Bell 430 Around the World Flight 1996
By the Numbers -- A Statistical Overview
(published after flight - very close to flight plan)
| Aircraft: |
Bell 430 - N430Q |
| Duration: |
17 August - 3 September 1996 |
| Course & Direction: |
London to London, Around the World Westbound |
| Pilots: |
Ron Bower and John Williams |
| Record Time: |
17 days, 6 hours, 14 minutes, 25 seconds |
| Distance travelled: |
20,508 nm - 23,600 sm - 37,981 km
(Distances are computed great circle, point-to-point. Deviations due to weather or air
traffic control are not included.) |
| Takeoffs and landings: |
83 |
| Total flight hours: |
165.1 |
| Avg ground speed: |
20,508 nm / 165.1 hrs = 124 kts
23,600 sm / 165.1 hrs = 143 mph
37,981 km / 165.1 hrs = 230 km/hr
|
Definition of a "Flight Day": A daily period beginning at 6 am
local time from first departure point to 6 am local time (next morning) at last landing
point, allowing for only one sunrise, and one sunset. This definition absorbs time zone
crossings and offsets crossing the international date line where a calendar day was lost.
A flight day is a "day" from the crew's view, regardless of GMT.
| Number of flight days: |
16.25 days
(One day was lost crossing international date line.) |
| Avg flight hours / day: |
165.1 hours / 16.25 days = 10.2 hrs / day |
| Avg distance / day: |
20,508 nm / 16.25 = 1262 nm
23,600 sm / 16.25 = 1452 sm
37,981 km / 16.25 = 2337 km |
| Avg flight duty time / day: |
225.2 hours/16.25 = 13.9 hrs
(First takeoff to last landing.) |
| Avg duty time / day: |
263.5/16.25 = 16.2 hrs
(First airport arrival to last airport departure.) |
| Avg landings / day: |
83/16.25 = 5.1 landings |
| Longest one day distance: |
2,263 nm - 2,604 sm - 4,191 km |
| Most one day flight hours: |
16.4 flight hours |
| Most one day landings: |
9 |
| Countries flown over: |
14 |
| U.S. states flown over: |
49 (missed Hawaii) |
| Landings in Russia: |
18 |
| Longest ground time: |
28 hours, 21 minutes in Providenyia, Russia
(Due to bureaucratic and weather related delays) |
The "flight day" averages above include the long 28 hour, 21
minute ground time delay in Providenyia, Russia. Planned ground time there was only one
hour. In effect, the delay cost us over one flight day. From the crew's perspective (how
it felt), the result was an increasing of daily averages due to loss of a flight day. Here
is how it felt taking in to account losing a flight day and using 15.25 "flight
days" instead of 16.25 "days" in the above calculations.
| Number of flight days: |
15.25 days
(Not counting the day lost in Providenyia, Russia.) |
| Avg flight hours / flight day: |
165.1 / 15.25 = 10.8 hrs / day |
| Avg distance / flight day: |
20,508 nm / 15.25 = 1,345 nm / day
23,600 sm / 15.25 = 1,548 sm / day
37,981 km / 15.25 = 2,491 km / day |
| Avg flight duty time / flight day: |
225.2/15.25 = 14.8 hrs |
| Avg duty time / flight day: |
263.5/15.25 =17.3 hrs
(First airport arrival to last airport departure.) |
| Avg landings / flight day: |
83 / 15.25 = 5.4 landings / day |
|