The longest possible US domestic (no passport needed) flight.
Posted by N19DY@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 115 comments
The longest scheduled flight within the United States is the direct flights between Honolulu and Boston, which is cool and all, but I wanted to know what the longest theoretically possible flight within the United States was. I looked it up but couldn't find a definite answer so I did some digging of my own and if my math is correct, it's one of these:
Within the 50 US states, I believe the 2 furthest apart airports are Casco Cove Airport (PAAT) on Attu Island in Alaska, and Florida Keys Marathon airport (KMTH) in Florida at 4775 NM apart. Now, the catch is that Casco Cove is designated as emergency use only, so you couldn't plan to use it.
At 4748 NM from KMTH--and both being public use--is Point Hope Airport (PAPO) in Alaska. So assuming you have an airplane that can take off or land within 4000 feet and fly almost 5000 miles without stopping for a potty break, you're golden! Leave the passport at home.
That is, however, just within the 50 states. Thanks to the powers of imperialism, there are more places US citizens can go outside of those. Enter the US territories.
In regards to the furthest 2 places a US citizen could fly between without bringing their passport, I present to you, with a great circle distance of a whopping 8250NM, Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam (PGUM), and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (TISX) in St. Croix of the Virgin Islands.
unbelver@reddit
Guam is slightly weird, in that you're correct, US Nationals don't need passports to cross immigration, but they still have to cross customs, even when coming from The USA or its territories.
But it's a simple form filled out in advance. Overall your premise still holds.
TexasBrett@reddit
It’s not really any different than the agricultural form you fill out for Hawaii. Just protecting an island ecosystem.
Smartnership@reddit
They don’t do that for all islands.
For example, Long or Staten.
FishDimples@reddit
That really is a mistake. Realistically, Pete Davidson and the like should be required to spend a few days in quarantine before the mix with humans.
Smartnership@reddit
This guy gets it.
TexasBrett@reddit
Neither of those islands are far enough away from the mainland to have completely isolated ecosystems.
Smartnership@reddit
Oh, you took it seriously.
Well then.
dmg_inc@reddit
No different than flying into Hawaii.
Big-Paw-420@reddit
“Ackchyually, you’re correct”
OracleofFl@reddit
How about some airport in Northern Alaska to McMurdo base in Antarctica?
JoshuaStarAuthor@reddit
you've got the right idea, but actually the longest US flight would be from McMurdo base in Antarctica, direct to Tranquility Base in Mare Tranquillitatis on the moon.
N19DY@reddit (OP)
I take back everything I said. This is the correct answer.
Smartnership@reddit
I like the implication of adding the Moon to this whole discussion.
Moonbase Alphamerica
NaiveRevolution9072@reddit
aeiou
Plastic_Brick_1060@reddit
Does NASA built Voyager 1 count? 15 billion miles?
Smartnership@reddit
Declaring Space America, with its intergalactic headquarters on Space Earth
It just makes sense.
bhalter80@reddit
Wait til Thule airbase is a joint use civil airport
nbd9000@reddit
both are misses. you have to clear customs in and out of guam, and returning from the moon.
Kseries2497@reddit
Passport isn't required. Most people use one but you don't need it for domestic flights.
Met76@reddit
That guy is a U-2 pilot lol
Sasquatch-d@reddit
Just gonna ignore the word ‘possible’ in your title?
ComptechNSX@reddit
What about JZRO? 😏
andrewbt@reddit
Was that designated for the little nasa helicopter?
ComptechNSX@reddit
Yep! The official ICAO designation for the cool little Ingenuity helicopter.
memostothefuture@reddit
there are some unelected folks in US gov right now who I'd really like to put onto the first flight there.
old_flying_fart@reddit
"Tranquility Base on the moon"
That's not US soil.
OracleofFl@reddit
You forget who is President. As soon as he is done with Canada and Greenland, the moon and Mars are next.
bhalter80@reddit
They even have tshirts ready to go for mars
JoshuaStarAuthor@reddit
I’ve heard it isn’t even soil
Homer1s@reddit
Idiot, we all know it is cheese.
Smartnership@reddit
American cheese.
It all makes sense.
No-Brilliant9659@reddit
Do you need a passport to go there? No
makgross@reddit
The Apollo 11 crew DID go through customs.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pX7HB7ibMzg3an4YLs6MiW.jpg
IthacanPenny@reddit
It definitely should’ve said “Moon, U.S.A” lol
EvilNalu@reddit
That arguably violates the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.
RealPutin@reddit
I mean, neither is McMurdo.
FearlessAd5528@reddit
Minions! Tonight we [annex] the moon!!!!
OracleofFl@reddit
Since there is no one there to stamp your passport, you don't need one!
BaconCanadian14@reddit
no passport?
rogerdoesnotmeanyes@reddit
McMurdo base is run by the US government, but it’s not US territory, so if we’re being strict here that I don’t think that would count
NullRedditAccount@reddit
but do they require a passport to enter?
RGN_Preacher@reddit
They don’t.
makgross@reddit
They do if you go to the staging base, which everyone does. It’s in Christchurch, NZ.
Azleron@reddit
As someone who’s flown into McMurdo without carrying my passport for the flight, I can confirm that it’s technically not needed.
RGN_Preacher@reddit
You can do a tech stop and never be asked for a passport since you’re not entering the country if you don’t leave the aircraft. It would be stupid to not have a passport though. And you’ve got Argentina and South Africa being used as well.
makgross@reddit
The US Antarctic program main base is in NZ. It’s not a fuel stop.
The_CodeForge@reddit
Barrow, Alaska (PABR) to McMurdo Ice Airfield (NZIR) - 9034 nmi
Fishin_Ad5356@reddit
May not fly straight inside of a curved path? Are they stupid?
fng33025@reddit
Well… well… but if you wanna do it in reverse, you will need your passport to leave TISX…
barbiejet@reddit
This will be flown on a 737 MAx -23
Such-Entrepreneur663@reddit
The MCAS yearns to nose down over the ocean
AIRdomination@reddit
If you’ve ever flown to Guam, you’ll know they ask for passports anyway. Never understood why flights from the US have to go through passport control there.
DivotsAndDividends@reddit
What about STX in the US Virgin Islands? It is the furthest point East you can go in the US.
Pro-editor-1105@reddit
maybe some biz jet like a g650er could do this. With a light load it is totally possible. Even if they advertize 6200ft as the min, it should realistically still be able to do it with full power and a light load.
old_flying_fart@reddit
"full power"
Is that how you get max range out of your aircraft?
Pro-editor-1105@reddit
sorry not full power i meant full range, upon researching this is impossible sry
old_flying_fart@reddit
And “light” means no fuel, so…..it’s not happening.
Pro-editor-1105@reddit
maybe air-to-air refueling could work, but unfortunately, the g650 or anything cannot do it; maybe when some billionaire fits it onto his jet, it will happen, but idk.
old_flying_fart@reddit
“It will happen”
No, it won’t.
Rainebowraine123@reddit
Generally if you want to take off on a short runway you use all the thrust you have...
Mavs-bent-FA18@reddit
Faster climb less fuel
RealPutin@reddit
You're getting downvoted but you're right that a 650ER can definitely do that distance with a light load and the right conditions. They've flown Singapore-Tuscon (8380nm) before. It's the runway that's tough
IndependenceStock417@reddit
C-17 would be a good fit if military aircraft are considered. I don't know it's max range but it can do aerial refueling and would have to pass quite a few tanker bases enroute.
N19DY@reddit (OP)
I think realistically only a BBJ or ACJ could do it. A big one.
x4457@reddit
Only purpose-designed thing that gets close is a Global 8000 or G800, but even those will struggle with that.
Pro-editor-1105@reddit
ya idk that distance looks insane too
x4457@reddit
There are 650s here multiple times per day, every day. Including 4? 5? based here.
Subtle1978@reddit
For now. Until the world takes it all back.
jumpseat320@reddit
It would not be longest if you flew in MSFS at 10× (simulation rate)
BeginningTotal7378@reddit
Well of course it is the longest when you fly it all curved like that!
pm_me_your_target@reddit
That curve is the shortest distance between two points on earth because gravity bends the line no matter how much you try to fly straight. It also causes turbulence. Source: Albert Feinstein
Smartnership@reddit
Question for pilots:
When they take off from Australia going to like, Los Angeles…
do they flip over all at once, or rotate the pane slowly over the whole trip?
durandal@reddit
Sorry for taking this to a serious direction, the spinning gyros (or modern laser gyros) of the artificial horizon would actually tumble over gradually from the rotation. A small force is applied to keep them upright with respect to gravity.
HighVelocitySloth@reddit
The earth is flat. The curve is to add hours to the pilots logbooks
calvintiger@reddit
No there is no curve, it only looks that way because our eyes are round.
CaptainWaders@reddit
You’re supposed to fly left off the edge and come back on the right side like Pac-Man
Smartnership@reddit
Yes, yes, we’ve all played the Asteroids simulator.
Aerodynamic_Soda_Can@reddit
But if you think that's a long way, just wait till you see the distance when it's a straight line.
And let the flat-earth-ers figure that one out!
Necessary_Topic_1656@reddit
The longest actually flown flight was the 64 day 22 hour flight by a Cessna 172.
but it didn’t go anywhere took off from las Vegas flew for almost 65 days and landed in Las Vegas. No passport required.
freshlysaltedwound@reddit
That’s one way to get to 1500 hours I guess.
N19DY@reddit (OP)
Well it certainly wins the endurance competition
generalraptor2002@reddit
This would be cool as a one off charter flight
rckid13@reddit
During the Olympics France ran a few "domestic" charter flights from Paris to Tahiti because they hosted the surfing competitions in Tahiti.
generalraptor2002@reddit
Nice
UV_TP@reddit
No, it was Paris
generalraptor2002@reddit
I was saying “nice” as in “cool”
lol
UV_TP@reddit
I was making a joke.
flyingforfun3@reddit
Air Tahiti Nui is very proud of the record set by their Paris to Papeete flights.
They now stop over in LAX, but they had to overfly LAX during Covid because of the travel ban.
Wings_Of_Power@reddit
I don’t think my circadian rhythm would survive it tho
Garbagefailkids@reddit
Outstanding breakdown! Thanks for a great post! I wonder what the longest one is in other countries.
Xygen8@reddit
Biarritz-Pays Basque (LFBZ), Biarritz, France to Moue (NWWE), l'Île des Pins, New Caledonia is 9,438 nm.
Throwaway84A63@reddit
Unrelated but 20 years ago TISX might have had the shortest jet operated flight in the U.S.: DL operated a 757 between TISX/TIST which is only like 35nm.
PiperFM@reddit
Wrangell to Petersburg is shorter
Throwaway84A63@reddit
That’s crazy, TIL! What equipment do they use?
PiperFM@reddit
737
Inevitable_Panda_999@reddit
well you said "possible"... so LAX to LAX by around the whole globe
ThatsSomeIsh@reddit
Wouldn’t HNL to HNL be longer since it’s closer to the equator?
Smartnership@reddit
He meant flying east to west, to account for the earth’s rotation and countering the Corolla Oris Effect.
Hour_Hope_4007@reddit
Or if you want to go with already happened it would be EWD to EWD.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutan_Voyager
rckid13@reddit
The two pilots on that flight were boyfriend and girlfriend. By the time they landed they were no longer dating. That's how insane it had to have been to attempt this flight in a slow moving airplane.
Have_Blue@reddit
I had zero idea that they were together - I always thought they must have just been super professional to spend 9 days together. But sure enough (though it sounds like the relationship was pretty well over by the time they flew): https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-14-vw-19271-story.html
bdubwilliams22@reddit
I read their book about that whole adventure in vacation in Mexico last year. Couldn’t put it down. Perfect sit-by-the-pool-with-a-margarita-on-vacation kinda book. Damn, now I want to go back to Mexico.
Worried-Ebb-1699@reddit
What’s the book called? Sounds good!
livebeta@reddit
ATC : "LA departure frequency 123 point niner"
InitiativePale859@reddit
Maybe no passport is necessary but New Hampshire better bring a lot of money everything will know why is twice as expensive as the mainland
No_Information_7548@reddit
It'd be way shorter if they'd go in a straight line 😒
Professional-Depth81@reddit
United looking at it like 😏
HighVelocitySloth@reddit
A flight from JFK to LGA would be the longest. You head east
beastpilot@reddit
Once we buy greenland what will the longest distance be?
TravelerMSY@reddit
You can get pretty far if you count US territories
WonderWendyTheWeirdo@reddit
It wouldn't be so long if they went a straight line! /s
OhSillyDays@reddit
Longest distance in the USA right now.
ckFuNice@reddit
When Canada closes its airspace to U.S flights, quite a few airplane rides will be longer . No jet a required, the insurance company enforces it .
554TangoAlpha@reddit
That’s just under the 8484nm that Air France did during Covid PPT-CDG.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
The longest scheduled flight within the United States is the direct flights between Honolulu and Boston, which is cool and all, but I wanted to know what the longest theoretically possible flight within the United States was. I looked it up but couldn't find a definite answer so I did some digging of my own and if my math is correct, it's one of these:
Within the 50 US states, I believe the 2 furthest apart airports are Casco Cove Airport (PAAT) on Attu Island in Alaska, and Florida Keys Marathon airport (KMTH) in Florida at 4775 NM apart. Now, the catch is that Casco Cove is designated as emergency use only, so you couldn't plan to use it.
At 4748 NM from KMTH--and both being public use--is Point Hope Airport (PAPO) in Alaska. So assuming you have an airplane that can take off or land within 4000 feet and fly almost 5000 miles without stopping for a potty break, you're golden! Leave the passport at home.
That is, however, just within the 50 states. Thanks to the powers of imperialism, there are more places US citizens can go outside of those. Enter the US territories.
In regards to the furthest 2 places a US citizen could fly between without bringing their passport, I present to you, with a great circle distance of a whopping 8250NM, Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam (PGUM), and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (TISX) in St. Croix of the Virgin Islands.
Please downvote this comment until it collapses.
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