Random distance driving question Answered

This is a question that has bugged me since I was a child.

A fuel tanker holds about 7,000 gallons.
An articulated lorry has a fuel consumption (when fully loaded) of roughly 8mpg.

That equals something like 56,000 miles (or more than two circumnavigations of the world around the equator) if the tanker used the tank as a fuel supply.

The little boy within me wants to know has anyone ever done this? (I suspect they haven't actually driven an artic all the way around the equator, but you know what I mean)
If not, does anyone know of similar distance-driving challenges?

_{We're down to our last four feet six inches of black stuff, sir}

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Goodhart

12 years ago

Well, whether you drive or fly, the amount of weight change is a significant factor in calculation.

Kiteman

12 years ago

SOmebody has flown a plane around the Earth on one tank of fuel.

Lithium Rain

Reply 12 years ago

Wasn't it the same guy who flew SpaceShipOne?

Kiteman

Reply 12 years ago

I don't know who flew it, but it's the same builder - Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites.

Voyager

CameronSS

Reply 12 years ago

Odd that they don't mention it there...Voyager was flown by Dick Rutan (Burt's brother) and Jeana Yeager. It took them nine days, after losing both foam wingtips on takeoff, and they made it home with 18 gallons of fuel left. A couple years ago, Steve Fosset also circumnavigated the world in GlobalFlyer, another Rutan design. The airport they used (Salina Municipal) is only two hours from where I live, so I took the afternoon off school and went to watch the takeoff. It was scary-just as he got past our vantage point along the runway, he hit an air pocket, and those long, thin wings bounced farther then it looked like they should be able to. Oh, and yes, Fosset is the guy who holds approximately twelve zillion world records in balloons, aircraft, etc., and disappeared last summer in Nevada. SpaceShipOne was flown (for the X-Prize flights) by Mike Melvill for the first flight of competition, and by Brian Binnie for the second. Aren't those the perfect test-piloty names?

NachoMahma

12 years ago

. You might find what you're looking for here.

Goodhart

12 years ago

Well, a tanker full of petrol or gasoline (whichever name you like) presents another problem. The mileage stated is for "a full load" but as you drive, you will be using UP some of that load, and it will continually become lighter, thus getting better mileage.

It would become a much more complex problem to solve because of this.

As far as other kinds of distance driving challenges, none pop into mind directly but there is always THE GREAT RACE to consider.

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Random distance driving question Answered

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