CAPT OF MLT CLBS ABOVE ASSIGNED ALT DUE TO FUEL CONCERNS ON OCEANIC FLT.

Narrative

WHILE OPERATING AT REMOTE ICE STATION GISP (72 37 13 N 38 29 56 W) ARPT WAS UNABLE TO TKOF FROM THE ICE. ACFT WAS DOWNLOADED TO LESSEN TKOF WT AND ANOTHER TKOF WAS ATTEMPTED. THE TIME NEEDED FOR OFFLOAD AND NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO TKOF BURNED DOWN USABLE FUEL TO 14000 LBS AT TKOF. THIS FUEL LOAD IS NORMALLY SUFFICIENT FOR THE INTENDED FLT; PROVIDED ACFT CAN BE CLBED TO FL280 OR HIGHER. THIS IS WHERE THE BEST FUEL ECONOMY OCCURS FOR THE GIVEN GROSS WT AND NORMAL TEMPS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE ALTS AT THIS LATITUDE. ONCE AIRBORNE THE ACFT ATTEMPTED CONTACT WITH ICELAND RADIO TO OBTAIN CLRNC TO FL280. HF RADIOS WERE FOUND TO BE INOP IN XMIT FUNCTION BUT COULD RECEIVE. UHF RADIO COM WAS ESTABLISHED WITH SISTER MLT APPROX 70 NM AHEAD OF EVENT ACFT. REQUESTS FOR HIGHER ALTS WERE PASSED THROUGH THEM TO ICELAND RADIO. IT WAS DIFFICULT COMMUNICATING THE URGENCY OF OBTAINING CLRNC TO FL280 FOR THE EVENT ACFT THROUGH THIS STRING OF AGENCIES. EXTREME DELAYS WERE BEING ENCOUNTERED OBTAINING CLRNC TO FL280. COMPOUNDING THE PROB WAS THE FACT THAT OUR SISTER SHIP WAS ALREADY AT FL280; AND ALTHOUGH THEY OFFERED TO BOTH CLB TO FL300 OR DSND TO FL260 IN ORDER TO FACILITATE OUR CLB TO FL280; REYKJAVIK OCEANIC WOULD NOT PERMIT THEM TO DO SO WHILE AT THE SAME TIME REFUSING US CLRNC ABOVE FL240. AS TIME WAS CRITICAL AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED TO BE AT FL280 VERSUS FL240; I CLBED THE ACFT TO FL280 WHILE CONTINUING TO NEGOTIATE CLRNC TO DO SO WITH REYKJAVIK OCEANIC THROUGH THE DOUBLE RELAY OF OUR SISTER SHIP AND ICELAND RADIO. THE GRAVITY OF THE NEEDED ALT WAS FINALLY COMMUNICATED TO REYKJAVIK OCEANIC (1 HR AND 15 MINS AFTER THE INITIAL REQUEST) AND THEY FINALLY CLRED US TO FL270. AT THAT TIME I DSNDED TO FL270 AND COMPLETED THE FLT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.