ETOPS question

At 270nm from Sydney, they should have already exited ETOPS, so it wouldn't be a factor there. As far as being able to spot a boat from altitude, I'd say it's just about impossible. Perhaps they had enough fuel to descend a little bit earlier and take a look.
 
I'm guessing they would have used a DF-fix off the beacon to locate the sailboat, and not visually spotted it.

Don't know what the 777 has in terms of avionics, but a couple aircraft I've flown have DF capability.
 
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) introduced Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) of which some models are GPS equipped. They work on the COPAS-SARSAT satellite network at 406Mhz. I recieved word from a sailor in the area that the local news interviewed SAR coordinators who confirmed this sailor did have the GPS-equipped EPIRB on the boat.

This is separate system to the privately owned SPOT. In fact, aircraft owners may consider an upgrade to GPS-equipped 406 ELTs.
 
FYI: there is now low cost Automated Identification System (AIS) available to pleasure craft. This system features data blocks carried via VHF frequencies which are received by other similarly equipped vessels in your area. It's not all ballbearings these days.
 
RICHARD5 said:
FYI: there is now low cost Automated Identification System (AIS) available to pleasure craft. This system features data blocks carried via VHF frequencies which are received by other similarly equipped vessels in your area. It's not all ballbearings these days.
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Of course not, you have to include the OIL!

Good information about the GMDSS..Thank you
 
InlandFlyer said:
At 270nm from Sydney, they should have already exited ETOPS, so it wouldn't be a factor there.
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What kind of fuel reserves does a 15+ hour flight carry? Does ETOPS address the back end of such a long leg? I imagine the aircraft wouldn't have loitered at all, that they would have made a quick look see to confirm GPS coordinates matched then proceeded to landing. I don't mean to start another thread on ETOPS....just the quickbook summary as pertinent to this flight. Ballpark guesses are welcome.
 
I've was once asked by the tower at MYR to look for a capsized sailboat on the way in to land on 36. We actual found the thing (from 2500 feet) and did a nice big circle around it (level at 2500 with the autopilot on) until the first CG Helo got there. I think we burned about 500 pounds of gas and the runway was about 5 miles away so it wasn't much of an issue.

Probably a very different story 250 miles from land after a 15 hour flight.
 
6,000 feet at over 270 NM from the airport after a 15hr flight.. Idk maybe its just me but that sounds a little low for a 777 to be flying.
Im not a commercial pilot, so can someone give me a quick overview on how flying that low so far out would affect the fuel reserves on such a long flight? Would they have to climb back to alltitude to continue the flight or fly the 270 miles at 6,000?
 
RICHARD5 said:
What kind of fuel reserves does a 15+ hour flight carry? Does ETOPS address the back end of such a long leg? I imagine the aircraft wouldn't have loitered at all, that they would have made a quick look see to confirm GPS coordinates matched then proceeded to landing. I don't mean to start another thread on ETOPS....just the quickbook summary as pertinent to this flight. Ballpark guesses are welcome.
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ETOPS addresses fuel/alternate planning for 1) Engine failure at the most fuel critical equal time point, followed by driftdown 2) Rapid decompression at the most fuel critical ETP, followed by two-engine cruise at 10,000', and 3) Simultaneous rapid decompression and engine failure at the most fuel critical ETP. This includes planning at all equal time points, so yes, it would be addressed on the back end of an ETOPS flight, past the ETP(s).

Like InlandFlyer said though, they would have already exited the ETOPS segment (they'd be within 60 minutes of a suitable alternate/destination), and the ETOPS fuel planning wouldn't be relevant. If they'd been carrying extra fuel to meet the ETOPS fuel requirements, they may have been fat while coasting in.
 
Dugie8 said:
Isn't fire suppression in there somewhere?
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Not for dispatch fuel planning. I believe that ties into certification for different levels of ETOPS (120, 180, 240, 330), and also ties into required equipment for dispatch.
 
Dugie8 said:
Ahh. Gotcha.
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To add, it's even more than required equipment for dispatch. Even if everything is operating after departure, if certain items malfunction in-flight prior to ETOPS entry (cargo smoke detection, particularly), you can't proceed.

Whoooole buncha stuff.
 
dasleben said:
To add, it's even more than required equipment for dispatch. Even if everything is operating after departure, if certain items malfunction in-flight prior to ETOPS entry (cargo smoke detection, particularly), you can't proceed.

Whoooole buncha stuff.
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It's been so long since I looked at that stuff I have flushed most of it. The fuel planning I remember as easy. It was the other stuff that made my head spin.
 
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