North Shore Airport

30/06/2023

Life at 51,000 feet. OR why private jets fly at higher altitudes than most airliners🧐

Excluding Concorde, commercial passenger airliners typically cruise at altitudes between 30,000 and 40,000 feet, depending on the route, of course. The service ceiling for many such aircraft is around 43,000 feet, but pilots rarely reach that high because it doesn’t make sense; at 35,000 feet, you can avoid a fair amount of turbulence (it still happens), and the air is relatively thin, reducing drag and therefore increasing efficiency.

But one of the reasons an aircraft can’t go much higher than its service ceiling is that the ratio of its engine power, wing area, and weight (when filled with passengers and luggage) makes higher altitudes challenging to achieve.

Modern business and private jets are not subject to the same issues. Aircraft like the Dassault Falcon 8X, Bombardier Global 7500, and Gulfstream G700 all have a service ceiling of 51,000 feet. With only a few passengers and overall small size, such private jets are very light yet still feature multiple powerful engines facilitating high cruise speeds of Mach 0.9.

This comparative combination of low weight, high power, and a solid wing area allows this type of aircraft to fly well above the rest of us, bringing a few key benefits to their passengers.

Traffic👍
As mentioned above, high-end business jets usually fly on a completely different level than the thousands of commercial aircraft around at any given moment. As a result, for them, the highways in the sky are mostly clear, giving flight crews much more freedom to maneuver, whether that be a direct to or a change of path because of the wind.
Customers who charter such aircraft, or those fortunate enough to outright own one, will undoubtedly save time getting from place to place. Compounded by the fact that private and VIP terminals usually facilitate a security process of just minutes, the efficiency on the ground in the air, over time, saves countless hours that can go towards business.

Weather☀️
Somewhat related to air traffic, commercial airliners may have a more difficult time avoiding thunderstorms or other lousy weather en route due to potential other aircraft in the area. Since this is a non-factor with business jets, there’s more freedom to avoid complicated weather systems, thus making flight even more efficient.
According to Airacer, such heights will also feature less air turbulence, resulting in an overall smoother, more comfortable ride, a nice touch whether passengers are hard at work, fast asleep on a full-size bed, or relaxing on a proper in-cabin couch. The cherry on top might be that the even thinner air at 50,000 feet lowers drag even further, making efficient flight at higher speeds more possible.

Although many private jets are rated to fly at 40,000 feet or higher, most don't take it to the extreme. Flying at 45,000 feet plus altitude might avoid traffic and weather, but it also comes with its own risks. For example, if the aircraft was to rapidly depressurize and emergency oxygen fail, the time of useful consciousness at 45,000 feet is just nine to 15 seconds. At 35,000 feet, you can have up to a minute, and at 30,000 feet, it's up to two minutes😵

Most private jet operators will cruise at around 41,000 feet, gaining the advantages of the slightly higher-than-commercial altitude while minimizing additional risk to the flight. However, a private jet pilot will choose the optimum cruising altitude depending on the distance of the journey, so this could vary greatly depending on the mission at hand😎

26/06/2023

Air New Zealand has long promoted and supported Māori culture and now wants to share some traditional remedies with its premium customers🖤

Keeping up with its thirst for innovation, Air New Zealand has stepped back in time to offer passengers traditional Māori herbal skincare remedies. Those traveling in Business Premier or Premium Economy cabins will find the new amenity kits onboard featuring the products, which are inspired by unique Māori culture👍

Air New Zealand has teamed up with Aotea, a local business that produces a range of products using traditional Māori herbal practices. Aotea is located on Aotea, also known as Great Barrier Island, the sixth largest island in New Zealand and an unspoiled haven for native birds and plant life. It was named Aotea by the Māori, which in English means White Cloud, as in the distance it appeared as a White Cloud on the horizon.

The skincare products, which are inspired by mātauranga Māori (Maori knowledge), include ingredients such as Kawakawa, Harakeke and, perhaps the more widely known, Mānuka.

Exclusive to Business Premier passengers is the Kawakawa healing balm, made from just the three ingredients of Mānuka oil, Kawakawa and Beeswax. Kawakawa is a plant native to Aotearoa, which is known for its incredible healing powers, treating everything from dry lips to psoriasis, insect bites and burns😎

Offered to both Business Premier and Premium Economy passengers is Aotea's Harakeke Seed Oil and Mānuka Water Hand and Body Cream. It has a rich and creamy texture that's packed with Omega 3, 6 and 9 and is high in linoleic acid, meaning it is perfect for people with dry skin😊

Mānuka water is an antioxidant extracted from the mānuka bush and contains anti-inflammatory properties that reduce redness and heal inflamed skin. Harakeke is another native New Zealand plant that Māori have used for hundreds of years due to its healing powers😇

23/06/2023

The Top 10 Largest Planes Ever Made✈️

Airplanes have gone from small and lithe powered by propellors to heavy machines launched thousands of feet into the air by turbofan jet engines in one hundred years. But which of these engineering marvels is the largest aircraft ever built?

Airbus A380✈️
The A380 is the largest passenger jet ever built by passenger capacity, volume, weight, and wingspan. The Boeing 747-8 beats it for length, however, as will the upcoming Boeing 777-9 (technically built but not yet in service).
It offers a maximum passenger capacity (exit limit) of 853, but airlines operate it with a typical capacity of 400 to 550 seats. Such high capacity demonstrates a world-class feat of engineering. But unfortunately, it has not worked out as well as hoped for (most) airlines.

Boeing 747-8✈️
The 747 is, of course, the other very large passenger jet. The latest 747-8 is the largest version offered, coming in at just over three meters longer than the A380. But it has a lower maximum capacity of 605 (again, this is the maximum exit limit, the typical capacity is around 450). It also has a much shorter wingspan than the Superjumbo (68.4 meters compared to 79.95 meters), which has been a benefit as it increases the number of airports at which it can operate.
Until the A380, the 747 was the largest passenger aircraft flying. This has been its hallmark since its launch in 1968. It was developed in collaboration with Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). The airline had seen success with the Boeing 707 and wanted to take this further with a new aircraft over twice the size. It was, in fact, originally planned with a full-length upper deck, but this could not be made to work with safety requirements.
Pan Am first placed an order for 25 747s near the inception of the production program. Over the years, Boeing created five major variants of the jumbo, the -100, -200, -300, -400, and -8, with the most popular being the -400, amounting to almost half of all Boeing 747 production. Though Pan Am was the first operator of the 747, Japan Airlines was the airline with the highest number, operating 112 over the years.
On January 31, the final Boeing 747 ever manufactured was delivered to Atlas Air, currently the largest operator of 747 aircraft worldwide.

Boeing 777-9✈️
As test aircraft are now flying, it seems appropriate to include Boeing's upcoming 777X. The largest variant, the 777-9, will be the longest passenger aircraft ever launched, at just over 76 meters. And it will offer a typical capacity of up to 426, not far off that of the 747-8, making it the perfect replacement for the 747.
Unlike the other passenger aircraft on this list, the 777X is a twin-engine aircraft. And these new GE9X engines are the largest and most powerful commercial engines ever built - larger than a 737's fuselage! The 777X will bring a new era of very high-capacity, very efficient twins.

Antonov An-124✈️
Sticking with the same manufacturer, the An-124 is smaller than the An-225 but is one of the largest commercially developed freighters. It was launched in 1982, and 55 aircraft have been built. Until the 747-8 was introduced, it was the heaviest commercially produced aircraft.
As of May 2023, according to data from ch-aviation.com, 18 An-124 aircraft are currently active. Most are operated by the Russian Air Force, and two by Russian cargo-specialist Volga-Dnepr. Ukraine's freight specialist Antonov Airlines still flies four units, and UAE-based Maximus Air Cargo has one.

Lockheed C-5 Galaxy✈️
Carrying on with large transport aircraft, the C-5 Galaxy is also high up the list for size and payload. It is a military transporter aircraft built by US manufacturer Lockheed and entered service in 1970. It followed other successful transporters, such as the C-130 Hercules, but simply needed to be bigger.
At just over 75 meters long, it is bigger than both the A380 and the An-124. It can carry a payload of 127 tonnes and adds inflight refueling for a huge range. It remains in active service with the US Air Force, although several large transport planes have followed it. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster is a leading example - it's big but not as big as the C-5.

Airbus Beluga XL✈️
Technically, the Beluga XL is not an aircraft type but a modification of the Airbus A330. As such, some may question whether it should appear on such a list. But however you treat it, it is one of the largest aircraft you will see regularly flying. By volume, it is the largest. It offers a fuselage volume of 2,209 cubic meters. For comparison, Boeing's Dreamlifter comes in behind at 1,840 cubic meters.
From the outset, Airbus has split aircraft construction over several locations. It was formed as a consortium of several European manufacturers to take on Boeing. Airbus built the Beluga XL (and its predecessor Beluga) to transport its aircraft components.
The Beluga was introduced in 1995, based on the A300 airframe, and used mainly for A340 construction. The Beluga XL, based on the A330-200, followed in early 2000. Its more substantial size was needed for larger A350 components.

Boeing Dreamlifter✈️
The Dreamlifter is Boeing's modified fuselage transporter. This is based on a stretched 747-400 fuselage, with an innovative tail swing door to allow full access to the fuselage.
It was designed to carry Boeing 787 parts from suppliers in Italy and Japan (as well as US locations) to final assembly facilities in Washington and South Carolina. The first Dreamlifter entered service in 2007, and there is now a fleet of four.
It is a huge aircraft but beaten by others regarding statistics. For fuselage volume, it comes in behind the Beluga XL. And while it is longer than the Beluga XL and the 747-400, it is beaten by the 747-8. Its four-engine 747 base offers a much higher payload than the Beluga XL but less than half that of the An-225 while it was still operational.

Hughes H-4 Hercules✈️
The Hughes H-4 Hercules was one of the largest aircraft ever built but never moved beyond the one prototype version. It is a flying boat transport and was designed for use during the Second World War. It could carry 750 troops or two 30-ton M4 tanks. However, it did not get flying until 1947, after the war had ended.
It has the second largest wingspan ever (after the Stratolaunch, which we will look at next), at 97.8 meters, and is powered by eight Pratt & Whitney engines. To conserve metals during the war years, it has a wooden fuselage, hence its nickname of the 'Spruce Goose.'
The one prototype did make test flights but never entered service. It remains preserved and on display at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in Oregon, US.

Stratolaunch✈️
Last on our list is the Stratolaunch aircraft (with the full name of the Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch). This huge double-fuselage plane has the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever, an astonishing 117 meters (the closest behind this was the An-225 at 88.4 meters).
It was designed to carry a rocket, weighing up to 250 tonnes, between the fuselages for launch into orbit. Much of the technology, and its six engines, are based on the 747-400. The two fuselages are each 73 meters long - and in case you are wondering, the pilots sit in the right-hand cockpit. The left side is unpressurized and used just for equipment.

19/06/2023

10 Differences Between Commercial Cabin Crew And Private Jet Flight Attendants🧐

The benefits of working as a flight attendant on a private jet are numerous, but it can also have its disadvantages. Many ex-flight attendants do make the move onto private jets for the varied schedule and usually better salary. Let's look at some of the differences between working on a private jet and working as a commercial cabin crew.

1. Flying Alone👩‍✈️
Most private jets only require one flight attendant unless working on something larger like a private Airbus or Boeing. This means the responsibility for the cabin lies completely in your hands, whether things go right or wrong. There is no team to help you out or back you up like there is in commercial aviation.

2. Same Aircraft✈️
A flight attendant working on private jets will usually only have to work on one or two aircraft, so they will become very familiar with it and know exactly where everything is. In contrast, cabin crew working for airlines might occasionally fly on the exact same aircraft only a handful of times in their whole career.

3. Small Team🧑‍✈️👨‍✈️👩‍✈️
Working for an airline, you will never fly with the same team of people again and rarely see the colleagues from your last trip. This can be a blessing sometimes! In private jets, you work in a very small team, so you will get to know your colleagues well.

4. Meeting the Aircraft🛩
An airline usually has one fixed base and may have smaller bases elsewhere, but you fly out of just one base. Sometimes a private jet might be based in one place (especially for private owners), but for a charter operation, the aircraft can be anywhere, so mostly, the crew are flown out to meet the aircraft wherever it is.

5. No Roster🙃
In the airlines, we live by our roster; everything revolves around that. In business aviation, we don't have rosters at all. You can be on standby permanently and wait to get called for a flight. Some flight attendants have a rotation and will work for a certain period of time (e.g., two weeks) and stay with the aircraft. We rarely know the destinations until just before the flight.

6. Catering🍱
Airline catering usually comes on preset trays with the hot meal element added later and then handed to the passenger, or it may just be a buy onboard catering product. On private jets, the catering comes from a VIP catering company specializing in catering for private jets. The catering may also come from a 5-star hotel or restaurant.

7. Duties😥
Airline cabin crew have very specific duties, and we work with our team to have a successful and safe flight. In business aviation, we have many more tasks to complete. It's a bit like running a tiny restaurant. The flight attendant orders the catering, plans the menu, cooks and serves the meals, decorates and cleans the cabin, and much more.

8. Catering Order🍲🍕🥞
In the airlines, we just receive our catering and check that the numbers are right. On a private jet, the flight attendant is responsible for planning the menu to suit the client. They must also order all the catering required for that trip, along with any extra supplies that are needed onboard or things like newspapers and flowers.

9. Cleaning🫥
Mostly after a flight, the cabin crew will do their final safety and security checks before leaving the aircraft. Some airlines do require their crew to clean the cabin and pick up trash, especially on turnaround flights. Most private jets are cleaned by the flight attendant. This is because they may have silverware onboard and expensive dishes, and the carpets need to have minimal usage. Ground crew will rarely be allowed onboard. Some private jets have specialized cleaners at their base, if privately owned.

10. Salary🤑
The salary of private jet flight attendants tends to be higher than average compared to commercial crew. This is due to the extra responsibilities and experience required for the role. However, it very much depends on the operator or owner, how often they fly, and whether there is a rotation or not. The cabin crew salary is made up of flying pay, layover allowances, and commission primarily. Private jet crew have a set monthly salary, plus per diem payment for every night they are away on duty.

16/06/2023

Australian carrier Qantas (QF) is further solidifying its commitment to New Zealand, with increased flights between Sydney and Christchurch, Sydney and Queenstown, Auckland and New York, plus the resumption of direct services between Brisbane and Wellington😎

From Queensland state capital, Brisbane, to New Zealand's capital, Wellington, will be operated year-round, from October 29th, a route that was last operated by Qantas in 2015, as a seasonal service.

Qantas will operate the Embraer 190 between Brisbane International Airport (BNE) and Wellington International Airport (WLG), a first for New Zealand, in which no other airline currently operates the aircraft in the region. Operating daily, the service will complement the carrier's present flights out of the capital (WLG) to Sydney and Melbourne to reach 28 weekly flights. (Melbourne once daily, Sydney double daily), in addition to the new visitor from Brisbane❤

Qantas will face stiff competition with Air New Zealand (NZ), which already operates the direct route daily with an Airbus A320, with a similar afternoon departure time. Qantas's low-cost offshoot Jetstar (JQ) additionally uses its own A320 from Wellington to the Gold Coast, another popular Queensland destination for Kiwis, located. One hour south of Brisbane (80 km, 50 miles).

Qantas also plans to increase its operations between Sydney, Christchurch, and Queenstown. With three additional weekly flights from Sydney to Christchurch (up to 14) and Sydney to Queenstown (up to 14 over the peak summer period)🦘

The carrier's long-awaited Auckland to New York service will also increase from its planned three flights per week to four, one more than home carrier Air New Zealand, which already operates the flagship route as NZ1/NZ2👍

12/06/2023

The airline industry revolves around time. The impact of local time zone changes was the subject of a previous article, and the topic of global time management deserves further discussion. Flying connects the world, and as such, aviation relies on one globally recognized time measurement. This measurement is called Zulu time🤓

Zulu time is measured from the Prime Meridian, which runs through Greenwich, a town in southeast London that is located on the Prime Meridian. Accordingly, Zulu time is called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Zulu time is also called Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). All three names refer to the same time measured from the Prime Meridian, with the latter two more commonly used in the civilian world🧐

The name Zulu time originated during the mid-19th century at an international conference. Following the establishment of the Greenwich Observatory on the Prime Meridian, professional timekeepers and military officials determined that clocks around the world ought to be measured against the time at the Greenwich Observatory. "Zulu" is the phonetic alphabet's moniker for z. Since the Prime Meridian is the zero point of longitude, the name for the time measured from it took on that of the phonetic alphabet's z.

Today there are 24 established time zones, all measured by their divergence from Zulu time.

Aviation exclusively uses Zulu time for flight planning, dispatching, and coordinating with air traffic control. This is primarily done to avoid confusion when making flight plans and scheduling departure and arrival times.

Take, for example, a flight from London to Chicago. British Airways flight 297 departs Heathrow daily at 15:40 local time and lands in Chicago at 18:30 local time. Essentially, the flight flies for over seven hours yet arrives only three hours later than it departed using local time standards. It's easier for pilots and dispatchers to assign Zulu time metrics to the flight with the understanding that London is GMT+0 and Chicago is GMT-5 (for much of the year). Therefore, pilots say that flight 297 departs at 1540Z and arrives at 0030Z the following day. This metric handily shows the true time of the flight without converting local time zone variations. Every modern aeroplane, whether a Cessna or an Airbus, has a clock that displays the Zulu time👍

Air traffic controllers publish weather reports hourly or during a significant meteorological change. There is always a time associated with every weather observation for pilots to determine how recently the information was published. As you might have guessed, the first piece of any weather observation is the date and time referenced in Zulu.

Aviation would almost certainly manage if local times were the timekeeping metric, but it would be cumbersome and prone to discrepancies. Zulu time allows pilots, dispatchers, and controllers to manage time across thousands of miles without making conversions or considering time zone differences. Zulu time is universal and is the time metric that holds aviation together😎

09/06/2023

Like it or not, most of the world changes its clocks biannually. The effects of time changes ripple across many industries, and aviation is no exception due to the operation revolving around strict timetables. Here's how time changes affect some aspects of the aviation industry👍

Travellers who regularly fly a route at a particular time might have noticed their departure time moved forward or back by an hour. This is more often the case on a route where one city changed its clock while the other remained the same.

Airlines might even remove flights as a result of time changes😵

Airline crews who work on the morning after the clocks "spring forward" pay extra close attention to their alarm settings. There are many stories of flight attendants and pilots missing their "show time" for the morning flight because of a time change🥲

One more considerable impact of time change in the aviation industry is local time's displacement from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). GMT, or Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) or Zulu Time, is the atomic measurement for timekeeping within aviation. Weather reports are made, and flight plans are filed according to UTC. When the local time changes, the displacement from UTC changes as well. Pilots, dispatchers, and controllers must be attentive to the shift in UTC relative to their local time. The industry's fluid operation depends on this😎

Time is precious to the aviation industry and those who work within it. It would be easier if clocks were not shifted biannually, but observing local time shifts relative to the rest of the world reminds us that we are a small part of the global community. It's also a welcome change when the sun sets an hour later after a long winter, artificial though it may be😇

05/06/2023

At What Age Must Commercial Pilots Retire?🧐

All over the world, aspiring young pilots in their mid and late teenage years may be eagerly anticipating joining flight school to take to the skies. All being well, they may have a flying career lasting several decades in front of them. Experienced aviators, on the other end, might be counting down the days and months until their mandatory retirement☺️

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) does not have the legislative firepower to overrule the policies set by national aviation authorities. However, the UN agency is an intergovernmental body that sets standards for its 193 member nations. As such, we can look to the ICAO for the policy that it has set for much of the world.

"The Standard limits the privileges for pilots in single-pilot commercial air transport operations to 60 years of age, while extending that limit to 65 years of age for multi-pilot operations. This applies to operations conducted in all categories of manned aircraft and is valid for all pilot positions designated by an operator."

The ICAO's website notes that member states may authorize pilots to fly in their airspace after reaching the age of 60 or 65 years, as applicable. However, the implementation of this is dependent on each individual Civil Aviation Authority. As such, older pilots should not assume that retaining their flying privileges is a given👍

Of course, there are a few caveats to these age limits, which older pilots should bear in mind when considering the latter stages of their careers. Indeed, the ICAO specifies that an annual medical assessment must occur for those under 60 years engaged in two-pilot operations. When over 60, a six-monthly medical assessment is necessary, in order to ensure that older pilots remain fit for flying😎

02/06/2023

So we all love to travel and often dream about some of the delicious local dishes available where we are traveling to. For some vacationers, the anticipation of the trip is enough to send their appetite into overdrive. In other words, just the thought of being on vacation loosens our inhibitions allowing us not to worry about the calories we are packing in. However, did you ever notice that you crave food and snacks more than usual at 35,000 feet? While there is no single reason as to why, flying for some reason throws our bodies off balance🥲

While the study into why has yet to be done, researchers at the University of Miami found that people are likely to eat more if they perceive that food may be scarce.

Oxford University Professor Charles Spence, the head of the school's Crossmodal Research Laboratory, believes that our senses, like smell and taste, change when we fly.

According to Professor Spence, contributing factors are lower cabin air pressure, dry air, and the noise of the engines. Because of this, to make the food taste better, it needs more sugar and salt to make it taste like it would on the ground.

So why do people eat more when they are flying?🧐
- Temptation
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, just the thought of flying to a vacation destination can trigger the appetite in anticipation of the food we will taste.
- Boredom
Finding something to do while strapped into your seat at 35,000 can also lead to you eating more.
- Time zone changes
When you cross various time zones, you may eat more or crave certain types of food. Medical research has revealed that traveling through different time zones disrupts hormones that ordinarily suppress appetite. Adding to this can be a disruption of sleeping patterns as a change in sleeping habits increases cortisol levels, making you more hungry.
- Dehydration
Because the humidity in an aircraft cabin can be as low as 10%, you are bound to feel dehydrated and more thirsty than you usually would. This can also lead to an increase in appetite.

29/05/2023

The conventional practice of airline safety demonstrations has undergone significant change. With the advent of in-flight entertainment screens in the 1980s, airline safety videos have taken a central role in commercial travel.

The story of airline safety videos is a mix of regulation, competition, and innovation. Gone are the days of dull and identical explainers that put passengers to sleep. Instead, airlines seek a more engaging approach by incorporating catchy pop-culture references, humour, and visually striking productions to present safety features.

In the 1980s, the very first airline safety videos were usually played in tandem with flight attendant demonstrations. Not surprisingly, videos during this time typically featured filmed flight attendants, simple 2D animations, or basic 3D computer-generated graphics to show the safety procedures.

Back then, if safety videos had captions, they were usually only in the same language as the audio. In bilingual videos, the primary language's instructions were usually repeated verbally after being said in the secondary language, but the second language was rarely captioned.

In the late 2000s, airlines began using inflight safety videos to promote their brands. Airlines started creating videos with attention-grabbing choreography and famous personalities in an effort to attract more customers to fly with them.
In an era when social media was just beginning to take off, inflight safety videos were less of a viral sensation on the ground and more of an element of the onboard experience.

Since then, airlines have tried all sorts of tactics to make their safety videos go viral on social media platforms. Some airlines have used gimmicks like shooting the video at a soccer match or making it a musical. Even traditional airlines like British Airways or Air France have joined in on the trend with their unique take on the genre.

These days, airlines often use inflight safety videos not only as a means of promoting their brand identity but also to showcase cultural elements.

The most recent safety video by Air France is both straightforward and cinematic, with two flight attendants explaining the safety procedures as they walk you through France's tourist spots, promoting the country.

Air France proudly presents its new safety video, taking you on a stroll through the most beautiful places in France: the Paris Opera, the Château de Versail...