A Passage to Tokyo

September 15, 2024
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airline, aviation, captain, ETOPS, flight deck, wide body

A Passage to Tokyo

A Bucket list Dream Fulfilled!

Folks, from the Flight Blog, welcome aboard our 14-hour flight from New York’s JFK Airport to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport!

Allow me to let you in on a little secret: I’ve longed to say those words over the PA ever since I got into this business!

Yes, flying my beloved 777 to Japan has been a dream of mine since I took Japanese language lessons in college!

In fact, after graduation way back in ’86, I backpacked through Japan for 2 months!

Actually, my very first exposure to Japanese culture came back around age 12, when I began competing in Judo. To me, the foreign culture was exotic and fascinating, and propelled me to a lifelong study. To this day, I love samurai films and books as much as the average Japanese loves cowboy westerns!

So, at this time, I invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight!

But First,

Congratulations

to Team Aux's Producer Bunny!

3rd Place NPC North American National Bodybuilding Championships!

And Now…

A Passage to Tokyo

A Bucket list Dream Fulfilled!

JFK-HND Flight Plan

Planning our extended journey is similar to our previous adventures to SYD or DEL (See A Passage to India and A Passage to Sydney).

Like our SYD flight, I have 3 First Officers. We take approximately two 3-hour shifts resting, while the other team of 2 pilots fly. (Delhi, a slightly longer flight, required 2 Captains and 2 First Officers).

Unlike those flights, however, we will be flying the Boeing 777-200, rather than the larger -300. This means the crew rest bunks are a bit of a challenge, despite the equally long haul flight. While I would always prefer the -300 bunks, however, I have adapted to being pretty good at taking those required 3-hour catnaps, regardless of the model.

A Passage to Adventure!

Check out my 4-volume collection of aerial adventures,

There I Wuz!

Adventures From 3 Decades in the Sky

Now boarding at Amazon.com, along with my other aviation adventures—all available in print, eBook or audiobook!

Direct Link: https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Auxier/e/B00971H8VW

A Passage to Tokyo

A Bucket list Dream Fulfilled!

The Route

Starting from JFK, our route takes us well into Canada, over Alaska, and down the Aleutian Chain close to Russian airspace.

Similar to our SYD flights, once out over the North Pacific, “suitable alternate airports” become slim.

Because of this, we are constantly updating the best diversion airports in case of:

Fire, failure or other emergency;
Passenger medical emergency, such as a heart attack;
Rapid depressurization.

Each specific situation may require a different airport, depending on our location, time to airport, the weather there, and the facilities available once we land (see Diverting to Alternate!).

Arctic High Dive

Speaking of depressurization, when flying over the rugged terrain of Alaska, we have to be extra vigilant.

Similar to our flights over Greenland while flying back from London, we have to refer to our depressurization charts in order to avoid the highest terrain.

In the event of a “high dive,” if flying inside one of the colored bubbles, we would rapidly descend to the minimum altitude in that area, and then track the specified route to the designated alternate airport. This way, we not only safely get to a lower altitude where there’s breathable air, but also stay a safe distance above the highest terrain.

A Passage to Tokyo

A Bucket list Dream Fulfilled!

Arrival

Similar to our flights to LHR or SYD, we will be in contact with ATC at all times via CPDLC (see Of RAIM, ADS-B and CPDLC).

The challenge comes upon arrival, where very fast-talking controllers will be firing instructions to you—often in a very heavy Japanese accent!

While I’d like to say my Japanese language studies help me to save the day, I’ve long become very rusty at Nihongo, and can hardly order food at the sushi bar any more!

Honestly, there have been times when it has taken all 4 pilots up front to decipher just what instructions we were given!

A Sugoi Overnight

I’m happy to say that HND has become one of my favorite overnights. It’s nicely located in central Tokyo, with plenty of wonderful food options and plenty of sightseeing available.

The hotel, a Marriott, is top-notch. What’s more, my college best friend Aki is often able to visit me for dinner!

I’m hoping my other good Japanese friend Yan will be able to join us on a future adventure. And, perhaps, maybe even my old pal and Blog Buddy Naoshi as well!

Hear that, guys?!