Airbus said in jealous aspirations of Boeing once -"It's not the looks that cut the air!!"
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| A Boeing 737-800 Air India caught on camera by me departing from Calicut Airport! |
What happens when two roaring Pratt & Whitney jet engines are attached to 300 tons of metal alloy? It flies! Amazing huh!?
Of course a lot goes on before that happens. Even so, the thought of 300000 kgs of metal staying in the air for hours unaffected by gravity!? It Never ceases to amaze me!! And one would think that you'd jump in the air and stay airborne for atleast a little while being mostly less than a quintal (1/10 of a ton :P) as we are... Doesn't happen does it?
So here's what goes on (in short) before the 300tons of Aluminium, Titanium and Kevlar alloy can fly- Art!!
Careful engineering analysis of every inch of the surface makes it aerodynamic. And also, Mind it! gives it the capacity to carry 300 plus people across the globe in a matter of few hours... A hollow spindle shaped body that stretches from nose to tail for about 75 m and contains seating arrangement for 300 or more passengers, 200 cu meter of space for cargo and a fuel tank with a capacity of almost 200 tons of Aviation Fuel, besides the various wirings, hydraulic lines and air passages, all beautifully panelled from inside for comfort and outside for the sleek yet lofty look, (or for aerodynamics ;)) cuts through the air like an arrow. The flattened hollow wings curving Oh! so slightly upwards and tapering back somehow attached so strongly to the main body that they can endure speeds of upto 900km/hr without tearing off, defy gravity and carry her so far above the ground that she soars above all mankind at heights of upto 13 kms from sea level - The Arrogance she claims is unbeaten! The hollow wings also contain extremely purified aviation fuel and attached to this beautiful masterpiece of engineering is another triumph of great human intelligence and uniqueness- My roaring Pratt & Whitney's! Oh my! The goosebumps... I wonder if you've ever heard the roar of a jet engine from near proximity, (not from the inside comfort of the soundproof body of an aircraft, but actually standing outside- Just outside). In one word its Deafening!! As the engines start you'll see the tiny men standing outside from the small windows of your seats plug their ears and instinctively take a step back... And then the turbines slowly start to rotate till they whizz past at about 15000 cycles per minute and look like solid discs instead of fan blades, that are actually slicing up the air in streamlined flow through the insides of the engine. What goes on in there is a matter of science, engineering, aerodynamics, fire and fuel! But what happens outside is that these two engines attached one on each side of the main body under the wings thrusts the humungous 300 plus tons of airplane so fast on the runway that she gets airborne in a matter of about 48 seconds and remains so for the next 14 to 16 hours till you cross the globe halfway through and land her back safely in the arms of gravity! What beauty! What mesmerising, captivating marvellous feat!
Of course a lot goes on before that happens. Even so, the thought of 300000 kgs of metal staying in the air for hours unaffected by gravity!? It Never ceases to amaze me!! And one would think that you'd jump in the air and stay airborne for atleast a little while being mostly less than a quintal (1/10 of a ton :P) as we are... Doesn't happen does it?
So here's what goes on (in short) before the 300tons of Aluminium, Titanium and Kevlar alloy can fly- Art!!
Careful engineering analysis of every inch of the surface makes it aerodynamic. And also, Mind it! gives it the capacity to carry 300 plus people across the globe in a matter of few hours... A hollow spindle shaped body that stretches from nose to tail for about 75 m and contains seating arrangement for 300 or more passengers, 200 cu meter of space for cargo and a fuel tank with a capacity of almost 200 tons of Aviation Fuel, besides the various wirings, hydraulic lines and air passages, all beautifully panelled from inside for comfort and outside for the sleek yet lofty look, (or for aerodynamics ;)) cuts through the air like an arrow. The flattened hollow wings curving Oh! so slightly upwards and tapering back somehow attached so strongly to the main body that they can endure speeds of upto 900km/hr without tearing off, defy gravity and carry her so far above the ground that she soars above all mankind at heights of upto 13 kms from sea level - The Arrogance she claims is unbeaten! The hollow wings also contain extremely purified aviation fuel and attached to this beautiful masterpiece of engineering is another triumph of great human intelligence and uniqueness- My roaring Pratt & Whitney's! Oh my! The goosebumps... I wonder if you've ever heard the roar of a jet engine from near proximity, (not from the inside comfort of the soundproof body of an aircraft, but actually standing outside- Just outside). In one word its Deafening!! As the engines start you'll see the tiny men standing outside from the small windows of your seats plug their ears and instinctively take a step back... And then the turbines slowly start to rotate till they whizz past at about 15000 cycles per minute and look like solid discs instead of fan blades, that are actually slicing up the air in streamlined flow through the insides of the engine. What goes on in there is a matter of science, engineering, aerodynamics, fire and fuel! But what happens outside is that these two engines attached one on each side of the main body under the wings thrusts the humungous 300 plus tons of airplane so fast on the runway that she gets airborne in a matter of about 48 seconds and remains so for the next 14 to 16 hours till you cross the globe halfway through and land her back safely in the arms of gravity! What beauty! What mesmerising, captivating marvellous feat!
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| Me on the day of my familiarisation flight in Air India |
So next time you travel by air think of the unimaginable artwork you're sitting in, the roaring piece of human mastery that beats the gravity, cuts through the air and whizzes past the lands and oceans as if it owns them. As if it rules the world!!
And I for one among many others, humbly so stipulate one of these beautiful beasts!!!
I wrote this much before this trailer was released but I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd add it to my post for everyone to watch!
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So much time I spent writing this... Leave me here the words on your lips!!