Originally Posted by
Crown
so TOE used to just be to the European mainland/islands?
The whole purpose of TOE was to gain exposure to the NATs. The best scenario was to get a flight that transited both Gander and Shanwick OCAs because it was the most 'difficult' handoff due to the HF component. OF course if you did it from ATL, you were in the rack well before track entry. That wasn't the only reason. You clowns (joking) don't know how easy it is now. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth we had to do post position plots and make an HF position report every 10 degrees of longitude. At least we didn't carry navigators and do cel shots. Of course Big Brother wasn't watching your MCP so you could get away with a little ziggy around a thunderstorm. Now you BETTER tell them or get violated. Of course Lindbergh didn't have to talk to anybody. Actually the history of Trans Oceanic flight is pretty fascinating.
It is getting 'easier' in the tracks due to communication and GPS. I will bet within the next 5 to 10 years it won't be any different than a domestic flight.