Flight Times.

Nigel H-J · Post by **Nigel H-J** » 11 May 2006, 13:35

In trying to create realistic flights mainly of one to two hour durations and flying locally, UK and Europe, some of my flights appear to take longer than those of people that I have spoken to when they have flown for real.
Say from Stanstead to Amsterdam has taken roughly 45 - 50 minutes whereas I was told the actual flight time from roll to landing was in the region on 35 minutes.

Does anyone know where I could get information of flight durations from actual take-off to landing at major airports within the UK and Europe? i.e. Stanstead- East Midlands etc.

Many thanks Nigel.

Jetset · Post by **Jetset** » 11 May 2006, 23:09

I guess it really depends on real flight plans, atc giving aircraft direct routes if not busy, the types of aircraft flying the routes, the weather e.g. winds enroute. So don't beat yourself up mate, each flight in the real world can be of different duration on each sector.

If trying to find departure and arrival times, look at the airline websites that produce timetables, that should give you a very rough idea.

LongHaul · Post by **LongHaul** » 12 May 2006, 02:52

I have always wondered about this. If I'm flying a real-world flight to timetable, I will always start the flight 5mins before tabled departure so I can start up etc. Having said that, I have also found that the leg speeds given by the FS flight planner are sometimes either unachievable, or far too slow. The HJG DC-8-71/73 is particularly susceptible to this, the speed planned is always 250kts GS, even though the a/c is capable of far more. In such cases, I usually fly to a much higher speed, and leave flight planner to it's own devices

Post by **Garry Russell** » 12 May 2006, 02:55

I have flown some FS routes on routes I have flown real world

FS is always much longer, but it never takes the proper route and that alone takes time.

For some reason it sends me all over the place both on flight plan and by ATC in the air.

Even if I do fly direct without ATC it takes longer.

Garry

LongHaul · Post by **LongHaul** » 12 May 2006, 03:10

Yeah, any tranatlantic route seems to involve a ruddy great circle round Alaska! :roll:

I always manually re-route the plan, it's almost certainly inaacurate, but seems to match the timetable times for pond-hopping!

Charlie Bravo · Post by **Charlie Bravo** » 12 May 2006, 04:16

I find that hard to believe.... after all it is "as real as it gets"

DispatchDragon · Post by **DispatchDragon** » 12 May 2006, 05:47

Long Haul

If you would like some NON NAT track routes across the pond I can gladly supply real world routings

Leif

Jetset · Post by **Jetset** » 12 May 2006, 09:00

Go for it chaps, you know the info will be accurate coming from our very own Leif!

360shed · Post by **360shed** » 12 May 2006, 09:04

Nigel,

I just ran a few plans STN-EMA to see how they came out. Flight time on an F27 still-air on a "semi-airway" route via BUZAD and HON was 35 min, 32 min for an ATR42 and 25 min for a 737-300. What tends to happen in reality is that ATC will give direct routings which throw the planned plog times out of the window. We have one UK route in particular on which time and traffic conditions mean the guys first delay departure and then slow down enroute because ATC direct routings mean that we'd arrive at destination 5 or 10 minutes before the airport actually opens. On turboprops 5 mins for start and taxy, and 5 mins on arrival are good for overall block time planning, unless you're at a major airport where you can just start adding!

Has anyone got 748-2A enroute perf data that I can use to throw into our system? I have Skyways Srs1 checklists and perf and a Dan-Air 2A Flight Manual, but not the climb,cruise,descent data to build a planning file. If I can get the data I'd be happy to run off the odd plog or two for the 748 if anyone wants them - pdf output is a synch. (As I havn't read the manual I hope someone doesn't tell me it's there all along

)

Cheers
Jon

Nigel H-J · Post by **Nigel H-J** » 12 May 2006, 09:36

Thanks guys,

Began to think it was me as on take off kept to the 250 knot limit until FL10 then accelerated to .75mach as my usual cruising speed for fuel economy and just wondered whether that was too slow.

Decided to become a bit more adventurous once and logged a flight from Heathrow to New York, FS worked out the flight plan and guess where it routed me?........................Via Germany then back across the UK for a Trans Atlantic Route!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :sad: :sad:

Gave up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!