atlantic then across Europe and Asia, but one 1900D that I met flew Wichita-somewhere in Canada (I don't quite remember where)-Anchorage-Adak-Midway-Johnson Atoll-Honiara-Brisbane-Sydney in six days and all on internal tanks. The pilot hopped out of the aircraft on the afternoon of New Years' Day, I removed and boxed his ferry HF kit, he was going to stay the night at the Sydney Airport Hilton before returning to the USA the next day to take a King Air to Angola.

Monty Python's Flying Circus has nothing to do with aviation, except perhaps for Management personnel.

Alfa75 From United States of America, joined May 2005, 612 posts, RR: 0
Reply 15, posted (6 years 11 months 2 weeks 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 2735 times:

Quoting Starlionblue (Reply 4):
EFLOPS (Extended FLoating Operations Procedure Specification)