P3 Orion range

benyflyguy

benyflyguy

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benyflyguy
Was watching the storm last night on the east coast and saw a lone plane flying right in the middle of it. Looked it up and it was the NASA storm chaser plane. Do you think it refueled mid air or does it have 9 hours of range???
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA426
 
benyflyguy said:
Was watching the storm last night on the east coast and saw a lone plane flying right in the middle of it. Looked it up and it was the NASA storm chaser plane. Do you think it refueled mid air or does it have 9 hours of range???
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/NASA426
Click to expand...

P-3's don't have inflight refueling but they do have excellent endurance - 15+ hours, depending.
 
Can't speak to specific numbers, but the Navy P-3 guys I knew said their CONOP was to shut down 1 or 2 engines once on station for submarine patrol to extend endurance.
 
Van Johnston said:
Can't speak to specific numbers, but the Navy P-3 guys I knew said their CONOP was to shut down 1 or 2 engines once on station for submarine patrol to extend endurance.
Click to expand...
Engine loiter shutdown
Once on station, one engine is often shut down (usually the No. 1 engine – the left outer engine) to conserve fuel and extend the time aloft and/or range when at low level. It is the primary candidate for loiter shutdown because it has no generator. Eliminating the exhaust from engine 1 also improves visibility from the aft observer station on the left side of the aircraft.

On occasion, both outboard engines can be shut down, weight, weather, and fuel permitting. Long, deep-water, coastal, or border-patrol missions can last over 10 hours and may include extra crew. The record time aloft for a P-3 is 21.5 hours, undertaken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force's No. 5 Squadron in 1972.
 
Adak: The Rescue of Alpha Foxtrot 586

It's well worth reading. P-3 out of Adak that had a runaway prop on restart during a mission. Pretty harrowing narrative. It also proved out that ditching a P-3 was survivable, and at the same time proved that sitting in a specific location during ditching would be fatal, as the ditching guide stated.

 
I was in a P3 squadron. I don't recall the max duration but I know 12 to 15 hours was not uncommon. When on station #4 was normally secured. #1,2,3 engines had generators #4 did not have a generator.
 
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