Expert long hual

#1

I plan on doing a long haul tonight before bed. And im worried that Autopilot might disengage or I will get a violation for stalling. Are there any extra precautions I can take, and if something happens would I be able to appeal it?

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#2

As long as you have enough fuel for your journey and set Nav on, you should be fine. If you have pets at home, just make sure you keep it out of their sights. Always fill 60-90 mins of reserve fuel for your flight so you don’t come close to running out of fuel. What I would recommend is you takeoff and set your aircraft to NAV, once you reach your cruising altitude then put your device for charging and don’t touch it until you are close to beginning your descent and landing. Oh and one more thing, if you’re doing an ultra long haul (let’s say 12hrs+), then start off by flying at a lower altitude and climb as you gradually burn fuel.

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#3

Here are a few bits I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) when doing a long haul on expert server. Make sure all the variables have settled down before nodding off
.

  • Try and take off at least an hour before bed.
  • Wait until cruise level has been reached.
  • Wait for the speed and fuel remaining to settle.
  • Make sure everything has levelled out properly.
  • Use auto set speed, use auto set speed and make sure you use auto set speed. Don’t leave the throttle at a manual %.
  • If you wake up at some point, check that everything is ok and maybe increase/ decrease the throttle/ step climb if needed.
  • Enjoy the flight!
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#5

If your worried just fly on casual , still earn decent xp 
 if your leaving it unattended no shame in flying on casual through the night .

Just saying .

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#6

Do it all the time, never had an issue. Had a Transatlantic once, had accidentally set the VNAV in IF-Assistant to descend to FL000, glad i noticed that. Other than that, use simbrief to get the correct fuel and so in, engage the A/P be aware until TOC and Cruise, then you can start slacking off and closing your eyes :) Make sure to set an alarm, about an hour before scheduled arrival

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#7

pretty much this.

i am not a heavy sleeper so i tend to wake up in between and every time i do that i check my flight to make sure everything is working fine and also to step climb,.

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#8

Go to settings and put the interface timeout on anything besides “never”. Then open the map right before you leave the device (this also reduces brightness). That’s two levels that prevent any AP buttons being pressed so you’ll definitely be ok.

One thing to consider is what your aircraft will do in the event that it runs out of fuel. Not necessarily a flight planning issue but if something comes up that takes priority over IF you don’t want violations. The 777 naturally comes off AP and gets to 0 MSL without getting any speed violations. The 787 will get them but if you set the trim to +100 after takeoff and then calibrate while the device is horizontal it’ll stay below 250kts during the decent. I recommend testing the aircraft you’ll use before departing on a ULH flight.

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#9

just two bits of advise that ensure that I have a stress free long haul overnight flight:

  1. Use fpltoif.com to produce the flightplan, note the fuel used, flight levels and weight and balance.
  2. Use IF Assistant (3rd party app) - once you have uploaded your flight plan in infinet flight then fo to IFA where in “Alerts” you can program in the Step Climbs as well as set an alarm when you are certain distances away from waypoints.

Follow above and you will not stall or run out of fuel. Important from above advise is to dont go to bed until you reach your first cruise level, also i always set an alarm about 1 hour before due to arrive, so that you have enough time to set up your approach and dedcend in time without any rush!

good luck!

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#10

You should be ok @Cheryl_Tunt I’m with fedex VA I do mostly over night flights. Once you give yourself extra fuel and put your phone/tablet/iPad in a safe place you’ll be fine. I just landed at KMEM from RJBB now 11hrs 36mins no problems. Goodluck with your long haul đŸ›ŹđŸ›©

#11

Yes-

  1. Enable automatic low power mode
  2. Depending on where you are flying and what aircraft it is, you may need to put in different amounts of fuel. For example, for the 737, I don’t out in much extra because it’s so fuel efficient. For the 747-8, in IF that thang guzzles has like there’s no tomorrow. If you plan to fly over the Atlantic, put in a lot of extra fuel because there are some strong winds there and over the Pacific.
  3. Use flaps and your rudder during takeoff. Sometimes you may be a heavily loaded plane, so be careful.
  4. I always put my flight onto the map screen. Reduced brightness and whenever I want I can just look over and see other aircraft and where I am.
  5. Use FPLtoIF
#12

Also shouldn’t this be in #live 😂

#13

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