Aviation Trivia: 6 Little-Known Facts About Aviation

For many of us, flying is something we take for granted. You show up at the airport, go through security, board your flight, and deplane at your destination.
Honestly, it can get quite boring when you think about it that way. We think flying should amaze the mind each time, not feel like another mode of transportation.

To help you get excited about flying once again, here are six little-known aviation trivia.

Aviation Trivia to Get You Excited About Flying

Longest Commercial Flight

Back in February, Qatar Airlines snagged the title for operating the longest commercial flight from Doha, Qatar to Auckland, New Zealand. Using Qatar Airlines’ Boeing 777-200LR, the flight covered 14,535 km and took 16 hours and 23 minutes. There were four pilots on board plus 15 crew members.

We should note this is the longest distance on the surface of the Earth a flight has covered. Regarding flying distance, Air India’s flight from Delhi to San Francisco holds the title of longest flight.

Shortest Commercial Flight

On the flip side, the title for shortest commercial flight goes to Loganair and its route from Westray to Papa Westray in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. The tickets cost $30 per passenger, and the flight takes approximately 47 seconds with the right wind conditions.

For the most part, passengers using this service are a part of the Orkney’s education council or are doctors and patients of the Scottish National Health System.

Airport With the Most Passengers

By sheer volume of people alone, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport has been the busiest airport in the world for 19 years.

In 2015, the airport processed over 101 million passengers. This enormous number of passengers is thanks to Hartsfield-Jackson’s many domestic connections and several airlines who use the airport as a hub. These airlines include Delta, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines.

Highest International Passenger Traffic

In terms of international passengers, Dubai International Airport has snagged the title as busiest airport. Dubai International served 83.6 million international travellers in 2016, a 7.2% growth from the previous year.

Bodily Effects

We’ve never heard of anyone being particularly excited about aeroplane food unless you’re ordering caviar on Lufthansa.

A study in 2014 showed that the loud environment on an aeroplane can dull a person’s ability to taste sweet things and enhance their enjoyment of umami flavours. It’s for this reason you’ll hear so many people ask for tomato juice on flights.

If you’re trying to make the best of a not-so-great meal, opt for the umami-rich dish.

Planes and Lightning

Did you know aeroplanes are designed to withstand lightning strikes? Each airline manufacturer takes extreme measures to ensure a lightning bolt’s current can travel safely through an outer shell of the aircraft without damaging crucial components like the fuel tanks.

The Flight Safety Foundation estimates that an aeroplane is struck by lightning about once every 1,000 hours of flight time. Despite this seemingly frequent occurrence, it’s highly unlikely an aeroplane would crash due to a lightning strike.

Just Keep Flying!

There are so many more interesting aviation trivia to learn! Air travel makes seeing the world so accessible, and, of course, it’s fun to learn about flying along the way.