Ask The Pilot

[MathNerd]

No. It's one hour more than on the timetable. The flight plan is redone for every flight and the actual timing will vary.

It's difficult to say without seeing their actual flight plan. Do they normally take off at max take off weight, or is there some margin? How much fuel to they normally plan on arriving with? NYC was one of those places where I carried much more than usual ('cos US ATC was so unreliable) but that will give them margin for a longer flight as well. Aircraft are very often stretched right to the limit, on much shorter routes, because they're loaded up with cargo. And by the same token, I recall flying out of DFW, on a normally very limiting route, with almost 20 tonnes of unused weight. The limits are quite variable, and you need to see all of the parameters to be able to work it out.

Thanks @jb747. Always a wealth of info in your posts.
Lots of variables to consider in these long flights, I'm sure QF would be gathering as much data as possible from SQ's ULR routes to help them plan for their Project Sunrise flights (if SQ is willing to help QF dethrone them that is)...

 

[jb747]

Lots of variables to consider in these long flights, I'm sure QF would be gathering as much data as possible from SQ's ULR routes to help them plan for their Project Sunrise flights (if SQ is willing to help QF dethrone them that is)...

They might watch, but unless the aircraft are identical, there's not a great deal to be learnt. QF has long experience of operating aircraft to their range limits, so I'm sure the flight planning department will be well ahead of the game. I think the biggest issue will be ATC, not just in the USA but here as well. These ops almost require a bit of 'special' treatment, and that is unlikely to be forthcoming (for a number of reasons).