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  #11  
Old 26th November 2008, 11:01 AM
Jack B Jack B is offline
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I believe Wunala went to BA today
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  #12  
Old 26th November 2008, 10:39 PM
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Grahame Hutchison Grahame Hutchison is offline
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VH-OEJ QF0017 26/11/2008 11:29 Qantas B747-438(ER) Sydney-Buenos Aires
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  #13  
Old 27th November 2008, 05:13 PM
Sarah C Sarah C is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grahame Hutchison View Post
VH-OEJ QF0017 26/11/2008 11:29 Qantas B747-438(ER) Sydney-Buenos Aires
Just touched down on the return flight.
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  #14  
Old 29th November 2008, 09:53 AM
Will T Will T is offline
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Well, this trip was certainly the highlight of my (short) time in QF!

Amsy's asked me to speak about it on the February weekend, so I won't bore you with the full blow-by-blow trip report just now.

But here are the plan details:

--------------

QF17 YSSY-SAEZ 24/11/8 (Inaugural Service)

Out 0045z
Off 0058z
On 1247z
In 1257z

VH-OEI 747-438ER
Planned TOW 380.7 LW 250.5
Flight Time 11:51

Route:



YSSY..
OPTIC
TONIM (via Y84)
S44 E160
S45 E160
S48 E163
S50 E165
S55 E170
S58 E175
S60 E180
S61 W175
S62 W170
S63 W165
S63 W160
S63 W155
S63 W150
S63 W145
S63 W140
S63 W135
S63 W131
S62 W125
S61 W120
S60 W115
S59 W110
S58 W105
S56 W100
S54 W95
S52 W90
S49 W85
S47 W82
S46 W080
S43 W75
MON
BAR (via UB682)
BODIR (via UW68)
EZE
SAEZ

(Dist 6566nm)
Overall Wind Component - 71 kts tailwind

Departed SYD 16R KAMPI 1
Arrived EZE ILS 11 via dct ARSOT

The route as plotted on our Jeppesen South Pole Plotting Chart...
http://yssyforum.net/will/sydeze/1.JPG

About to make landfall near Puerto Montt, Chile after a very lengthy ocean passage.
http://yssyforum.net/will/sydeze/2.JPG

Crossing the southern Andes range
http://yssyforum.net/will/sydeze/3.JPG

Final approach to runway 11 at Buenos Aires Ezeiza Intl
http://yssyforum.net/will/sydeze/4.JPG

Arriving at the old terminal at Ezeiza Intl
http://yssyforum.net/will/sydeze/5.JPG

----------

QF18 SAEZ-YSSY 26/11/8 (Second service)

Out 1710z
Off 1726z
On 0709z
In 0721z

VH-OEJ 747-438ER
Planned TOW 374.8 LW 229.9
Flight Time 13:49

Route:



SAEZ
GBE
VIE (via UA570)
GAL (via UT109)
NAS (via UA570)
S55 W75
S60 W80
S65 W85
S71 W90
S72 W95
S72 W100
S72 W105
S72 W110
S72 W115
S72 W120
S72 W125
S72 W130
S72 W131
S72 W135
S72 W140
S72 W145
S72 W150
S71 W155
S70 W160
S69 W165
S68 W170
S66 W175
S64 E180
S61 E175
S56 E170
S50 E165
S48 08 E163
S45 E160
TONIM
SHARK
SY (via N774)
YSSY

(Dist 6571nm)
Overall Wind Component - 11 kts headwind

Departed EZE 11 via Belgrano
Arrived SYD IVA 34L

(Note the deep south latitudes on this sector. Being handed over to McMurdo Centre ('Mac Centre') on HF was certainly a highlight).

Ice everywhere
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/1.JPG

Flying over Thurston Island and Cape Flying Fish, part of continental Antarctica. Note the green terrain shading selected on the ND.
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/2.JPG

The return route plotted on our South Pole chart. Much further south than the first leg.
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/3.JPG

More ice:
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/4.JPG

Melting ice at the very edge of the Antarctic ice pack. Next stop, Terra Australis!
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/5.JPG

About to pass by Invercargill, NZ, our main alternate in this direction.
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/6.JPG

-----

Anyway, that's the nuts and bolts of it. Feel free to ask any questions, and I'll go through it all in more detail (and with many more photos) at the Spotting Weekend dinner.
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  #15  
Old 29th November 2008, 10:35 AM
Will T Will T is offline
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To answer some of the questions above (I missed them earlier):

- It's a 744ER-only route. Not sure why the initial allocation showed as OED.

- Ops are currently limited to a maximum of 72 deg South, which provides a small buffer against overflying Antarctica proper (save for the low-lying cape/island we overflew). Going further south entails similar considerations to our Antarctic charter flights (eg. Polar survival equipment, which requires the removal of a number of seat rows). An analysis is currently being undertaken by QF on the concept of going to 80 deg South, which would allow westbound flights to take advantage of significant tailwinds there. Going down to 80S (versus staying further north) can make the difference between an overall wind component of 40kts headwind and 10kts tailwind.

- Takeoffs out of Buenos Aires are likely to be somewhat limited in the summer months by the short runway. OAT for our departure was 34 deg, and this necessitated the use of a Packs Off procedure, which is something we regularly do out of JNB (and I believe is also a standard Airbus operating procedure).
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  #16  
Old 29th November 2008, 11:10 AM
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Montague S Montague S is offline
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awesome report, thanks Will. what's packs off for those of us not in the know? and roughly how long does it take get as far down 63S on the outbound from SYD?
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  #17  
Old 29th November 2008, 11:38 AM
Rhys Xanthis Rhys Xanthis is offline
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thanks very much for the report will; it looks like an amazing flight to do!

I'd also like to know what packs off means please!
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  #18  
Old 29th November 2008, 11:43 AM
Radi K Radi K is offline
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Just awesome Will, what a trip!
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  #19  
Old 29th November 2008, 01:43 PM
Will T Will T is offline
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Thanks guys!

And sorry, I should've explained the 'Packs Off' procedure. Basically, pressurisation and air conditioning (cooling and drying) of the cabin air is accomplished by three separate and independent 'Packs'.

Hot, high pressure bleed air extracted from the compressors of each engine is sent to the packs where it is cooled (via a heat exchanger fed from those ducts you see near the wing root) and dried (centrifugally) and then fed to the cabin air conditioning system. Outflow valves at the rear of the aeroplane allow a certain amount of this pack air to escape overboard at a controlled rate, so that the cabin doesn't end up over-pressurising. By controlling the rate at which the air is allowed to escape overboard, the pressurisation system can therefore control the cabin altitude.

Anyway, when the engines are rotating at their maximum speed (ie. at takeoff), a certain amount of air flowing through them is diverted to run the packs, rather than providing useful thrust for takeoff. So, a 'Packs Off' procedure involves turning all three packs off for the takeoff roll and initial climb, and so allowing all of the engine airflow to be used for thrust. The packs are then switched on by 3000ft AGL. On the 744, we only really use this procedure when our normal, 'Packs On' takeoff configuration doesn't provide enough thrust to lift the payload. Generally, this is the case at JNB where the high airport altitude (low density air) and high airport temperatures conspire to limit many of our takeoffs.

Mont, unfortunately I didn't keep our nav log (this has to go to the QF archival department ), but I was surprised at just how quickly we got down there. We also had a roaring tailwind (courtesy of a jetstream) all the way down there, in the range 100-130kt. Plugging a groundspeed of 610kts into Great Circle mapper gives an ETI of around 4 hours from YSSY to S63, and that seems about right.

Obviously hundreds and hundreds of photos were taken. I'll put up a few more ones from the flight deck this afternoon once I've gone through them.
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  #20  
Old 29th November 2008, 02:23 PM
Will T Will T is offline
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A few more piccies:

QF17 SYD-EZE

We logged 3 hours of night on this sector, but this was as 'night' as it got. Photo taken looking due south towards the pole, from 63S.
http://yssyforum.net/will/sydeze/6.JPG

Forward-looking view of the same:
http://yssyforum.net/will/sydeze/7.JPG

QF18 EZE-SYD

Sunlight reflecting from the water in between ice sheets.
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/7.JPG

Still more ice (it was around this time that ice creams were delivered to the flight deck from the Economy Class galley)...
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/8.JPG

Amundsen Sea
http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/9.JPG

http://yssyforum.net/will/ezesyd/10.JPG
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