The intense competition between Airbus and Boeing continues on into the latest, most modern, and longest-haul series of airliners. Until the Boeing 777-X (-8, -9) arrives, roughly speaking, here some observations:

1. The Airbus A350-900 is currently most directly comparable to the Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliners, as well as the Boeing 777-200ER/LR.
2. The Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range) is most directly comparable only to the Boeing 777-200LR in terms of mission capability and range, though the A350 is more modern. 
3. The Airbus A350-1000 (already flying) is primarily comparable to the (upcoming) Boeing 777-9.

Here are the (appx) Ranges of the Airbus A350 Family:

• A350-900 Range: (9,300–9,700 miles)
• A350-900ULR Range: (11,200 miles; I flew today ~9,500 miles)
• A350-1000 Range: (10,000–10,500 miles)

The (upcoming) Airbus A350-1000 ULR (Ultra Long Range), specifically designed for Qantas' Project Sunrise, is designed to fly extremely long, direct, non-stop routes between Australia to Europe and North America. The A350-1000ULR is scheduled for delivery to Qantas in late 2026, with commercial "Project Sunrise" flights expected to begin in the first half of 2027. The first aircraft has actually entered final assembly to be equipped with additional fuel tanks for unique commercial flights of this kind, that would for the first time transcend the 20-hour non-stop (commercial) travel duration, as well the 10,000 miles mark, in human (commercial) aviation history. (My own longest ever, only one, RW flight was in an AA 777, that had lasted about 18-19 hours).

The ultra-long-range A350-900 ULR (simulated by iniBuilds; see images below) is an existing, slightly smaller variant of the A350, while the A350-1000 ULR (not simulated by iniBuilds) is a larger, heavier, higher-capacity, and longer-range version specifically tailored for Qantas's "Project Sunrise". 

Currently, the New York (JFK/EWR) to Singapore (SIN) route is recognized as the world's longest nonstop commercial flight. Singapore Airlines (exclusively) operates this (non-stop) route with Airbus A350-900ULRs from the New York area to Singapore, covering nearly 9,500 miles in about 18-19 hours. While there is no direct (non-stop) flight between my hometown (Chicago) and Singapore at this time, that did not deter me today from wishing to fly such a (hypothetical) flight, in my virtual world, to test this (iniBuilds) A350-900ULR.

Compare the (hypothetical) SimBrief (Chicago->Singapore) direct Route and the (RW) FlightAware (Newark->Singapore) direct Route in my shot #s 2 and 3 respectively, below. One thing becomes apparent right away: the (Newark->Singapore) flight travels eastward across the globe; whereas the (Chicago->Singapore) flight, if it ever materializes, would fly westward. A direct flight from Chicago to Singapore would likely fly westward (as in my flight today), following a north-polar or trans-pacific (great circle) route, rather than eastward over the Atlantic. This is because while eastbound flights (from the U.S. east coast) often benefit from tailwinds; the shortest, most efficient route between Chicago (in the Midwest) and Singapore passes over the Arctic region and goes over the North Pole to minimize distance and bypass strong headwinds. 

So, here we go, as I depart Chicago O'Hare in my Airbus A350-900 ULR, ambitious enough to attempt the longest ever flight in my virtual world. The flight is of about 8,200 nautical miles distance which is equivalent to about 9,400 statute miles. Earth's diameter being appx. 7,900 miles; I would actually fly 1,500 miles more than the diameter of the earth in this flight. 

I was thinking; a couple of months ago, as I'd driven from Chicago to my one-time domicile Columbus (Ohio), I'd passed by Dayton (OH), and recall seeing a Highway Sign for the Wright Brothers (original) Cycle Company Shop and Museum, around where the two brothers had grown up and experimented with some of the earliest (powered) flights. So, the Wright Brothers' (famous) first successful powered flight had lasted 12 seconds and covered a distance of only 120 feet (considered the most remarkable thing in aviation history). And today, we routinely cover ~10,000 miles, non-stop, w/o much fanfare.

I started this flight in good faith Friday evening, but flew for about 5-6 hours, till past dinner, covering about 3,000 miles, before I called it a day. I actually wished to restart the flight (fresh) on another day. However, when I happened to get up at 4:30am for a drink of water, I noticed that my A359 was happily suspended on my Xbox/TV, ready (and eager) to continue on with the flight. It was hard to ignore...🙂...So, with sleepy eyes, I took up on the challenge; rolled up my (pajama) sleeves...🙂...brewed myself a cup of fresh hot coffee, after gingerly grinding some French Roast beans...concerned that I might wake up my neighbor (and other asleep in-house family-members). I noted that the temperature was bitter cold outside, hovering around ~10°F, with frozen snow (that has been around for several weeks now), still visible across the window, shining white in the clear moonlight, and I was ready to embark on my epic flight...🙂...

I restarted the flight where it was left off, with about 6000 miles still to go. I'd already set the Sim Rate to 4X (on the A350; see close-up screenshot of the iniBuilds A350 EFB). I also used 2X, at times, if/as needed.

I flew on, mostly through the darkness...in my virtual world outside the plane, and around my real world within the home as well. When flying westward from Chicago to Singapore, a journey lasting roughly 18 hours, you will spend most of the trip in darkness (night). This is because, usually departing in the evening, you are flying away from the sun, with the flight having to fly through long hours of darkness before arriving in Singapore in the morning or early afternoon. This is what I too experienced today, in my virtual world.

So, please find the following set of images that I captured from my flight, as we three (myself, the A359, and my ever-attentive FO...🙂...), after 9,400 miles and about 18-19 hours later (actual family time, about 9 hours), landed on the ILS Runway 20C of Singapore Airport. I breathed a sigh of relief, as the A350 gently touched down, while the brilliant sunlight was shining just above the waters of the (nearby) Changi Bay.

Except for rare (momentary but self-recoverable) pauses at 4X Sim Rate, there was no other (apparent) issue during this marathon flight, of course, subject to my limited domain of a/c knowledge. There was no cockpit-blackout, no avionics freeze, no orange (WASM) screens nor any other such mishap. The whole flight was otherwise flawless. 

This A359-URL, with its ultra-modern avionics and especially the MCDU/FMGC (which reminds me of an XL Worksheet with multiple TABs...🙂...) has now become a good friend of mine. At the same time, after completing the flight successfully, I've also developed new respect for those (RW) pilots that (regularly) fly such ultra-long-haul flights for a living. It cannot be easy on their family.

Hope you enjoy this account of my longest flight in the SIM ever, with this "10,000th" Airbus aircraft (see marking), an A350-900ULR, in the (respected) colors of Singapore Airlines.

Thanks for viewing...! 

Happy flying...!

Nice (but exhausting) flight. You must have even more time on your hands than I do. 🙂

9 minutes ago, John F said:

Nice (but exhausting) flight. You must have even more time on your hands than I do. 🙂

Thank you, John.

And yes, quite true, it’s exhausting.

In fact, the (one) 18-hour RW 777 flight that I’ve cited, is coming back to me now. My better-half has done a couple of more like that, but I’ve said, “If you wish to do more such non-stop flights, count me out, and give me a layover stop, and I’ll meet you at the final destination…”…🙂…

Actually, John, with 4x sim rate, it’s not too bad. When properly planned around our weekend schedule, a 16-hour flight would take about 4 hours. Of course, for those RW pilots that fly long-haul…at 1x…🙂…it is another matter, but they do get rest during the flights, I suppose.

When I resumed the flight at 4:30 am, on a (cold) Saturday morning, the only (real) company was my 7-month old kitten, who came around from somewhere in the darkness, and curled up around my (virtual) flight deck…probably expecting some treats…🙂…

Cheers…!

Great set, thanks for sharing..

cheers 😉

8 hours ago, pmplayer said:

Great set, thanks for sharing..

cheers 😉

I appreciated the note, pmplayer, and you’re welcome…!

Great shots and pretty copilot! Lol!

11 hours ago, Todd2 said:

Great shots and pretty copilot! Lol!

Thanks a lot, Todd.

And, glad you liked the shots ...BTW, I've heard that compliment before around here ...🙂...

It has been now a while, but I think I need to look for replacement with a Copilot of the opposite gender, just so, to not get into trouble with my company's Equal Opportunity Employment (EOE) policy...🙂...

Edited February 11Feb 11 by P_7878

What a nice long haul flight you have here sir! And the A350 is beautiful in Singapore´s colors 🙂

1 hour ago, fscabral said:

What a nice long haul flight you have here sir! And the A350 is beautiful in Singapore´s colors 🙂

Appreciated the comment, fscabral.

And I agree, SIA is a very nice and elegant livery.