Record transatlatic flights today?

errlloyd · 09-12-2021 3:16pm #1

I think today there may have been some very fast or record transatlantic flights.

I was on UA23 and did New York to Dublin in 4:57 which felt pretty fast, we had more than 200kmph tailwind for most of the journey. It looks like Aer Lingus EI132 did Boston to Dublin in 4:42. According to this article (https://extra.ie/2020/02/11/news/irish-news/aer-lingus-storm-ciara) 4:48 was the previous Boston record. Curious if anyone who has a better flightradar account than me knows if these are exceptional or not!

Gaoth Laidir · 09-12-2021 3:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058222078/record-transatlatic-flights-today

Flightradar24 has the flight time as 4h57m, and playing it back confirms it. Took off at 01:40UTC and landed at 06:37UTC. It also took off from Runway 04L, which means it was already heading in the right direction, not needing to spend a few minutes flying in the wrong direction.

United Airlines flight UA23 - Flightradar24

EDIT: I misread the original post. You were talking about the EI flight...

errlloyd · 09-12-2021 3:58pm

Well actually I think both were potentially records for their commercial routes! (I was on UA23).

The logic is that if the conditions were right for EI132 to break the Boston to Dublin record that was reported in 2020, then the conditions were probably right for UA23 to break the New York to Dublin record. Lost all of that efficiency sitting on the outer aprons in Dublin airport because various taxiways were closed, but still pretty cool to fly EWR to DUB in sub 5.

Noxegon · 09-12-2021 7:47pm

Doesn't quite beat JFK-LHR in 2 hr 52 min 59 sec :)

basill · 13-12-2021 12:25pm

As Nox is saying...These aren't records. No more or less impressive than Qantas planning ultra long haul flights with its Dreamliners during the favourable months of the year to snag a record with wings full of fuel and a few journalists along for the ride. Until we get back to supersonic or better still launch up to the outer edge of space and then drop down on the other side of the world there are no real advances being made.

errlloyd · 13-12-2021 2:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118313913#Comment_118313913

That was clearly not what I was saying. This wasn't about technology. The plane isn't particularly fast. No one is celebrating with a grand arrival with reporters and flashbulbs. This was merely about exceptional wind on a specific route and all I was asking was whether there was any source to verify it.

EchoIndia · 13-12-2021 5:03pm

This is worth a read - 4h57m on an Aer Lingus delivery flight New York-Shannon in 1960, so maybe the sort of flight times being cited nowadays are not that exceptional.. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irishman-s-diary-1.205423

goingnowhere · 13-12-2021 6:27pm

I can recall a 4:30 ish Boston to Dublin (landing on 16 so about as tight as possible on distance) 14 December 2015, we were 3 hours late out of Boston due weather and we really moved eager to get to Dublin, doubt the question of fuel economy was at play. Nothing else in the BOS area we were the only aircraft on the taxiways so clean unrestricted departure

There was a storm over the Atlantic at the time

EchoIndia · 14-12-2021 9:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118316253#Comment_118316253

North Atlantic crossing clearances include a prescribed cruising Mach number so no opportunity, for that portion of the flight, to fly faster than permitted, I would say.

goingnowhere · 14-12-2021 11:13pm

But you can make a request en route via CPDLC to to change alt or mach number. The tail wind was really pushing us along

HTCOne · 14-12-2021 11:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118322452#Comment_118322452

With OWAFS (operations without assigned fixed speed). you can vary by +/- .019 from your originally cleared speed without clearance. Something like 70% of of flights get it nowadays.

Anyone remember the cruising speeds of the EI 707s and 747-100s? I've only ever had CFM 707s and more modern 747s in my sector. A330 is pretty slow by widebody standards nowadays obviously, and in comparison to vintage 3 and 4 holers.

EchoIndia · 15-12-2021 9:08am

Not specific to Aer Lingus but I would put the 707 at 0.80 and 747 at 0.84. No doubt they were capable of more but these were the most common, by my recollection.

HTCOne · 15-12-2021 9:43am

From the top of my head the fastest I recall having an A330 was .83, I’ve had both 747s and 787s at .90 in emergencies. 747, 787, A350, A380 all cruise around .85, 777 more like .84 or .85, A330 around .81. But then on the other hand you have the Neos and Maxes coming off/heading on the NAT at .76/77 to get the range they need. Speeds in the widebodies and biz jets going one way, narrowbodies the other.

Anyway my and meandering point is the A330s have a speed disadvantage versus the UA, AA 787s when it comes to TATL records into DUB.

Record transatlatic flights today?

Comments