Non-stop flight

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A non-stop flight is a flight in which there is no stopover between the starting point and the destination .

Civil aviation

With the onset of jet air traffic across the Atlantic, non-stop flights gained advertising significance, as most of the piston-engine-powered aircraft had to make one or even several stopovers to refuel on their flight from Europe to North America.

At present, non-stop flights are possible for passenger aircraft up to 17,000 km. The longest flight operated by Singapore Airlines with an A350-900ULR from New York to Singapore (flight SIA 21) with 15,345 kilometers (air line) or approx. 16,500 (actual distance) and a planned flight time of 18½ hours. The second longest non-stop flight is Qatar Airways QR920 from Auckland , New Zealand to Doha , Qatar . The flight has a distance of 14,551 km (as the crow flies) and a scheduled flight time of 17 hours and 50 minutes and is carried out with a Boeing 777.

Such ultra-long-haul flights are not very economical, as compared to a stopover after nine hours, the fuel has to be carried for the second nine hours, which reduces the payload and the total weight is significantly higher in the first half of the flight. Since a crew is not allowed to carry out the entire flight without breaks, additional personnel must also travel and have suitable rest facilities on board. Whether the saved costs for starting fees and personnel changes on the ground on the one hand and the fuel for the saved start on the other hand are lower than the additional costs must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the flight route, the lack of a suitable landing option for the type of aircraft (e.g. at the North Pole or in the middle of a desert) can be decisive.

For safety reasons, no records are strived for in line operations. The FAI record is therefore held for test and transfer flights of two versions of the Boeing 777 .

Non-stop flights are not to be confused with direct flights , where the flight number remains unchanged, but stopovers are possible. Depending on the number of stopovers, they are referred to as "One Stop", "Two Stop" etc. in the flight plans.

Military aviation

Military aircraft are refueled in the air to extend their range ; For example, the US President's machine, Air Force One , can remain in the air for seven days without landing, for example in the event of a terrorist threat on the ground.

Non-stop flights as record flights

The first non-stop flights on certain routes are considered special records, especially for non-fliers; Among other things, because they were rewarded with prize money from newspaper publishers and other patrons at the beginning of the 20th century and were accordingly accompanied by the media. Examples of this are the crossings of the English Channel and the Atlantic .

As a promotional proof of the reliability of new aircraft designs and components, non-stop flights on certain routes and especially over the North Atlantic are still enjoying a certain popularity with aircraft manufacturers and operators.

Non-stop Atlantic crossings

On June 16, 1919 provide Alcock and Brown in a Vimy with the first non-stop transatlantic flight from St. John's ( Newfoundland ) to Clifden ( Ireland ) for the lead story of the New York Times
  • June 14, 1919, Vickers Vimy , first plane crossing (west-east), Atlantic Prize
  • July 2, 1919, R34 , first Atlantic crossing of a rigid airship (east-west)
  • July 9, 1919, R34 , first Atlantic crossing of a rigid airship (west-east)
  • May 20, 1927, Spirit of St. Louis , first solo Atlantic crossing by plane (west-east), Orteig Prize
  • April 12, 1928, Junkers W 33 , first plane crossing the Atlantic (east-west)
  • September 4, 1936, Percival Vega Gull , first solo Atlantic crossing by plane (east-west)
  • August 10, 1938, Focke-Wulf Fw 200 , first Atlantic crossing of a land-based passenger plane (east-west)
  • October 4, 1958, De Havilland DH.106 Comet , first passenger jet crossing the Atlantic on the New York – London route (west-east)
  • October 4, 1958, De Havilland DH.106 Comet , first passenger jet crossing the Atlantic on the route London – New York (east-west)
  • May 31 to June 1, 1967, Sikorsky S-61 (two machines of the US version HH-3 Jolly Green Giant ), first helicopter Atlantic crossing in 30 hours and 40 minutes with 9 air refueling (west-east)
  • September 26, 1973, Concorde , first Atlantic crossing of a supersonic passenger jet on the Washington – Paris route (west-east, 3h 33 min)
  • June 17, 1974, Concorde , first Atlantic crossing of a supersonic passenger jet on the Paris – Boston route (east-west)
  • August 21, 1998, aerosonde , first drone crossing the Atlantic (west-east)
  • August 11, 2003, Tam 5 , first Atlantic crossing of a model airplane under 5.0 kg (west-east)
  • August 16, 2004, DA42 Twin Star , first Atlantic crossing of a general aviation aircraft with diesel engines (west-east)

More non-stop flights

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Status: 2005
  2. ↑ Flightradar24: Singapore Airlines Flight SQ21. Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Doha - Auckland nonstop: Qatar Airways completes the longest scheduled flight in the world . In: Spiegel Online . February 6, 2017 ( spiegel.de [accessed June 6, 2018]).
  4. ↑ 777-200LR for aircraft over 300t and 777-200ER for aircraft from 250 to 300t
  5. ↑ z. B. Lord Northcliffe , founder of the Daily Mail , from 1906.
  6. ↑ z. B. Raymond Orteig