LAX From United States, joined Dec 2000, 2290 posts, RR: 3 Posted (7 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 446 times:
Let's see a show of hands (or mouses/mice/meeses).....
How many of you will be on board "Polar Byrd II" (an SAA B744) on November 17 of this year?
It will be an attempt by South African Airways to circumnavigate the Globe, from one pole to the other.....via JFK...Rio Gallegos...Perth...Beijing...then back to JFK.
Estimated time for this amazing excursion is 51 hrs., 11 minutes.
Current record is 54 hrs., 7 min., 12 seconds ....... by a Pan Am Boeing 747SP aircraft.
It'll only cost you a mere $14,495 (US) for a "Premium 1st Class" ticket. These seats feature a fully-reclining sleeper bed.
If you insist upon being a cheapskate, you can go Economy, for a paltry $7,495 (US)! With this ticket, you get 1 meal and 1 snack (but headphones are extra).
This info has been on the back cover of "Airways" magazine for the last several issues.
Sounds exciting! I hope they break the record! SAA says they'll break it by 3 hours! So, they've got a little breathing room for some delays.
Who thinks they'll break it??
You'll be travelling for 51 hours on a beauty just like one of these..........................................
LAX From United States, joined Dec 2000, 2290 posts, RR: 3 Reply 5, posted (7 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 340 times:
Some additional interesting data.......................
Polar Byrd II Flight Background......................
On November 17-19, 2001, a specially chartered South African Airways Boeing 747-444 operated by Concorde Spirit Tours will fly from New York / JFK to Rio Gallegos, Argentina / RGL; then continue over the South Pole to Perth, Australia / PER; then continue on to Beijing, China / PEK; then over Russian airspace en route to the North Pole; then back to New York / JFK. This flight will attempt to break the old record set on October 28-30, 1977 by 2 hours 56 minutes. This will be only the fourth time in history that a commercial jet aircraft has crossed Antarctica. There will be approximately 237 passengers on the flight of "POLAR BYRD II", including Lt. General Thomas P. Stafford, USAF (Ret.), who was the APOLLO X and APOLLO-SOYUZ mission commander. General Stafford holds the all-time world air speed record for circumnavigating the Earth in a spacecraft--APOLLO X--at 24,791.4 miles per hour. General Stafford will be hosting the flight.
Capt.Picard From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (7 years 7 months 2 weeks 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 307 times:
LAX,
Indeed I would thoroughly relish the exprience of being able to crew one of these flights....but I have quite a way to go before I am even able to fly commercially!
My guess is that 4 aircrew would be rostered, per segment (2 crew + 2 relief), making a total of 16, plus perhaps an extra 2-4 as backup. Just a wild guess.
USAFHummer From United States, joined May 2000, 10685 posts, RR: 56 Reply 15, posted (7 years 7 months 2 weeks 1 day 9 hours ago) and read 221 times:
AIRLINERS.NET CREW CHAT OPERATOR
I think SAA has nothing to do with this...they are merely supplying the aircraft and crews, but I dont think they came up with the idea...its just a charter...the flight isnt even going to South Africa...for all I know they could have chartered a 744 from UA or BA or SQ for example...
Just my $ .02. (only $7499.98 to go)
Greg
Chief A.net college football stadium self-pic guru
RayChuang From United States, joined Jun 2000, 6899 posts, RR: 6 Reply 20, posted (7 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 176 times:
I think SA will probably break the record.
But with the 8,000-plus nautical mile range of the 777-200LR and A345, wanna bet that either Boeing or Airbus will try to break this record again since it will need even less stops?
RayChuang From United States, joined Jun 2000, 6899 posts, RR: 6 Reply 23, posted (7 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 145 times:
ILOVEA340,
I think Airbus might just try to break that record with the A345 prototype probably in 2003. With a smaller passenger load and substitute that for extra fuel, the A345 might be able to fly 9,200-9,300 nautical miles before a fuel stop, which means it might be able to fly the route that SA will attempt but with very likely one or two fewer fuel stops.
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