What is the airline 60 minute rule?

Years ago, piston engines were undependable. Because of this, twin-engine aircraft were required to fly in range of a suitable airport for landing. In 1953, the FAA imposed what is known as the “60-minute rule” on two- and three-engine airplanes, disallowing them to fly more than 60 minutes outside the closest airport.



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For example, if an aircraft is certified for 180 minutes, it is permitted to fly any route not more than 180 minutes' single-engine flying time to the nearest suitable airport.

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ETOPS used to stand for Extended Twin-Engine Operations, and now is Extended Operations. Originally, it was a certification that permitted twin engine aircraft to fly routes which may, at the time, be greater than 60 minutes flying time from the nearest airport that is suitable for an emergency landing.

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This was the first ETOPS certification rating given: ETOPS 120 minutes. This means that twin-engine aircraft were allowed to fly no more than 120 minutes flying time away from the nearest airport suitable for an emergency landing.

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As long as the plane has communication to ATC or other planes, the pilot would report the problem and his/her next cause of action. This would include the intention to divert to the closest airport or to do an emergency water landing if there is no other option.

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The most common reason is that there are no airstrips or airports on many of the small islands, so if a plane had to make an emergency landing, it would be difficult to find a place to land. Additionally, the Pacific Ocean is vast and remote, so if a plane were to go down, it would be very difficult to find.

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The longest over water route in the world is the stretch between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Even between Hawaii and Tokyo there are alternate airports available, such as Midway Island (hence the name “Midway”). Going across the North Atlantic, alternates include Iceland and Greenland.

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Flights Across the Pacific Ocean New developments in aviation technology have made it possible to sometimes deploy twin-engine aircraft for commercial transpacific journeys. More and more transoceanic flights are being operated using modern jetliners like the Airbus A320, Boeing 737, and Boeing 787.

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2015 to fly beyond 180 minutes from an en-route alternate airport, the 747-8's design is approved to conduct 330-minute ETOPS missions. These missions allow operators to fly long-distances more directly on virtually any worldwide city pair routing.

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In aviation medicine, the 1% rule is a risk threshold that is applied to the medical fitness of pilots. The 1% rule states that a 1% per annum risk (See also risk management) of medical incapacitation is the threshold between acceptable and unacceptable.

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A very simple rule of thumb is to add 2% to the calibrated airspeed for every 1000 ft of altitude.

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The Boeing 747-400 experiences the least degradation in performance, making it safer during an engine failure. Fitting an aircraft with four engines also increases power, enabling more passengers, heavier payloads, and increased performance.

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Flying at a typical altitude of 36,000 feet (about seven miles), an aircraft that loses both engines will be able to travel for another 70 miles before reaching the ground.

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If an aircraft is at a typical cruise altitude of 36,000 (which is 6 miles up) and loses both engines, it can therefore travel a forward distance of 60 miles before reaching the ground. Therefore, if such an incident occurs within 60 miles of a runway, the aircraft could potentially be landed safely.

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The Loganair Westray to Papa Westray route is the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. Flights on the route are scheduled for one and a half minutes, and actual flying time is closer to one minute. The record for the fastest flight is 53 seconds.

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1. The World's Longest Flight: New York (JFK) to Singapore Changi (SIN) New York John F Kennedy Airport – Singapore Changi is currently the longest commercial flight it is possible to book. At 15,332km, this route has been at the top of the table since 2021, and takes an average of 18 hours and 40 minutes to complete.

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Undefeated record: The world record for the world's longest continuous flight was set in 1959 by Robert Timm (pictured) and his co-pilot John Cook. Months in the air: The men flew in this four-seater aircraft for 64 days, 22 hours and 19 minutes.

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