Different types of commercial aircraft

There are many types of planes in the world of commercial aviation today, which all seat different amounts of passengers and have a variety of flying ranges, not to mention the obvious difference of being driven by jet engines or propellers. Here I'm going to explain about the different ranges aircraft can have.





First of all, planes are made by companies in large factories. For example, two of the biggest plane manufacturers in the world (Airbus and Boeing) have main assembly factories in their countries of origin (France and USA respectively). Airbus' main assembly factory is located in Toulouse in the south of France, and Boeing's is located in 'Paine Field' which is just outside Seattle.





Aircraft are categorised by 'haul', according to how far they can fly on a full tank of fuel. In commercial aviation they are categorised into short-haul, medium-haul and long-haul. Some consider ultra long-haul to also be a category. Short-haul is defined as a flight shorter than 3 hours, medium is between 3 and 6, long is between 6 and 12 and ultra-long is over 12 hours. Typical examples of these aircraft include the Embraer 190 (short-haul), the Airbus A320 (medium-haul), the Boeing 747 (long- haul) and the Boeing 777-200LR (ultra long-haul).

 
A Lufthansa Boeing 747-8                                      A Lufthansa Embraer 190





A video of the brand new Airbus a330neo (a long-haul jet) taking off for the first time


Credit to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrmikGc4FnzlXD8C7bBl7KQ





Credit to https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Flight_length.html
Credit to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_length
Credit to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra_long-haul#Airliners





Images

Credit to https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/6863034649/            
Credit to https://www.flickr.com/people/66019457@N08

Where do plane parts come from?

          Planes are made up of many different parts made from many materials that come from around the world. In this post, I'm going to be talking about where the parts of a Boeing 787 come from, and what they are made of.

         
          The parts of a Boeing 787 'Dreamliner' come from as many as 45 companies around the world, which make up the $200 million airframe. The 787 is the first aircraft made by Boeing that the main body and wings are made from hybrid materials such as carbon fibre and graphite instead of metal, which contribute to the aircraft being lighter and one of the most efficient aircraft to fly today. Not only that, but they also use lithium-ion batteries which resulted in the grounding of 787s around the world, because of extensive battery fires which posed a huge risk. The parts themselves come from around the globe, but 70% of them come from within the US, which also happens to be where the aircraft is built and assembled. The remaining 30% are taken from elsewhere.
          
          Companies who contribute to the making of the aircraft include a company based in Iowa, who are responsible for the electrical systems, a Kansas-based company who provide Boeing with the fuselage parts, General Electric for the aircraft engines and Honeywell for the navigation systems in the cockpit.





Credit to http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/18/news/companies/boeing-dreamliner-parts/index.html

A brief history of commercial aviation

         
          The first idea of being able to fly was demonstrated in early times, such as the myth of Daedalus and Icarus. But the concept of commercial aviation really 'took off' in 1899, when the Wright brothers first began to piece together what would be the first ever flying machine (known as an aeroplane), to successfully take flight and mark the beginning of a new era.
         
          It started when Wilbur (one of the brothers) decided to make a biplane kite which unfortunately did not produce equal lift on both wings, hence bringing them back a step in their research of flight. However a year later in 1900, they began to experiment with gliders and succeeded in taking flight. This theory of flying would change the world forever.
         
          The first commercial flight took off in 1914 and some of the world's oldest airlines (such as KLM) were founded not long after that. Air travel became more and more popular and by the 1950's, flying became available to everyone all over the world to the extent as it is today.
         
          The concept of budget airlines was first created in the 1970's as airlines realised that passengers could fly cheaper and without any extras such as complementary meals, drinks and hot towels. Checked-in baggage had to be paid for. Examples of budget airlines today include Ryanair and Southwest Airlines (in the USA).

     
      Credit to http://www.birthofaviation.org/birth-of-commercial-aviation/
      Credit to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers
      Credit to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline
      Credit to https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/america-by-air/online/heyday/heyday11.cfm

A few facts

To get started, here are a few interesting facts about flying and travelling's health benefits.

1. Travelling means you are exposed to different environments, which can actually help boost your immune system. Because you encounter new forms of bacteria, your body is able to adapt to them quickly and easily which as a result makes your immune system much stronger.

2. Travel significantly decreases your risk of getting heart disease. Studies show that people who travel often are less likely to have a heart attack or develop heart disease because their stress and anxiety levels are significantly decreased.

3. Travelling can increase your lifespan. Because of reduced stress levels, this keeps your mind happy and healthy and also boosts brain health. these factors contribute to you living longer and having a more positive mind.

4. Flying isn't actually harming the environment that much. Yes they emit carbon dioxide, but it only accounts for 2% of the human's annual emissions.

5. Flying is the safest form of travel. You are more likely to die in a car accident (which the odds of it happening are 1 in 5,000) than die from a plane crash (odds are 1 in 11,000,000).

6. While it can happen often, turbulence is not going to cause your plane to crash, nor is it a safety concern. For pilots and flight attendants it tends to be more of a nuisance.

Credit to https://lifehacker.com/six-airplane-facts-to-cure-your-fear-of-flying-1788654431
Credit to https://www.tripsavvy.com/shocking-facts-about-air-travel-3498983
Credit to https://matadornetwork.com/bnt/7-scientific-facts-prove-travel-good-health/

Introduction

Hello my name is Luke and this is my blog on aviation and travel.


In this blog I will be writing about travelling and the aviation industry.