Fascinating Facts About Flying and Commercial Aircraft

In his book, Flying without Fear, Captain Keith Godfrey explains flying procedures and the safety features of modern commercial aircraft. Understanding the construction and movements of an airplane can make a flight more comfortable for anyone. It can also assuage the fears of those who are afraid of flying.

Facts about Modern Aircraft

Airbus and Boeing are the two best known manufacturers of commercial airplanes and the following facts are common to most of their aircraft:

• The tyre pressure of a jet airliner is about 150 pounds per square inch
• An average car engine is about 100 horsepower and a racing car engine, 800 horsepower. A large jet engine is about 70,000 horsepower
• Most jet engines take a minute to start
• Engineers check airplanes for problems before every flight and perform other checks every three days
• The air coming out of the back of a jet engine is about 500 degrees centigrade and this causes the jet trails often seen high in the sky
• A jumbo jet can hold 150 tonnes of fuel
• The hotter the day, the thinner the air meaning more power is used for takeoff

Facts about Approaching an Airport and Landing an Aircraft

Passengers have a limited view of the approach to an airport as they can only see out of the side of the aircraft. Here are the answers to some common questions that arise:

• If it is a clear day, visibility from the flight deck extends to about 120 miles at cruising altitude
• An airport can be seen from approximately 12 to 15 miles away
• An airplane is normally lined up with the runway at about 10 miles from the airport and at a height of 3000 feet
• Conditions on a runway are measured by the number of runway lights that are visible
• On approach to an airport, aircraft will generally be about 10 miles apart. On the final approach, this distance narrows to three miles
• Aircraft in a holding pattern are normally separated by a vertical difference of 1000 feet
• Lights are dimmed for takeoff and landing so passengers' eyes can quickly adjust to darkness in case of having to leave the aircraft quickly in an emergency

Safety and Comfort on Modern Commercial Aircraft

Many people have a fear of the wings falling off and wonder how safe an airplane really is. It can help to know some basic facts about aircraft construction and capability:

• The wings are built as one long structure with the cabin attached around it
• Turbulence is worst at the back of an aircraft and less over the wings where the balance is
• Turbulence is generally only dangerous when a person is not restrained by a seat belt
• There is less engine noise when sitting in front of the engines
• Engines have built-in fire extinguishers in case of fire
• In the event of aircraft having to ditch in water, they are designed to float for a period of time with the doors above the waterline
• Mayday is derived from the French word m'aidez, which means help me

Millions of flights take place annually with no problems at all. Understanding how an aircraft is constructed and what it is capable of is interesting and can also help some people overcome their fear of flying.

Reference: Godfrey, Captain Keith, Flying without Fear, Macroteach Publications, 2003.