How Safe Is Your Plane?
BBC Knowledge|December 2016

So many of us take to the skies so often. Neil Ashton looks at the rigorous tests that planes undergo to ensure flying remains one of the safest modes of transport.

Neil Ashton
How Safe Is Your Plane?

Air travel is more popular than ever. Although aeroplanes have made it easier for us to explore the world, nearly one in three of us claims to be anxious or fearful of f lying.

Is this fear justified?

US statistics taken from between 2000 and 2009 show that car drivers or passengers suffer 7.3 deaths per billion miles. In contrast, air travel comes in at just 0.07 deaths per billion passenger miles. Of course, statistics can’t cure someone’s fear of f lying, but they do prove that it’s one of the safest ways to get from A to B. This safety is thanks to the testing that every single part of the aircraft has to go through before it’s allowed to undertake its first f light.

IN THE FREEZER

While passengers get to enjoy the comfort of air conditioning, the engines have to be able to cope with temperatures as low as -55°C during cruise conditions. Here, one of the latest engines is being pushed to its limits at a General electric testing facility in Winnipeg, Canada. It’s being blasted with icy water from hundreds of nozzles at sub-zero temperatures to check that it will maintain power in cold environments. temperature tests are important to the airlines because they want to make sure that their planes can operate in as many environments as possible. each time they have to ground an aircraft because of bad weather, they lose money.

TURBULENT TIMES

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2016-Ausgabe von BBC Knowledge.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 2016-Ausgabe von BBC Knowledge.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS BBC KNOWLEDGEAlle anzeigen
Are We Close To Making Our Home Away From Earth?
BBC Knowledge

Are We Close To Making Our Home Away From Earth?

Our exploration of the cosmos is hampered by our bodies and minds, which struggle in space. So could we ever overcome our Biology and settle among the stars?

time-read
10 Minuten  |
August 2017
The Viruses That Made Us Human
BBC Knowledge

The Viruses That Made Us Human

Viruses give us infections, from the common cold to Ebola and Aids. But new research shows that they may also have played a key role in shaping the evolution of homo sapiens.

time-read
9 Minuten  |
June 2017
Can You Supercharge Your Brain?
BBC Knowledge

Can You Supercharge Your Brain?

Your brain is the finely-tuned machine that controls all your actions and emotions, so it makes sense to keep it well-oiled. But, asks Rita Carter, are there any scientifically proven methods to ensure it works better for longer?

time-read
7 Minuten  |
June 2017
The Yaksha's Quiz
BBC Knowledge

The Yaksha's Quiz

One day, a man approached the Pandavas while they were in exile in the forest.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
February 2017
Are Dogs Making Us Healthy Too?
BBC Knowledge

Are Dogs Making Us Healthy Too?

While we know our furry friends are brilliant companions, Dr John Bradshaw finds out if they could actually be making us healthier too.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
February 2017
Welcome to the Jungle
BBC Knowledge

Welcome to the Jungle

As our cities grow, animals are having to carve out a niche in this most human of habitats. Fredi Devas, producer of the urban episode of Planet Earth II, spent four years getting to know these metropolitan pioneers.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
April 2017
How Should History Remember Fidel Castro?
BBC Knowledge

How Should History Remember Fidel Castro?

To many, he was a heroic champion of the disenfranchised; to others, a cruel tyrant. Following Fidel Castro’s death in November 2016, we asked five historians to offer their verdicts on the Cuban leader’s life and legacy.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
April 2017
Ismat Chughtai
BBC Knowledge

Ismat Chughtai

Author and historian Urvashi Butalia details the life and words of a feminist powerhouse.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
April 2017
NASA's Compact Nuclear Reactors Could Power Colonies On Mars
BBC Knowledge

NASA's Compact Nuclear Reactors Could Power Colonies On Mars

IF humans are ever to build colonies on the Moon or on Mars, we are going to need a reliable way of powering essentials such as lighting, water and oxygen supply – not to mention a means of producing fuel for the long schlep home.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2018
Acoustic Tractor Beam Breakthrough Could Lead To Levitating Humans
BBC Knowledge

Acoustic Tractor Beam Breakthrough Could Lead To Levitating Humans

HERE’S an idea that is really gaining traction: for the first time, University of Bristol engineers have created an acoustic tractor beam capable of trapping objects larger than the wavelength of the sound being used.

time-read
1 min  |
April 2018