Where do they land?

Aviation Notable Activity
1

I’ve been pondering this question for a while and here it goes. When American airliners by Airbus planes or European/Asian countries buy Boeing planes, what airports do the manufactures fly the short distance planes into, (i.e. 737,A319, A320, A321)? What are the routes Airbus takes and what are the routes Boeing take?

Can those planes make it trans-Atlantic non-stop empty of all unnecessary weight? I’m sure Boeing planes fly to Japan or China via Ted Stevens. If anyone knows how exactly they do it, please explain.

I’m also wondering if Lockheed Connie’s can fly non-stop trans-Atlantic from New York to London or Amsterdam?

2

They fly either nonstop or via Keflavik, Iceland. Usually they would use extreme western Europe departure points (e.g. Shannon or Glasgow) and extreme eastern North American points for arrivals (e.g. Goose Bay, Gander).

3

Yes.

They used to fly LAX to Paris nonstop! And LHR to SFO!

4

That must of been a long flight on a Connie. LAX-Paris or LHR.

5

The flights would take as long as 24-26 hours, depending on the winds. Frobisher Bay in Canada was a common refueling place for them.

6

Gander, Newfoundland, not Frobisher and not for the Connies.

7

For West Coast flights, it was Frobisher. Gander was used for East Coast flights.

8

That must have been a miserable place to get into in the wintertime, what was their alternate?

9

I imagine Winnipeg would be an alternate.

Frobisher was built as an Air Force refueling base during WWII. A recent issue of either Airways or Airlners has a good article on the airport. It is also used for emergency landings today. In keeping with Canadian policy, the name has been changed to Iqaluit. Wikipedia has an article on it. Also see this.

10

I’m familiar with the part that Frobisher played during WWII with ferrying aircraft overseas, as well as the fact that it was a major DEW Line facility after the war, I just hadn’t realized it played any part in commercial transatlantic passages during the early postwar era.

Thanks for the “linkies”.

11

What about much smaller aircraft in Hawaii?

How would a small Cessna 172 get to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland?

12

They strip out the interior and put in ferry tanks for the very long flight.

They also make landfall at Hilo because it is marginally closer to the mainland than the other airports.

13

They retofit Cessna’s with fuel tanks for the Oceanic crosings. For example, a Cessna 172/82 destined for Europe first stops in Bangor for the fuel tanks, flies on to St. John’s NL and then on to the Azores.

Air India frequently flies new 737-800’s from Washington State to Gander and then on to Birmingham.

Goose Bay and Gander were " the " stops in the 1940’s and 50’s for piston plane before staging through Greenland and Iceland to Ireland or England ( hopping the pond ). Advent of Jet travel made Gander the last stop before crossing to Europe. Today, only heavy cargo / pax or corporate use Gander or Goose Bay, as most equipment can make non-stop oceanic flights direct from mid-America to continential Europe.

Iqauit was used primarily for the refueling of Military cargo / supply flights that served the DEW and Mid-Canada Line early warning radar system. Pine Tree Line was further south. Though Iqaluit was developed as a fueling base, most WWII air traffic staged through Goose Bay or Gander.

Botwood NL on the north east coast of the island was the last stop for seaplanes of the 1930’s before they made thier hop across the pond.