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To get to Tokyo from the before the jet age the following distances are approropriate
2,556 mi LAX-HNL
2,398 mi SFO-HNL
3,854 mi HNL-HND
In January 1958 the California to Tokyo PanAm flight was a daily Stratocruiser that took
31 hours 45 minutes from San Francisco or
32 hours 15 minutes from Los Angeles.
Pan Am was the launch customer of the Boeing 707, placing an order for 20 in October 1955.
4,100 mi 707-120B October, 1958
4,320 mi 707-320/-420 August 1959
5,800 mi 707-320B June 1962
Pan Am's first scheduled jet flight was from New York to Paris (stopping at Gander to refuel) on October 26, 1958, with Boeing 707–121 Clipper America (N711PA) with 111 passengers.
I must assume that the first nonstop from mainland USA to Tokyo without stopping in Honolulu was in early 1960s.
5,160 mi SFO HND
I have read that Northwest operated 707-320Bs from SEA-HND in the late 1960s, but I have no indication if this was the first nonstop transPacific flights
Pan Am was the launch customer of the Boeing 747, placing an order on 25 in April 1966
In April 1976, Pan American World Airways set the new record with its 6,772 mi New York City-JFK/Tokyo-Haneda route.
In December 1976, the airline set another record with Sydney–San Francisco, covering 7,417 miles.
Is there someplace where I can see a list when the nonstops to Asia were begun? I presume most of the initial flights were done by PanAm. I am talking about Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Peking, Tapei, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore as well Sydney Melbourne and Brisbane.
Pan Am Boeing 747 from San Francisco landing at Runway 13 Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport must have been a phenomenal sight to watch. Probably Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific would have done that too - I mean non-stop Transpacific crossing.
The difference between JFK to Athens and Seattle to Tokyo is that there are plenty of diversion points in the last half of the flight to Athens. Once you get over the water heading to Tokyo the diversion points are few and far between if you have weather, winds or equipment issues.
The difference between JFK to Athens and Seattle to Tokyo is that there are plenty of diversion points in the last half of the flight to Athens. Once you get over the water heading to Tokyo the diversion points are few and far between if you have weather, winds or equipment issues.
While there are a decent amount of adequate airports transpac, there are very few that one would want to land at. While the equipment requirements are currently less restrictive in the pacific, there are are many hazards and obstacles that don't exist in the atlantic. The facilities in Europe are much, much more desirable.
Once you get over the water heading to Tokyo the diversion points are few and far between if you have weather, winds or equipment issues.
Hence my curiosity as to the dates
(3 Jan) 1950 Pan American Airways made the first commercial non-stop flight from Tokyo to Honolulu in a B377 Stratocruiser.
HNL TYO 3,854 mi
As Anchorage is closer to Tokyo than Honolulu, I must presume that Stratocruiser flight to Tokyo via Anchorage began around the same time.
SEA ANC 1,448 mi
SFO ANC 2,018 mi
LAX ANC 2,345 m
ANC TYO 3,458 mi
Quote:
But June 1962 saw the introduction of 707-320B with a maximum range in still air of 5,800 mile
Seattle to Tokyo is only 4,797 mile, someone should have tried a nonstop to Asia shortly after 1962.
Nothing that I read about early piston driven planes indicate that they could have made a TransPacific crossing from the West Coast to Tokyo. So I assume it had to wait until the jet age.
I am just curious as to when the first nonstop commercial flight began.Did the lack of diversion airports hold it off until 1970. When did we first begin flying to Hong Kong or other major airports?
May 1st 1996 Northwest Airlines launched first non-stop between North America and China. In this case Detroit to Beijing.
Thank you for that. Here is a table of the longest flights by US carriers. All but one goes to Asia. Most of these planes seem to have been delivered in the late 1990s, but I was wondering when they were first tried on previous aircraft.
1 United Airlines Los Angeles Singapore UA 37 14,114 km (7,621 nmi; 8,770 mi) Boeing 787-9
2 United Airlines Houston Sydney UA 101 13,834 km (7,470 nmi; 8,596 mi) Boeing 787-9
3 United Airlines San Francisco Singapore UA 1 13,593 km (7,340 nmi; 8,446 mi) Boeing 787-9 4 Delta Air Lines Johannesburg Atlanta DL 201 13,582 km (7,334 nmi; 8,439 mi) Boeing 777-200LR
5 American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth Hong Kong AA 125 13,073 km (7,059 nmi; 8,123 mi) Boeimg 777-300ER
6 United Airlines Newark Hong Kong UA 179 12,980 km (7,009 nmi; 8,065 mi) Boeing 777-200ER
7 United Airlines Los Angeles Melbourne UA 98 12,748 km (6,883 nmi; 7,921 mi) Boeing 787-9
8 United Airlines Mumbai Newark UA 49 12,565 km (6,785 nmi; 7,808 mi) Boeing 777-200
9 United Airlines Chicago—O'Hare Hong Kong UA 895 12,543 km (6,773 nmi; 7,794 mi) Boeing 777-200
10 Delta Air Lines Atlanta Shanghai DL 185 12,327 km (6,656 nmi; 7,660 mi) Boeing 777-200LR
11 United Airlines Los Angeles Sydney UA 839 12,051 km (6,507 nmi; 7,488 mi) Boeing 787-9
11 American Airlines Los Angeles Sydney AA 73 12,051 km (6,507 nmi; 7,488 mi) Boeing 787-9
11 Delta Air Lines Los Angeles Sydney DL 41 12,051 km (6,507 nmi; 7,488 mi) Boeing 777-200LR
#1-#3 are all impossible until lately, #4 goes back to 2009, #5 goes back to 2014, #6 started in 2001
I'm not sure about #7-#10, but I think #9 started in 1996
#11 was first flown by PanAm in 1976 on a B747SP. United bought PanAm's Pacific routes.
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