Worlds safest airlines 2016

When we book an airline ticket we often account for many factors such as comfort, price, and safety. The prominence of airline safety is often discussed, however never deemed as highly controversial. For any geeks out there, below is a compiled list of the safest airlines in my opinion. The airlines listed are in no specific order.

1. Qantas Airways 

Qantas Airways have an extraordinary safety record standing out in the history of aviation. The airline has never encountered a fatal crash resulting in the loss of lives. Many could argue and say the airline has endured problems in regards to safety, for example flight QF32 operating out of Singapore Changi Airport (SIN). These unfortunate events in my opinion, do not lower the safety standard of the airline, but prove their pilot training and pilot experience is highly renowned leading to the need for the airline to receive a higher safety classification. 

Qantas is the national airline of Australia and operates a range of domestic and international flights with its base being Sydney, Australia (SYD). The airline is also a close partner with Emirates and a member of OneWorld. In my opinion Qantas is the safest Airline in the world. 

2. Singapore Airlines 

Singapore Airlines have a mostly clean safety record. The airline has encountered one accident in the past resulting in death of some passengers. This flight was SQ006 on October 30, 2000. Aside from this incident, the airline is otherwise clean and has no other fatal crashes on record. The airline assures to keep their aircraft safe and modern in addition to a high standard of crew training which is conducted regularly and in the SIA centre, Singapore. 

Singapore Airlines is the national airline of Singapore and operates international flights, as Singapore is a small island. The airports base is Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), which is also known to be the best airport in the world (2015). In addition the airline is a member of Star Alliance. 

3. Air New Zealand 

Air New Zealand is unsurprisingly based in Auckland, New Zealand and is the national airline of New Zealand. Furthermore, the airline has held a great safety standing since its foundation exceeding 70 years ago with no accidents reported. The modern airline carries a high standard of safety observed through its well conducted cabin crew and pilot training. The airline is known to have interesting and engaging safety demonstrations prior to the commencement of flights. 

Air New Zealand services a wide range of domestic and international flights in and out of New Zealand. It is also a member of Star Alliance. 

4. Korean Air 

Korean Air has not had a good reputation in regards to safety deeming from the past. The airline has a record abundant with serious and detrimental accidents which was known to result from a range of factors. However, it can fairly be considered one of the safest airlines today as its poor safety conduct advocated for a major change to be conducted in the airline. The airline took steady improvements in areas such as maintenance, air crew communication and other prominent aspects to flight operation. As a result of this, the airline made advanced improvements and has not been involved in an incident for over 10 years. 

Just saying, this list is in no apparent sequence, additionally it does not intend to scrutinise companies and does not include all the airlines that are safe. 

Top 10 Airports 2015

This blog throws a large emphasis on aircraft and the direct aviation side of things yet a large part of commercial aviation is the destination to which one is traveling. So tonight I thought, why not post about airports? They are such a prominent part of travel and ones experience using aviation. So I thought I would compile a list of the top 10 airports ranked by Skytrax in 2015.

10. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) 

Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is the main airport operating in China and the base of Air China. The airport has been seen to cater for an array of airlines and provide a high standard of customer service. PEK has been renowned for its flexibility in recent years, demonstrating an increase in the amount of travelers passing through the airport, since 2014. The airport appears clean and modernised with an array of entertainment available. 

 9. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Amsterdam Schiphol airport (AMS) is described as being an "Airport city", implying there is much more character to the facility than a place where one takes flights from. This is the main airport of the Netherlands and the hub for the airline, KLM. The airport conveniently operates flights from a range of different airlines to a range of different locations. In addition to its great convince, it also contains great entertainment and leisure activities for the modern traveler! 

8. London Heathrow Airport 

Heathrow Airport (LHR) sure does get its fair share of use! It is the 6th busiest airport in the world and the busiest airport in Europe. It appears that beside this, the airport has successfully occurred to the demand of its customers making it into the top 10. LHR is the hub for British Airways, a well known airline. 

7. Central Japan International Airport 

Central Japan International Airport (NGO) may be small in regards to traffic or size, however, that does not prevent it from being one of the nicest to visit! The airport accommodates nicely to demand, containing many favourable facilities such as free WIFI access, restaurants, shopping and more! The airport is also renowned for its high standard of hygiene and efficient customer service. 

6. Zurich Airport 

Zurich Airport (ZHR) is conveniently located in Switzerland making it an "easy" exchange point for passengers wanting to travel across continents. The airport is the largest in Switzerland, in addition to being recognised as the hub of Swiss international airlines. The airport has a range of positive views commenting positively on the lively aspects presented by the airport. 

5. Tokyo International Airport Haneda 

Haneda Airport (HND) is one of two highly prominent, main airports in Tokyo. The airport assists both domestic and international flights servicing from and into Japans capital, Tokyo. Japans national airlines Japan Airlines and All Nippion Airways (ANA) both operate out of Haneda. 

4. Hong Kong International Airport 

Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) completed its construction 1998 as it was built as a replacement for the "dangerous" airport prior. The airport is the hub for Cathay Pacific Airways, a highly reputable airline. In addition to the facts, the airport is a pleasant stop over for tired and grumpy passengers featuring an array of leisure and relaxation activities. 

3. Munich Airport 

Munich Airport (MUC) is the second busiest airport in Germany. The airport provides a flexible method for users of the facility such as pleasant transport to the airport, and sufficient parking space for locals whom may be using the airport to travel. In addition to this, the airport is a busy one proving to be a hub for a list of German airlines, including Lufthansa. The airport has an intriguing history surrounding its development. 

2. Incheon International Airport 

Located in Seoul, South Korea Incheon International airport (INC) is the most popular airport in South Korea. This amazing airport provides individuals or groups access to the amazing city of Seoul! In addition to its advantageous location, the airport is significantly busy providing a home of Korean Airlines and the well regarded Asiana Airlines. The airport has been reported to be a pleasant one by travelers. 

1. Singapore Changi International Airport 

Yes! You guessed it, Number 1 is Singapore! If you have ever visited this airport, you would easily agree its more of a destination itself as oppose to an airport. It clean, dynamic, operational, the staff are friendly and overall its a nice environment to be in. In addition, it has many features such as play equipment, a whole shopping mall, ambient plane spotting facilities and lounges, cinemas and more! The airport is home to Singapore Airlines and devotes terminal 2 to the airlines operation. There are many small features of this airport that contribute to its fame, such as flooring to create minimal friction allowing passengers to reach flights with sufficient time. How intelligent!! 

Overall, these airports all seem to truly enhance ones travel experience! If you are wanting to travel one day, I hope you get to visit one of these fantastic airports to get the most from your travel experience! 

Stalling

When one hears the word "stall" what do they automatically assume? My number 1 guess would be a cease of engine function, unless of course they are a pilot. Overall the loss of engine function in a car isn't such a scary thought, but if the engine stopped working in an aircraft? That sounds quite detrimental. However, thankfully, that is not a stall in an aircraft!

So what is a stall? Simply explained, stalling is the term used to explain a loss of lift. Scary? Not as you may think! Flight is generated through application and understanding of the four forces; lift, weight, thrust and drug. These forces counteract to produce flight. Lift is the most prominent force to understand when we refer to stalling, lift is generated using an aerofoil (commonly referred to as the wing). The aerofoil contains increased curvature on the top, with decreased curvature below it, essentially allowing Bernoullis theorem to materialise as it creates a significant difference in pressure generating an upwards forces referred to as... LIFT!! Lift generation occurs on numerous different elements of the wing, however for simplification we refer to lift in theory as acting through the centre of pressure (COP). The COP is the point where the average of most lift produced appears to act.

Now we can FINALLY get onto the actual stalling element, yay! So, as you may know aircraft fly with a reasonable angle of attack (angle between relative airflow and chord line). With each aircraft, there is a corresponding "critical angle". The critical angle is the maximum angle of attack that a particular aircraft can achieve without... stalling! For example, the C152 has an AOA of ~15 degrees (in theory). When the nose reaches this angle, the critical angle, the centre of pressure will move forward on the aerofoil and the perfect laminar flow (smooth airflow over the wing) will be disrupted, and even replaced with turbulent flow! To flights detriment, the turbulent flow now produced over the wing will not be sufficient enough to support the weight of the aircraft... so the aircraft will sink. AOA isn't the only factor that contributes to stalling, other factors such as power setting and flaps will contribute!

So now we know how an aircraft stalls and what a stall is, do you believe it is detrimental? You could easily assume yes.... but NO! A stall won't kill you! They are really quite easy to recover from. Just like riding a bicycle! When you steer it in the wrong direction, just correct it! The method for recovering from a stall is simple, full power setting is required n addition to easing forward on the control column! The pilot may also have to use rudder in order to handle a wing drop!

Stalling is nothing to be afraid of! Student pilots learn how to stall and recover from it! I remember my first stall recovery attempt as a student pilot, I accidentally pushed forward on the control rather than "easing forward" in addition to full power. As a result the aircraft dived towards the ground and we were kind of coming out of our seats a bit due to gravity... ops hahaha :)

My view on modern aircraft

Consider this, your going on an overseas holiday and getting there via air travel. Many (non avgeek) individuals in the general public wouldn't give much thought to the aircraft they will be traveling in, however, if they did aircraft like the 747 or 777 would come to mind! Right? Well, the 747 is slowly dying out and becoming a figure of the past, apart from the modern 747-8 :) So this isn't really an aircraft that is considered to be prevalent into the future.

So how about more modern aircraft that haven't been in service for that long!! How about the A330 or A380? They seem pretty modern right, and possibly the aircraft that will be widespread into the future?

Think again. 

The A380 took to the sky for the first time in the year 2005, so yes for air travel that is quite modern. Additionally, the A380 is also used around the globe by a range of carriers, so it would appear highly popular. However, despite all the pros to this (amazing) aircraft and consider how airlines are reacting to this aircraft. To sum it up, Airbus have taken the idea into consideration of revoking on the A380 production! How sad ;( So does this really seem to be the aircraft of the future? 

Personally, I believe the future is shaped by the (to come) popularity of smaller, more efficient aircraft, such as the 787 Dreamliner and A350. These aircraft feature unprecedented technologies, and whilst they may not be still flying 80 years down the track, I strongly believe they will be in 10. The construction of these aircraft is predominantly carbon fibre, which is a lighter and simultaneously stronger material than the traditional aluminium. These aircraft feature up to 80% cabin fibre in their construction, whilst the A380 only contains 20% carbon fibre. 

These aircraft are highly efficient in regards to the environment, requiring less fuel (predominantly due to less weight) and maximise passenger comfort in innovative, unprecedented ways. Methods such as lighting window control (to replace window shades) and increased oxygen into the cabin to avoid after flight feelings of "grogginess" as well as the presence of such technology such as  accelerometers to predict turbulence and alter the flap position during flight to avoid passenger discomfort, all sound fantastic! So why not use these aircraft more in the future!!??

The subjective cons 

In all the goodness that may sound from the mention of higher usage of the 787 and A350, there are a few cons which I believe have the potential to become problematic into the future. Today I will only mention 1:

Space 

The frequency and popularity of air travel is predicted to increase into the future, this data can be inferred by information such as the growing demands for pilots and the increasing wealth of less developed nations. Anyhow, if more people are traveling, and we are opting to use smaller aircraft as oppose to larger aircraft such as the A380, that implies we will have many more aircraft in the sky. What about midair collisions? 

I will likely do another post concerning modern aircraft and the pros and cons particularly.  

4 Most interesting Boeing Aircraft

Boeing is a prominent manufacturer in the aerospace industry today. The company was founded in the early 1900s by William Boeing, primarily to manufacture aeroplanes for the use of the growing aviation industry. The company's first aircraft was named the "Boeing model 1". Today Boeing is one of the largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft and is the largest exporter in the United States based on income. This post is to focus on 4 Boeing aircraft in which I personally find most intriguing, so here they are:

747

Well the mention of the 747 in this post may appear mandatory as this is an aircraft highly regarded by aviation enthusiasts, yet simultaneously knowledge about this particular aircraft is prevalent among general members of society. Research indicates that 2/3 of individuals have flown on the 747 at some stage in their lives. wow! That figure is high.

So the 747 is an aircraft that has been modernised from its original model, designed in the 1960s and since updated. The aircraft was an innovative design, testing unprecedented aerodynamic capability. It is the first aircraft to have 2 storeys with the original designs featuring adjacent cabins, "stacked" cabins and other ideas. However, the idea settled on by the pioneers was to place the cockpit on top of the cabin as a safety feature. Familiarisation with modern day air travel would indicate that its safe to have two passenger cabins vertically adjacent, however, without the invention of the 747 these modern designs may not exist...

Sadly, the 747 is gradually becoming less prevalent with newer aircraft taking its place. The 747-8 (the most modern design of the 747) was introduced in 2009 and is currently being operated by a few airlines worldwide. Lufthansa being one. 

A 747 operated by Air France. Recently (Jan 2016) this airline retired its last 747.

787

The Boeing 787, also referred to as the "Dreamliner" is a commercial aircraft designed and built by Boeing that first took to the sky on December 15, 2009. The airliner is a luxurious one, with complimentary features such as window lighting, lower fuel consumption, LED lighting functions and "invisible" features contributing to greater overall passenger comfort. 

The 787 brings an unprecedented travel experience to passengers. Especially so that the aircraft uses modern substitutes for traditional materials such as aluminium. The 787 is built from an 80% carbon fibre construction. Carbon fibre is more efficient than the traditional aluminium, being stronger yet lighter it contributes to the saving of fuel.

The Dreamliner is features many innovative designs, with primary function aimed at reducing the cost of operation. To start, we can discuss the absence of window shades. They are replaced by changeable lighting features, to help in reducing the weight of the aircraft. Additionally, the absence of window shades is beneficial to passenger comfort; providing passengers with the sense of more room. Another prominent feature of the 787 is the increased oxygen flow in the cabin. The cabin circulates oxygen at a higher frequency than most other commercial airliners. Additionally, the purity of the oxygen in the cabin is higher. This is highly beneficial for passenger comfort, removing the "groggy" feeling often associated with air travel and flight experiences. The 787 features many more unprecedented features, which will be discussed in further detail in a later blog post :)

The 787 is currently being operated by numerous airlines worldwide, and the number is set to grow. The first customer is known ANA (All Nippion Airlines) based in Japan. The aircraft is also operated by many other prevalent carriers such as Japan Airlines, Jetstar, Qatar and more.

An image of a 787 Dreamliner coming in for landing, operated by ANA.

737

The Boeing 737 is currently one of the most prevalent aircraft in operation around the globe. The original version, the 737-100, commenced its first flight in 1967. The fundamental design of this aircraft was deprived form Boeings 707 and 727 as a more efficient, short haul twin engine airliner. The 737 commenced with extreme deprivation in regards to popularity, and was almost revoked from production. However, today (2016) it is the most popular aircraft.

The 737 has been developed over its lifetime. The most modern version of this aircraft is the 737-800 which is currently in operation with many airlines. Qantas for one operates it on the PER- BNE route. The 737-800 and other versions of the 737 aircraft is utilised with many airlines. Some of these include; Qantas, Lufthansa, Delta and many others.

Boeing company lively 737.

777

If you have read a few earlier posts on this blog, its possible you may have stumbled across my flight review for Singapore Airlines. Yes, that was a Boeing 777 and the flight was highly enjoyable :-) 

The Boeing 777 is a medium to long range airliner entailing numerous versions of this particular aircraft, from the 777-222 to the 777-300ER, this aircraft has many versions. The aircraft commenced with its first flight in 1994 and has continued to develop and prosper ever since. The 777 is continuously being updated, with the 777X taking to the sky in recent times. 

This aircraft is commonly used among modern carriers such as Emirates, Qatar, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines and many others. 

Emirates 777

2015 Aviation accidents

2015 has been a fairly successful year for the aviation industry, with limited number of air accidents in comparison to other years. In terms of commercial aviation concerning passenger jets, only 7 aircraft have been known to endure problems. This is significantly lower than expected given the known number of flight departures per year, saying much about the safety present in this expanding industry. The significant accidents of 2015 are listed as follows:

Air Canada 624 

This accident occurred early in the year, on March 29, 2015. The accident involved an A320 with a scheduled departure from Toronto, bound from Halifax. It is known that the meteorological conditions played a significant role in the visibility obtainable to the pilots and the aircraft skidded off the end of the runway. Minimal fatalities occurred and most passengers recovered safely. 

Asiana 162

This accident involved another A320 aircraft, headed from seoul Inchon International airport (ICN) to Hiroshima, Japan. This accident materialised on April 14, 2015 and the aircraft was known to touch down slightly short of the runway, resulting in the aircraft skidding on its tail and ending up on a grass patch adjacent to the terminal building. The accident was insignificant and all survived with minimal fatalities. 

British Airways 2276

This incident was involving a Boeing 777 operated by British Airways on route from Las Vegas to Gatwick airport. Unfortunately, due to the presence of an unexpected fire occurring on takeoff the aircraft aborted the takeoff and refrained from departing Las Vegas on September 8, 2015. No one on board was significantly injured. 

Delta Airlines 1086

An MD-88 aircraft on path from Atlanta to LGA airport, New York endured an incident, resulting in the aircraft running up a seawall berm and striking a perimeter fence. There was no fatalities, which was lucky regarding the circumstances. 

German Wings 9525

On March 24, 2015 a GermanWings A320 aircraft struck an unfortunate deed, nose diving into the french alps north east of French town, Nice. The aircraft was departing Spain and headed for Germany. The cause of the crash is believed to be a case of pilot suicide, consequently all passengers and crew on board did not survive. 

Turkish Airways 1878 

On April 25, 2015 Turkish Airways flight 1878 endured an incident whilst servicing the flight from Milan to Istanbul. The aircraft was an A320, and was thought to roll prior to landing, damaging the wing and causing a fire. Minimal fatalities were reported. 

Transasia 235

Transasia 235 was operating on a routine flight from Taipei to Kinsmen in an ATR72-600 aircraft when it was known that one of the engines flamed out, followed by loss of the other engine. The inequality of power caused the aircraft to bank sharply prior to crashing in the Keelung river. This occurred on February 4, 2015 and 48 out of 54 passengers did not survive. 

Taking into account the number of flights departing yearly, the accident rate for 2015 concerning commercial passenger jets is relatively low. The A320 aircraft, however, did endure a rather unfortunate year having the aircraft involved in 4/7 accidents. Happy New Year!! 

4 intriguing Airbus aircraft

Airbus is well known globally for its reputation of providing airlines with popular, high standard and modern aircraft. The company has grown since its foundation in 1970 only to become a leading manufacturer of modern aircraft. Along with its close competitor, Boeing, the company has developed many technologically advanced aircraft, which is expected to only improve in the future. I opted to write about 5 specific, mostly modern Airbus aircraft that not only define Airbus as a company, but set unprecedented standards in concern to technology.

1. A380

The A380 commenced its first flight in April 2005 and its first service on October 25, 2005 with Singapore Airlines. The A380 Aircraft is a modern, 2 storey commercial jetliner designed specifically for the purpose of transporting abundances of cargo and passengers. Despite the size of this jumbo, it can be quieter than smaller aircraft, even 737s and A320s! Powered by Rolls Royce Tent 900 (RRT-900) engines and consisting of of 20% carbon fibre construction, this jump is especially fuel efficient and more environmental friendly than former aircraft. 

The first flight of the A380 was with Singapore Airlines from Paris to Singapore. The following day, it proceeded with its first passenger service form Singapore to Sydney, Australia (SIN-SYD). In modern day many airlines globally operate this aircraft, with the most prevalence in the Emirates fleet, who intend to expand their A380 services.  

2. A330

The A330 is a medium range commercial airliner, which proceeded with its first flight on November 2, 1992. The aircraft is commonly utilised around the globe with an array of different airlines. The typical economy configuration of the A330-300 is 2-4-2. This configuration differs slightly between classes of travel or airlines. The A330s design was used design the A340, which is the second longest commercial airliner and designed to fly longer routes. 

3. A320 

The A320 is a short to medium airliner designed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This particular aircraft is a fierce competitor with the Boeing 737, sharing numerous similar qualities and features. The A320 is operated by many airlines worldwide and is one of the most operated aircraft in history. Recent developments in regards to this aircraft enhance the performance and quality of flight. The A320neo is one of these aircraft. 

4. A350 

The A350 took to the sky for the first time in 2013. The A350 is built primarily of a carbon fibre construction, alike its close competitor the 787 and its big brother the A380. The A350 focuses on passenger comfort and achieves this through a range of methods such as aerodynamic enhancement, avionic development and modern design. This aircraft has been ordered by many airlines, however only a select few have received their orders for this aircraft and operate the A350. These carriers include Finnair, Vietnam airlines and Qatar airways.