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ETOPS ("Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim") flight plans are routed so that an airport can be reached with a single operational engine in so-and-so many minutes.
by rzzzt 6y ago
ETOPS ("Engines Turn Or Passengers Swim") flight plans are routed so that an airport can be reached with a single operational engine in so-and-so many minutes. If both engines are out, it's going to be a water landing: https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/etops-plane-abbreviation https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/etops-pla...
- mulmen 6y agoIt's not going to be a water landing in Colorado. ETOPS is "Extended Twin OPerationS". It doesn't have anything to do with water. It has to do with range from an alternate airport when flying twin engine aircraft. The terminology has been updated to EDTO (Extended Diversion Time Operations) to apply the guidance to four engine planes like the 747-8.
- jhayward 6y agoAnd the most recent ETOPS rating I've seen for a 777-300ER was 330 minutes. Almost 6 hours.
- jeffbee 6y agoIf an aircraft can fly for 6 hours on one engine, why can’t it fly indefinitely on one engine?
- ceejayoz 6y agoWell, it'll run out of fuel at some point. The longest route in the world is Singapore to Newark, 18.5 hours, so six isn't gonna get you there, but it'll get you to a safe landing. Finally, we have two engines (in part) so you can safely lose one. Losing one engine when you've only got one is a substantially more significant emergency.
- newsclues 6y agoSpeed, fuel economy and redundancy
- jandrese 6y agoIt can’t take off from a standstill with a full load of fuel and passengers with only one engine. Level (or slowly descending) flight doesn’t needs as much power. If you normally cruise with two engines at 50% going to one engine at 100% isn’t such a stretch.
- astrea 6y agoI'm sure you could get along fine with a single leg, why bother with two?
- jeffbee 6y agoI’m not rated for a specific interval with only one leg, though. I’d really like to know how an aircraft gets certified for six hours and not, say, six and a half.
- chipsa 6y agoProof of the required reliability, basically. Both showing that you've done it at a lower certification level, and actually doing demonstration flights where you run around with only one engine. Certification authorities check and make sure the required reliability is available (because having your second engine fail 5 1/2 hours from the nearest diversion airport sucks). ICAO conveniently has some info: https://www.icao.int/SAM/Documents/2014-EDTO/EDTO%20Module%20%204%20%E2%80%93%20Aircraft%20certification%20considerations.pdf https://www.icao.int/SAM/Documents/2014-EDTO/EDTO%20Module%2...