Fascinating Facts About Airplanes

You might be surprised to learn how much airplanes really cost. In addition, you may not realize that airlines are one of the most technologically advanced industries in the world. There are even theories about which seats are the safest. While aircraft accidents are rare, plane crashes can cause severe damage. For the above reasons, it’s easy to become engrossed with the aircraft world and its fascinating history. Here are some fascinating facts about aircraft.

Lightning strikes airplanes more commonly than you would imagine. The electric charge that comes from a bolt of lightning can run through the plane and out of it. Strikes don’t generally cause a plane to suffer too much but damage done to electrical systems can prove costly which is why leading aircraft manufacturers are installing lightning protection systems onto their aircraft.

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The size of a modern jet is staggering. A U.S. military C-5 has a wingspan of 222.8 feet. That’s about the length of a basketball court. It’s 65 feet high and can carry 250 million pounds of fuel and 350 passengers. Air Force bases have to cut huge holes in their hangar doors to make room for the aircraft and the tail end is still protruding. That’s a lot of sheet metal! For more information on Euromac Bending Machines involved in the production of sheet metal, visit a site like https://www.cotswold-machinery-sales.co.uk/euromac-bending-machines/horizontal-bending-machines/

The Concorde airplane was a popular aircraft from 1976 to 2003. It could reach speeds of up to 1,354 miles per hour, and broke several world records. For instance, it broke the record for the fastest transatlantic flight, transferring passengers from JFK Airport in New York to Heathrow Airport in London in just two hours and fifty minutes. Interestingly, the tyres of a Concorde were six times the PSI of a car tyre.

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The first airship was designed by Alberto Santos in the 1890s. The concept of an aircraft has evolved a lot from the days of the Wright brothers. The first manned flight happened in the 18th century, and the airplane itself is still a marvel of engineering. The modern era of aviation is so diverse that it is hard to keep up with the changes.

Even though there is a great call at the moment for people to reduce the amount they fly in the fight against climate change, a Boeing 747 is actually more efficient than a car! Although the plane will burn 5 gallons of fuel per mile, making it far less efficient than a car, due to the number of passengers it can hold, up to 500, it is actually getting 100 miles per gallon per person. This is much better than your car!

You might think that when you’re 37,000 feet in the air, this is the most dangerous time of the flight. However, the real danger lies in take-off and landing. 13% of fatal accidents occur in the first 3 minutes of a flight! However, the final 8 minutes of the flight are the most deadly, with 48% of crashes occurring at this time.