Often fondly referred to by pilots as ‘across the pond’ they are talking about flying across the North Atlantic between North America and Europe. Flying across the pond for the first time can be a daunting prospect. Being out of radar coverage, powerful weather systems and sometimes freezing surface temperatures are enough to make any pilot think twice before a flight.
To help pilots plan their first trip across the pond, RocketRoute together with the experienced team including one who has more than 50 years of experience flying internationally, has put together the Fact Sheet containing useful help, advice, and tips to plan and make your flight safer.
What is "The Pond"?
How far is it?
A common misconception is the area of that “vast expanse of water” with the certain fear that for some inexplicable reason, the aircraft knows it is flying over that “vast expanse of water” and the engine or engines go into “auto rough mode” as soon as you cross the coast!
Let’s use a flight from KTEB - Teterboro (USA) to EGLF - Farnborough (UK) as an example.
The good news is that it is only 797 nms from CYQX - St. Johns in Newfoundland to BGBW - Narssarsuaq in Greenland and another 650 nms to BIKF - Keflavik in Iceland. Keflavik to EGPK- Prestwick in Scotland is 741 nms. Usually well within the capabilities of the majority of light twins or even singles! If you do have range to go nonstop then it is a mere 1716 nms from CYQX Gander to EINN-Shannon in Ireland. So depending on your requirements and capabilities, it might be well worth exploring your aircraft’s long-range, max-range, and normal cruise performance to get there.
The weather
The time of year is another very important feature to be aware of as the winds over the Pond can be very strong and either useful or dreadful. More than 200kts from the West is not uncommon and even at 10,000 ft or Flight Level 100, they can often be more than 80 kts! Typically the strong Westerly jet streams flow from about October to the end of March with the remaining months producing a predominantly westerly but with some fairly strong east and Northeasterly winds too.
Required documents
Then comes the bureaucracy which we endure more and more these days… Do you and your passengers hold all the necessary travel documents? Are Customs and Immigration facilities available and open at your planned time of arrival? Have you secured a fuel release or made arrangements for refueling at all your likely airports? Have you checked and booked accommodation as required? And the list goes on! Some more good news… Some very reliable companies will do almost everything for you and take the pressure. RocketRoute is one!
Technical aspects
Survival Equipment
Having decided on dates, aircraft type, and performance, one comes to the more detailed and in some cases technical aspects of this venture.
Several hours over this vast expanse of water immediately casts one’s thoughts to survival! The average non-commercial aircraft does not come with maritime survival kits let alone dinghies and immersion suits etc. These products can be sourced from several companies specializing in this aspect and are usually available for short-term hire or even purchase. A 406 MHz Satellite E.P.I.R.B. is also very very good to have with you. You can arrange to pick these items up at many of the coastal airports.
More good news is that long-term survival in the North Atlantic is all but forgotten these days due to excellent communications and the amount of traffic flying the route.
Enroute airports
A careful appraisal of the various airports and their available facilities is a must, once again depending on the time of year you intend to travel. In the winter months ground temperatures in some of the more northern airports are extremely low with unusually large deposits of snow and ice. The only sensible solution if you intend to spend any time at all at any of these is to secure hangarage if it is available and maybe even sleep with your aircraft battery in the hotel! We have reviewed some as shown by this symbol ☑ on the chart below.
The flight
‘Howgoesit’
When flying the chosen route it goes without saying that a careful constant check on all parameters in the aircraft and its performance should be monitored. Early detection of any anomaly will offer more time to make the right decision. In the “good Old days,” it was called a “HOWGOESIT”. RocketRoute’s navigational log can be set to list positions every 5 degrees of longitude so that a careful check of fuel consumption can be made.
One might well consider using ETOPS planning to give you confidence that in the event of an emergency en route, you can select and reach a suitable diversionary airport. In RocketRoute, the circles shown in our example above display 120-minute engine outdistances for this particular aircraft. Even if your aircraft is not required to comply with ETOPS it is nevertheless comforting to see what you are capable of achieving. The chart below shows that all parts of the planned route are within the 120-minute capability of this aircraft.
Diversionary airports
The chart below marks some of the most commonly used diversionary airports across the pond.
Miscellaneous
Arriving in European airspace for the first time is quite different in many ways from the USA. For example, be very careful with your altimeter settings remembering that the Transition altitude of 18,000ft is no longer the case in Europe! Transition altitudes and Transition Levels vary from airport to airport and quite often are as low as 6000 ft as it is at EGLF Farnborough - our chosen destination. The radiotelephony can also be quite unusual what with accents and local procedures.
Fuel
Fill up Air BP before you go to Teterboro and Air BP is once again readily available from Shannon eastwards. RocketRoute can facilitate all your refueling requirements en route and with Air BP as our worldwide partner, we have you well covered.
RocketRoute’s newly launched International Trip Planning is standing by to support all your needs and our H24 support team is always on hand to solve any of your problems and questions.
For your next International Trip contact sales@rocketroute.com for a FREE no obligation quote.