The daughter flew one of two chartered Southwest Airlines 737 from Baltimore to San Francisco a while back.
Her plane left an hour or so earlier and made an "unplanned" (so she says) fuel stop in Omaha, NE, while the other plane flew 'direct'.
I'm hoping (50% chance) you might have insight into this with your past 737 FO transponder reply light monitoring experience. The fuel stop seems strange to me.
I think weather may have been strange that day with extra-strong headwinds- the routes seemed to be pretty far North.
I guess it could have been a "miscalculation/winds-stronger-than-expected" (that cut into the normal, robust safety buffer), and they detected it early and Omaha was the "closest/bestest" spot to get some fuel...and the other plane got word to put more fuel on before departure?
(Or they could have been different 737 models, or loaded differently, or any number of variables- so much so that Flyboy would declare this an invalid question)
If you have any useful insight like:
-Yeah, fuel can be tight flying coast to coast in a full 737.
-Yeah, Omaha has REALLY cheap jet fuel (southwest buys it from Union Pacific's locomotive supply tanks) and it's right on the way to San Fran.
-The pilot probably knew better than to use the Lav and risk getting locked out of the cockpit, but needed a biobreak
...it would be appreciated, as usual.
FAO: Dummy Pilot. Range of a B737-352J
Moderators: el, ZeroAltitude, flyboy2548m
FAO: Dummy Pilot. Range of a B737-352J
Commercial Pilot, Vandelay Industries, Inc., Plant Nutrient Division.
- flyboy2548m
- Posts: 4391
- Joined: Sat Feb 02, 2008 12:32 am
- Location: Ormond Beach, FL
Re: FAO: Dummy Pilot. Range of a B737-352J
Indeed.(Or they could have been different 737 models, or loaded differently, or any number of variables- so much so that Flyboy would declare this an invalid question)
"Lav sinks on 737 Max are too small"
-TeeVee, one of America's finest legal minds.
-TeeVee, one of America's finest legal minds.
Re: FAO: Dummy Pilot. Range of a B737-352J
It is possible they had an MEL item that caused a higher than normal fuel burn, or reduced the quantity allowed.
LOL100% incorrect Ever hear of Ferry Permit? issued for Non airworthy aircraftno such thing as "barely airworthy" it's either Airworthy or Notyou still have to find a crew willing to fly this "barely airworthy" heap
Re: FAO: Dummy Pilot. Range of a B737-352J
Thanks, Glen.
And indeed, there are a million reasons as to why they might have stopped.
I was just after a shred of insight (as quoted above).
Is coast to coast a tiny bit of a challenge in 'typical' 737's and a headwind?
Is there something special about Omaha for a fuel stop? I guess maybe it's not super duper busy and might indeed offer quick, cheap service?
I know if Flyboy's somewhat valid disdain for wide-open questions.1) Yeah, fuel can be tight flying coast to coast in a full 737.
2) Omaha has REALLY cheap jet fuel (southwest buys it from Union Pacific's locomotive supply tanks) and it's right on the way to San Fran.
And indeed, there are a million reasons as to why they might have stopped.
I was just after a shred of insight (as quoted above).
Is coast to coast a tiny bit of a challenge in 'typical' 737's and a headwind?
Is there something special about Omaha for a fuel stop? I guess maybe it's not super duper busy and might indeed offer quick, cheap service?
Commercial Pilot, Vandelay Industries, Inc., Plant Nutrient Division.
Re: FAO: Dummy Pilot. Range of a B737-352J
The model of plane is quite possibly the explanation.
The bulk of Southwest's fleet is of two series: the 737-300 and the 737-700.
Per Wikipedia the range of the -300 is 4,200–4,440 km, and the range of the -700 is 5,650–10,200 km.
The straight-line distance from BWI to SFO is 3940 km, the route following airways pretty much has to be a bit farther. So it's very close to the max range of the -300, but well within the range of the -700.
The bulk of Southwest's fleet is of two series: the 737-300 and the 737-700.
Per Wikipedia the range of the -300 is 4,200–4,440 km, and the range of the -700 is 5,650–10,200 km.
The straight-line distance from BWI to SFO is 3940 km, the route following airways pretty much has to be a bit farther. So it's very close to the max range of the -300, but well within the range of the -700.
HR consultant, Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems, Inc.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests