Aviation Facts
@AirplaneCentral
Daily facts about the wonderful world of aircraft ✈️
At cruising altitude, your ability to taste salty and sweet foods can drop by 30–50%, which is why airline meals are often heavily seasoned or taste bland on the ground.
The FAA estimates that in the U.S., wherever you are, you’re typically within 3 minutes’ flying time of an airport — thanks to thousands of general aviation airfields.
What’s the worst commercial aircraft ever built?
At 35,000 feet, the temperature can drop to -60°C (-76°F) cold enough to instantly freeze water vapor and form contrails behind the engines.
From climb to descent, aircraft like the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 are flown mostly via autopilot and flight management systems, pilots monitor and make critical decisions, but rarely hand-fly the full flight.
At cruise, a 747 uses around 10–11 tons of fuel per hour, or roughly 1 gallon per second, yet it’s still more fuel-efficient per passenger-mile than a car when full.
In 1996, a British Airways Concorde flew from New York to London in a record 2 hours and 52 minutes. That’s more than twice the speed of sound (Mach 2.04).
Known as “ghost flights,” these are nearly empty planes flown solely to retain takeoff and landing slots at busy airports. It’s more cost-effective to fly nearly empty than to lose access to a prime gate.
The internal temperatures in a jet engine can exceed 3,000°F (1,650°C) — hotter than the melting point of the metals they’re made from. Air cooling systems prevent them from liquefying mid-flight.
Aircraft equipped with ADS-B Out technology continuously transmit their position via satellite meaning most aircraft are now tracked in real time, globally, even over oceans and polar regions.
In an all-economy configuration, the Airbus A380 can seat over 850 passengers. That’s more than the entire population of many small towns flying at 35,000 feet.
Is Boom Overture just a cheap knockoff version of Concorde?
Average flight delay globally was 15 minutes in 2023.
Women made up only 6% of airline pilots as of 2022‑24.
In‑flight Wi-Fi availability has risen to 86% of commercial aircraft currently in service.
