Why don t planes fly over Pacific Ocean?
Because of its vast size, crossing the Pacific Ocean requires a staggering quantity of fuel. However, most commercial aircraft do not fly directly over the Pacific Ocean; instead, they choose what are known as 'curved paths'. These paths offers a faster, more efficient route given the curved nature of the earth.
Early aircraft engines did not have the reliability nor the power to lift the required fuel to make a transatlantic flight. There were difficulties navigating over the featureless expanse of water for thousands of miles, and the weather, especially in the North Atlantic, is unpredictable.
Before Charles Lindbergh made the first solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in May 1927, most Americans thought it too dangerous to travel by airplane. Lindbergh's flight changed that. By 20 May 1927, Lindbergh was ready for the transatlantic flight from the Roosevelt Field runway, near New York City.
Planes should avoid flying over the Pacific Ocean because it is not a suitable location for a forced landing in the event of an emergency. It's quite unlikely that anybody aboard a jet that crashed in the Pacific would survive the landing, and rescuers would have much of a chance in finding them down and saving them.
The primary reason airplanes don't fly over the Pacific Ocean is because curved routes are shorter than straight routes. Flat maps are somewhat confusing because the Earth itself isn't flat.
Many flights from North America to Europe and North America to Asia, and vice versa, cross the North Pole in an effort to cut flight time and save fuel.
However, the main factor that makes flying over the south pole unnecessary, no matter how technically difficult, is that this region is extremely inefficient from a commercial point of view. This airspace between South America, Africa and Australia is little used for commercial flights.
Generally the air is much calmer over the sea than the land. The land heats up and produces drafts that give rise to turbulence. But modern passenger aircraft are capable of handling turbulence. In any case, the pilots get early warning of adverse weather and then they make minor detours to avoid such spots.
Almost all large aircraft impacting the sea surface in an emergency or uncontrolled will break up immediately and catastrophically. One notable exception was US1549, an A320, which was landed on water without breaking up. It was described as "still virtually intact though partially submerged and slowly sinking".
formation flying, two or more aircraft traveling and maneuvering together in a disciplined, synchronized, predetermined manner. In a tight formation, such as is typically seen at an air show, aircraft may fly less than three feet (one metre) apart and must move in complete harmony, as if they are joined together.
What is the oldest airline still operating today?
KLM, officially known as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, holds the prestigious title of being the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. Founded on October 7th, 1919, by a visionary group led by Dutch pilot Albert Plesman (1889–1953), KLM has a rich history that spans over a century.
The Pacific is also our planet's deepest water body, with an average depth of approximately 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). The deepest place on Earth, known as Challenger Deep, extends to a depth of more than 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) and is found in the Mariana Trench, in the Pacific.
Air and wind over the Atlantic is usually calm, providing some of the least turbulent routes. However, if flying in certain areas such as near the equator or north near the jetstream, you may encounter turbulence. However, this turbulence is usually predictable and so avoidable by the pilots.
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the world ocean basins. Covering approximately 63 million square miles and containing more than half of the free water on Earth, the Pacific is by far the largest of the world's ocean basins. All of the world's continents could fit into the Pacific basin.
Those familiar with aviation or geography may already know this is because planes typically fly the “great circle” route, which is the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere. Since Earth is three-dimensional, a direct route looks curved when plotted on a two-dimensional map.
As far as flying the route, one can do it with a four engine airliner like an A340, A380 or 747–8i. ETOPS regulations, as so many have stated, prohibit even a B787 or A350 from operating the route, the distance over the water is just too great to fall within ETOPS 330 or 370 limits.
Flight information for Los Angeles to Tokyo to help you plan your next trip. There are direct flights on this route every day.
The short answer is, no, it's not illegal to fly over Antarctica. But there are practical considerations that make it challenging for regular airlines to navigate across the land. In many parts of Antarctica, there's limited or no infrastructure, no landing strips, and obviously no refuelling stations for planes.
The Loganair Westray to Papa Westray route is the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. Flights on the route are scheduled for one and a half minutes, and actual flying time is closer to one minute. The record for the fastest flight is 53 seconds.
Since it can't match the Earth's rotational speed, a westward plane technically travels east — just like the entire planet beneath it. It just has engines that help it travel east a little more slowly than everything else, making it move west relative to the ground.
Why is Antarctica guarded?
Antarctica is guarded to protect its unique environment, and conduct scientific investigations. Also, it is guarded as a political symbol of cooperation among different countries, dating back to the Cold War period. Military activity is banned here, the guarding is through legal and political means.
Crucially, the Protocol prohibits commercial mining and protects vulnerable areas, animals and plants. The Antarctic Treaty does not prevent tourists, military personnel or scientific researchers from being present in Antarctica, but they do require an appropriate permit from a Treaty Party.
Antarctica doesn't belong to anyone. There is no single country that owns Antarctica. Instead, Antarctica is governed by a group of nations in a unique international partnership. The Antarctic Treaty, first signed on December 1, 1959, designates Antarctica as a continent devoted to peace and science.
So that leaves the final descent and landing. They take up about 4% of the average flight, lasting twice as long as takeoff and initial climb. But a whopping 49% of fatal accidents occur in this short window, making the final descent and landing the deadliest part of an average flight.
It is a known fact that flying is safer now than ever. In the airline industry, safety is the number one priority that trumps anything else. Over the years, deaths attributed to airline crashes have steadily declined, which is good news for the billions of people who use commercial aviation each year.
Why don t planes fly east? Due to Earth's rotation, these air currents often move from West to East. If an airplane is flying in the same direction as a jet stream, it may save time and fuel, but if it is flying against a jet stream, it will encounter extreme turbulence and might be damaged.
Fuel dumps are instructed under FAA guidance to be done over remote or oceanic areas, or at an altitude at which the dumped fuel can atomize before reaching the ground, although such guidance may be bypassed in dire emergencies, according to the FAA.
Area and flight level
Specific areas have been designated where fuel dumping is allowed to avoid damage or harm where the fuel may drop; generally speaking, this is above seas or unpopulated areas above land.
Long haul aircraft such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing B777 are equipped to jettison fuel in emergency situations only. According to CAA guidelines fuel should be dumped over the sea or if this is not possible it should be above 10,000 feet to allow the fuel to evaporate before reaching the ground.
If you are a frequent traveller who enjoys a window seat, you might have noticed other aircraft while in air. Flying in the crowded skies over Europe or North America, it is quite common to see other aircraft whizzing past, either above or below.
Why do planes follow each other?
Long distance departures
As a result, there is a limited range of flight times that ensure that the aircraft are operating continually. It is just coincidence that they are close together. The dispatchers plan the most efficient routing and it is no surprise that aircraft would follow the same routing.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires two pilots at all times for most aircraft that exceed 12,500 pounds. Other factors, such as flight length may also demand more than one pilot. One of the biggest reasons two pilots are required for commercial flights and private jets is safety.
Airline ranking company Skytrax released its 2023 list of the 20 best airlines in the world. Singapore Airlines came in first, taking the win over 2022's winner Qatar Airways.
College Park Airport (KCGS), in the city of College Park, Maryland, US, is the world's oldest airport in operation, established in 1909 when Wilbur Wright arrived at the field to train two military officers in the US Army.
Air and wind over the Atlantic is usually calm, providing some of the least turbulent routes. However, if flying in certain areas such as near the equator or north near the jetstream, you may encounter turbulence. However, this turbulence is usually predictable and so avoidable by the pilots.
As long as the plane has communication to ATC or other planes, the pilot would report the problem and his/her next cause of action. This would include the intention to divert to the closest airport or to do an emergency water landing if there is no other option.
If a plane crashes into water it is typically destroyed, unless it was already destroyed before the crash. If, on the other hand, it is set down on the water under control it has a good chance of floating long enough for the occupants to exit.
Despite newer models of the 737 and A320 families having more than enough range to cross the North Atlantic (and also most of the older models, if they refuel at Gander and\or Shannon along the way; the only one for which this isn't the case is the 737-100, which would require an additional fuel stop in Keflavik, and ...
Santiago to Santa Cruz was in fact the most turbulent route in the entire world during 2022! The most turbulent route of 2022: Santiago to Santa Cruz. The image shows Santiago de Chile city and the Andes. The European route from Zurich to Milan is a very short flight of just 200 km.
What part of the plane is the safest?
Even more specifically, the middle seats in the back of the aircraft are statistically the safest, with just a 28 percent fatality rate. By comparison, aisle seats in the middle of the cabin had a fatality rate of 44 percent.
There have been 38 turbulence-related deaths involving Part 91 planes since 2009, and in almost all of these incidents, the turbulence caused a fatal crash, according to NTSB data. Though there have been no commercial deaths from turbulence in over a decade, it can still create serious risks.
The longest over water route in the world is the stretch between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Even between Hawaii and Tokyo there are alternate airports available, such as Midway Island (hence the name “Midway”). Going across the North Atlantic, alternates include Iceland and Greenland.
If all of an airplane's engines fail simultaneously, the pilot will perform an emergency landing. As the airplane descends and decelerates, the pilot will begin to search for a safe area to perform an emergency landing. Ideally, the pilot will land on a nearby landing.
Flights may be canceled due to wind, precipitation, fog or low visibility, lightning, low clouds, or storms.
Originally Answered: Does airplanes float on water? Any aircraft designed to fly at altitude, with a pressurised fuselage, should float for a time. One of the biggest variables is where the wings are: low wings should also float if they are intact - sealed fuel tanks in the wings will be buoyant.
Ditching is a controlled emergency landing on water. It can be caused by almost anything, but usually it's because of engine failure or running out of fuel. Pilots only decide to ditch an aircraft when there is no better alternative. Despite the difficulty, pilots don't undergo extensive training on ditching.
People often have fatalistic attitudes when it comes to plane crashes, which can lead to apathy when it comes to safety briefings. But the NTSB says plane accidents, which are when a plane suffers substantial damage or someone suffers serious injury or death, have a 95% survival rate.
According to the requirements specified in the FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet (pertinent excerpts shown below) the B737-800 requires a minimum flightcrew of 2 - a Pilot and Copilot.
Although many private jet charter flights are used for shorter hops, private transatlantic flights offer the ultimate in privacy, flexibility and comfort for a longer trip. There are many reasons that clients would choose a private flight across the Atlantic.
How far can a 737 fly without refueling?
The 737-800 has a maximum fuel capacity of 6,875 gallons, which it carries in fuel tanks in its wings, as seen here, and in a fuel tank located underneath the passenger cabin's midsection. Fully loaded, the jet can fly up to 3,159 miles without refueling.
