An empty water bottle has always served me well if I’m by myself. If I have company then I can last around 6 to 7 hours by carefully regulating my water intake. It’s a challenge in the tropics.
That 1200 mile range is for a Hawk with the tanks on the stub wings. With internal tanks only it’s a far less impressive 300 miles or so.
As far as I know, the Pave Hawk is one of the few variants that has the refuelling probe. I guess if you had unlimited funds you could ask the air force to meet you midway with a KC-135.
Edit: Or I suppose, the C-130 Hercules tanker, since the KC-135 is probably a little too high and fast for your average helicopter.
I just measured the distance from the ABBOTTABAD compund to the sea, it appears to me that it is close to 1500Km. Killing Osama was done from USA troups starting from the USS NAVY Carl Vinson and coming back there to throw the corpse in the ocean … after a short stop in an hostile land. That makes 3000 km without refueling ! WOW!:eek:
Who says they didn’t refuel? US special ops helos can aerial refuel.
I’d recommend a newer corporate jet, as they will have the best pressurization systems. A Falcon 7X can maintain a sea-level cabin up to a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet. You’ll sail over the Rockies, and even be able to top some of the weather that will inevitably be along your route. Heck, you can climb up to 45,000, get above all the airline traffic and all but the wildest thunderstorms, and still maintain your 5000’ cabin altitude. Should get there in a shade over four hours, assuming today’s winds. I checked the route, and as a lifeguard (medical) aircraft you could get very close to direct routing.
If you’re not willing to take the minuscule risk of a depressurization in a brand new jet, you could fly the entire way at 250 knots (the speed limit below 10,000 feet in the US) and I think you can do it all below 5000’ above sea level. Trip time looks to be about 8:45. You’ll have to swing clear down to El Paso, but a brief look shows it might be possible. There are a few turboprops and many jets that could make the trip non-stop. That said, you’re going to have a hard time finding a charter that will fly a jet across the continent 500’ above the ground without some serious convincing, so I hope you’ve already got something lined up.
Read the news reports again. The stealth blackhawks that were used flew from a base in Afghanistan (border is 200km from Abottabad) or possibly a base in Pakistan… it’s not 100 percent clear. Then the body was flown to Carl Vinson on a fixed wing later on.
With unlimited funds, you could rent one of the Goodyear blimps.
They only go 35 mi/hr (normal cruising) to about 50mi/hr (max), so it would take you just over 3 days. (Assuming no headwinds – LA to NYC would be easier than coming back, because North American winds are mostly from the west – tailwinds for you.)