Executive Tantrum Over Pilots Salary

 

If JetBlue isn't ETOPS certified how can they fly from JFK to Aruba?

 

ETOPS is not the same as extended overwater ops. Common misconception.

 

Right. And to take it further, many people think ETOPS applies to over water when it ALSO applies to overland.

Hence me asking for the land jokes earlier

 

I wasn't aware of the difference, thanks for telling me! What are the differences better ETOPS and extended overwater ops? Can a flight fall under both ETOPS and extended overwater ops?

 

ETOPS = Extended Range Twin Engine Ops Performance Standards
Extended Overwater means more fancy equipment (i.e. Rafts, vests, crew training)

For ETOPS, it has to do with being so far from a suitable alternate airport in the event an issue arises.
ETOPS time frames vary from 75 mins to 240+ mins.
I.e....over the Pacific you could be 270 mins away from a suitable alternate or over Siberia (land) you could be 210 mins away from a suitable alternate.

I believe the 787 is ETOPS 330

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text...-P_to_part_121

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ETOPS

 

Africa is a big one too.

Good grief, imagine 5.5 hours from nearest suitable/equipped on ONE ENGINE

At least on a fighter drag, the other guys and the tanker get to see you go down

 

Thanks for the explanation! So am I correct in assuming that a flight can be both ETOPS and extended overwater? Like a Transatlantic or Transpacific flight?

 

If you're on an ETOPS flight and you're over the Atlantic or Pacific, then you would have to be extended overwater (which is simply greater than 50 miles from shore). ETOPS certification requires aircraft equipment that meets or exceeds the extended overwater requirements, so it's sort of a moot point. If you're on an ETOPS flight, the extended overwater ops is already covered.

However, there are many flights with extended overwater that don't involve ETOPS. Cutting across the Gulf of Alaska between ANC and the US west coast. ANC to Asia on the NOPAC routes proximate to Russian airfields or even NAT tracks that are far enough north to be close to Gander, KEF or maybe Greenland.

Unless your fleet has a mix of overwater and non-overwater birds (which has bitten some flying to ANC from California), there's not much to the extended overwater ops.

 

Thanks for explaining it sir!

So the JetBlue flight from JFK to Aruba never exceed 50 miles from shore?