- 2 hours ago
Airports are so fascinating: they're that starting and the final point of so many adventures and interesting journeys. But have you ever paid attention to the location of airports? Why are so many of them built near some bodies of water? You can find lots of airports located next to the sea. Is there any particular reason for that? Let's find out!
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00:00A lot of airports are built near water, and there's a whole bunch of reasons for this.
00:04First off, most airports are located in big cities,
00:07and big cities are usually built near some form of water anyway.
00:11Back in the day, before trucks and proper roads were built,
00:15goods were transported by ship.
00:17Having a river or ocean nearby was vital to deliver essential supplies to the cities,
00:22like food and building supplies.
00:24It also allowed for trading to boost the local economies.
00:28Because most people travel into big cities for business and holidays,
00:32rather than rural areas, it made sense to build the airports there.
00:36The high demand for travel meant that the airports were needed and also made them profitable.
00:41But that's not the only reason they're built near water.
00:44Big cities are usually super crowded, and airports require a lot of land.
00:49Imagine trying to find a space big enough in the middle of New York City to put an airport.
00:54It would be basically impossible.
00:56Areas next to water are usually a bit more rural,
00:59so there's more space than the big cities filled with skyscrapers.
01:02Some countries have even taken this one step further.
01:06Land is really scarce in Japan,
01:08so to build Kansai International Airport,
01:11the architects of Osaka headed three miles offshore to Osaka Bay to make a man-made island.
01:16The artificial island is 13,200 feet long and 8,500 feet wide.
01:22That's so big that it can even be seen from space.
01:26It took a whopping 38 months to complete,
01:28and travelers can get across to the main island of Honshu via car, railroad, or high-speed ferry.
01:34Kansai International Airport opened in 1994 and became the world's first airport to be built on the sea.
01:42Despite its location, it has the longest airport terminal in the world with a length of just under one mile.
01:49Airplanes also can't have any obstacles around them when landing.
01:53It would be really difficult to try landing a plane with obstructions.
01:57These include trees, mountains, buildings, and power lines.
02:01Over water, nothing will restrict planes from taking off or landing, making it much safer.
02:07On mountainous islands, runways are often parallel to the ocean as the mountains are inland,
02:12just like in the Grand Canaria Airport located on one of the Canary Islands.
02:17It also links to safety reasons.
02:19If a plane has to cancel a runway landing and go back around again,
02:23there must be enough room for it to do this safely without hitting anything.
02:27It's also got to be able to climb back up into the air at a safe angle
02:31to avoid causing problems for the passengers inside.
02:34Reaching this safe altitude is much easier, quicker, and safer by the sea,
02:39compared to big cities or mountainous areas.
02:42Speaking of failed landings, pilots are trained to deal with engine failure on takeoff.
02:48If a plane reaches the right speed for takeoff, it has to leave the runway,
02:51even if the engine fails.
02:54But don't worry, planes can still fly with only one engine.
02:57It just requires a bit more effort.
03:00Because of the reduced capacity, it takes longer to reach the right altitude,
03:04and more space is required for takeoff.
03:07Taking off towards the ocean makes it easier to climb to a safe altitude
03:11without worrying about colliding with any obstacles.
03:15Another reason for airports being built at water level
03:18is that the higher up we go, the thinner the air becomes.
03:21It causes the thrust of the engines to decrease,
03:24as well as the lift produced by the wings.
03:27Setting off from higher areas means it's more difficult for the planes to take off.
03:31In terms of money, this would mean building longer runways,
03:34which would cost more, and no one wants that.
03:36This also means the planes require less fuel
03:39as they don't burn as much energy on takeoff,
03:42and there's less noise made as the planes don't have to work as hard.
03:46But despite this making the planes less noisy,
03:49airports are going to have pretty high noise levels.
03:52Imagine hearing planes zooming over your house
03:54while you're trying to get sleep at night.
03:56This is a key reason why airports are usually built on the coast
04:00far away from any residential areas,
04:02as fish aren't generally known to file noise complaints.
04:05In some countries, airports actually have to provide upgrades
04:09for nearby houses that will be affected by the noise.
04:12Germany is one of these countries,
04:14and they do everything from improving roofs
04:16to adding wall insulation to cover all that noise.
04:20Building by the coast means that they don't have to pay up
04:23for all these expensive upgrades,
04:24which saves the airport lots of cash.
04:27Coastal areas also have weather advantages for flying.
04:31Sea breezes are steady winds that blow from the water to the land.
04:34Planes mostly land and take off with the wind,
04:38making it the perfect place to build an airport
04:40as there'll be no delays caused by unexpected strong winds.
04:44But while the sea breezes that come in spring and summer are great,
04:48areas near water can be prone to fog during fall and winter,
04:51so this part has its pros and cons.
04:54But not every airport is on the coast,
04:56as it does also pose a number of issues too.
04:58One of the biggest is birds.
05:00Our feathered friends love the coast because of all the yummy fish,
05:04but they can cause big problems for pilots.
05:07But airports manage to get around this using scare tactics.
05:11Birds don't really enjoy noise,
05:13and planes aren't the quietest of things.
05:15Airports also make loud bangs,
05:17and even train hawks to take down birds that are in the way.
05:21The most obvious risk of building close to the sea, though,
05:24is flooding.
05:25Airports cost crazy amounts of money to build,
05:27and planes aren't cheap either.
05:30Back in 2018,
05:32Kansai Airport was flooded by Typhoon Jebi.
05:34They had to cancel all operations for two days,
05:37and the water was so high
05:39that it damaged the engines of the planes.
05:41While coastal airports put measures in place
05:44to protect against flooding,
05:45it's pretty difficult to save everything from a typhoon.
05:48With rising sea levels and an increase in extreme weather,
05:52these floodings are also looking more and more likely to happen.
05:55A quarter of the world's 100 busiest airports
05:58are less than 32 feet above sea level,
06:01and 12 of those, including New York, San Francisco, and Shanghai,
06:05are less than 16 feet.
06:07Yikes!
06:08All that water poses another problem.
06:11If planes overshoot the runway,
06:13they have nowhere to go.
06:15Overshooting is basically when the pilot
06:17underestimates the length of the runway
06:18and doesn't reach takeoff speed in time.
06:21There are usually extra bits of concrete or grass
06:24that the plane can run onto
06:25when the airports are on land.
06:27There'd be a bit of damage to the plane in this case,
06:30but nothing major.
06:31But with coastal airports,
06:32the plane might go straight into the water.
06:35Luckily, there's new tech
06:37that aims to prevent this from happening.
06:39These new kits let the pilots
06:41enter in all the flight calculations,
06:42including the weather conditions
06:44that could affect takeoff.
06:46This system then calculates
06:48how much runway the plane will need to stop.
06:50Many airports also have added soft concrete
06:53to the end of runways
06:55to avoid a watery disaster.
06:57When the plane glides onto this soft concrete,
07:00they get stuck,
07:01and it stops them traveling too far.
07:03There are also financial issues
07:05with building airports next to the water.
07:07Land rent next to the coast or lakes
07:10is usually higher than the mainland
07:11due to the demand.
07:13Like, 40% of the U.S. population
07:16lives on the coast,
07:17despite coastal areas
07:18only making up around 10%
07:20of America's total land mass.
07:23Airports require flat land to be built on,
07:26but this isn't always easy to find.
07:28And coastal land can pose particular problems
07:31due to sand conditions on marshland.
07:33But this doesn't mean it's not possible.
07:36One of the world's most famous airports,
07:38New York's JFK,
07:40was built on marshland.
07:42The land was a lot cheaper than usual,
07:44and marshland can't really be used for a lot.
07:47Of course, it can cost a lot of money
07:49to make the ground suitable to carry heavy loads,
07:52but this was all sorted.
07:54Finding such a big area
07:55close to one of the world's most famous cities
07:57was a very rare find,
07:59even if it was marshland.
08:01You turn the ignition key
08:02and hear the whirr of the propeller
08:04in front of the cockpit.
08:05It gets quicker and quicker
08:07until it's a blur
08:08and the plane begins to move forward
08:11down the runway.
08:12You're a trainee pilot,
08:13and this is your first supervised flight
08:16in a light aircraft.
08:17The instructor gives you an enthusiastic nod,
08:20and you begin to fly the plane upwards.
08:23Once you're in the air,
08:25you begin to relax
08:26until you hear a loud BANG.
08:29Suddenly, the engine gets very quiet,
08:32and the propeller slows to a stop.
08:34You're losing control of your plane,
08:36and with no way to maintain your speed,
08:39you're heading towards a crash landing.
08:42You've come too far to turn back,
08:44so the instructor quickly shouts instructions to you.
08:47For every 1,000 feet of lost altitude,
08:50a plane can glide for 1.5 miles.
08:53Light aircraft fly at low altitudes,
08:55so you're in a race against the clock
08:58to find a makeshift runway
09:00for your emergency landing.
09:02An enormous forest stretches out below you,
09:05but you can see a lake in the distance,
09:07so you ask the instructor
09:09whether you can land there.
09:11He urgently tells you not to.
09:13Hitting the water at this speed
09:15would badly damage the plane,
09:17and it would sink before you could get out.
09:19The plane gets closer and closer to the ground,
09:22and an explosive end.
09:24You've passed the lake,
09:26and he tells you to land on the long stretch of road
09:29that runs through the forest.
09:31You need to find a stretch
09:32that's straight enough to land at speed
09:34and free of obstructions,
09:36like roadside trees.
09:37The plane is scarily close to the ground,
09:40but luckily, the forest begins to thin,
09:43and the road straightens out enough
09:45to try the landing.
09:46It's now or never,
09:48so you begin your preparations.
09:50You cut the speed to about 60 miles an hour
09:53and try to avoid the drivers below.
09:56You carefully dodge electricity lines and road signs
09:59as you hover a few feet above the ground.
10:02People begin to swerve out of the road
10:04and panic when they see the out-of-control plane.
10:07You fly into the air
10:09as your wheels bounce off the road.
10:11Your nerve holds,
10:12and you manage to pilot it to a safe landing.
10:16Even though normal roads are not meant for planes,
10:19they're still straight pieces of asphalt,
10:22just like you'd find in an airfield.
10:24So, in an emergency,
10:26they make a perfect runway.
10:28This has even become a common practice
10:31in some parts of the world.
10:32In Australia,
10:34an entire air ambulance unit
10:36often lands on the local roads.
10:38The pilots need to be taught how to do this
10:41so they can get to the remote corners of the country
10:44in case of an emergency.
10:45In the outback,
10:47this is often vital for anyone unlucky enough
10:50to find themselves on the wrong side
10:52of the country's wildlife.
10:54Australia has 100 species of venomous snakes
10:57and 10,000 species of venomous spiders.
11:00So, this is more common than you might expect.
11:03When someone gets bitten in the wilderness,
11:06the rescue planes need to land somewhere nearby.
11:09They can't land on the soft, sandy ground
11:12because the planes are far too heavy.
11:14That only leaves the roads.
11:17This is such a problem for them
11:19that the people in Australia
11:20designed special roads for landing planes.
11:23They look like normal roads for cars,
11:26but with aviation markings
11:28to help the pilots land.
11:29There are also small pockets
11:32on the sides of the runway
11:33for aircraft parking.
11:35If you drove down one of these roads,
11:37you'd see special signs
11:39warning you
11:39that an airplane could suddenly appear.
11:42Luckily,
11:43there isn't much traffic in the outback,
11:45so cars and planes rarely meet each other.
11:48The only problem with landing in places this deserted
11:51is the lack of illumination.
11:53It's hard for the pilot
11:55to find a landing strip in the dark.
11:58In 2015,
11:59near South Florida,
12:01a pilot was flying
12:02a Piper PA-24 Comanche
12:04light-engine airplane.
12:06He was cleared to land
12:08at one of the airports,
12:09but the landing was delayed.
12:11He was forced to circle
12:12around the airport
12:13for so long
12:14that he ran out of fuel.
12:16The places he saw
12:17that were close enough to land on
12:19were a swamp,
12:20which was a terrible option,
12:22and a highway.
12:23It was 8.45 a.m.,
12:26rush hour.
12:27But still,
12:28the pilot steered the plane
12:29toward the busy road.
12:31The plane's engine wasn't running,
12:34so it flew silently
12:35towards the unsuspecting commuters.
12:37Most of them wouldn't have noticed it
12:39until it was only a few feet away.
12:42The pilot desperately tried to avoid
12:44highway signs,
12:45streetlights,
12:46and power lines.
12:47He was gradually losing altitude,
12:49and it was time to land.
12:51The pilot tried to warn the drivers
12:53of his approach,
12:53but it was no use.
12:56One of the drivers,
12:57Daniel,
12:58was relaxing on his drive to work.
13:00He nodded along to his favorite song
13:02and thought about what he was going to eat for lunch.
13:04Suddenly,
13:05the whole car shook.
13:07He looked behind him
13:08to see the roof of his car
13:10being sliced into pieces
13:11by a giant propeller.
13:13The screeching noise of the tearing metal
13:16and fear
13:17almost caused Daniel to lose control,
13:19but he kept his hands firmly on the wheel
13:22and hoped the propeller wouldn't reach him.
13:25Seconds later,
13:26the plane slowed to a stop.
13:28Amazingly,
13:29no one was hurt in the incident,
13:31and even the plane sustained almost no damage.
13:34It's a shame that the same couldn't be said
13:37for Daniel's car.
13:39Daniel had always been a cautious driver,
13:41and this was his first accident,
13:43ironically,
13:44with an airplane.
13:46It was such a stressful flight
13:48for the plane's pilot
13:49that while police and rescue workers
13:51were figuring out
13:52how to get the plane out of the way,
13:54he just laid down on its wing
13:55and took a nap.
13:58Another incident happened in California.
14:00The plane's engine failed right in the air.
14:03Once again,
14:04the highway was chosen as the landing spot.
14:07This time,
14:08the oncoming traffic lanes
14:10were separated by a green strip of lawn,
14:12and the pilot skillfully landed on it.
14:15There was no damage to the cars,
14:17the plane,
14:18or the pilot himself.
14:21Planes landing on the road
14:22are pretty common
14:23in some parts of America.
14:25Cantwell, Alaska,
14:27has such a small population
14:28that the roads are mostly empty,
14:30so planes often use the highway
14:32alongside the cars.
14:34People come to the grocery store
14:36and see planes in the parking lot.
14:39Light planes don't weigh much more
14:41than a couple of cars,
14:42so the asphalt can easily carry them.
14:45They can also easily fit
14:47in the bounds of the road.
14:48Once planes reach a certain size,
14:51that becomes impossible.
14:53Take the small commercial Boeing 737,
14:56for example.
14:57Its wingspan of around 110 feet
14:59is double the width
15:01of even the biggest four-lane roads,
15:03which tend to measure in
15:05at about 60 feet.
15:06If one of these planes
15:08had to land on a road,
15:09its wings would smash
15:11into signs and lampposts.
15:13In an emergency,
15:14these issues might not be enough
15:16to stop pilots from landing on roads.
15:19The real problem with larger planes
15:21landing on normal roads
15:22is that they haven't been designed
15:24to carry the plane's weight.
15:26Commercial aircraft can weigh
15:27more than 90 tons,
15:29but roads never have to carry
15:31anything heavier than a truck.
15:33Now imagine a heavy Boeing
15:35trying to land on regular asphalt.
15:38As soon as it touches the ground,
15:40the wheels would plow
15:41straight through the surface,
15:42like skis through the snow.
15:44The plane's landing gear
15:46would get stuck in the ground,
15:47and the entire plane
15:49might even flip over.
15:50So, commercial pilots
15:52would definitely look
15:53for another place to land.
15:56Even though it might sound
15:57counterintuitive,
15:58one of the better landing options
16:00for huge commercial planes
16:01is water.
16:02There have been a few cases
16:04of emergency water landings,
16:06but the most famous
16:07was the miracle on the Hudson.
16:10In 2009,
16:11an Airbus A320
16:13took off from New York City
16:14and was on its way to Seattle.
16:16But 90 seconds after takeoff,
16:18it collided with a flock
16:20of Canada geese.
16:21They hit both of the plane's engines,
16:23and seconds later,
16:25the turbines stopped working.
16:27At an altitude of 3,200 feet,
16:30the decision was made
16:31to turn the plane south
16:32toward the Hudson River.
16:34The plane glided
16:35towards the George Washington Bridge,
16:37almost touching it,
16:39and then prepared to land.
16:41The plane was fully fueled
16:43and heavy,
16:44so the impact on the water
16:45was huge.
16:47Nevertheless,
16:48the 155 people on board,
16:50including the crew,
16:51were practically unharmed.
16:53They were evacuated
16:55through the emergency exits
16:56and waited for help
16:57on the wings of the plane.
16:59Another miracle occurred
17:01in 1956
17:02in the Pacific Ocean.
17:04A Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
17:06was on its way
17:07from Hawaii to San Francisco
17:09at night.
17:10On the way,
17:11one engine broke down
17:13and another partially failed.
17:15The crew realized
17:16that they wouldn't be able
17:17to fly to the nearest airport,
17:19so they contacted
17:20the Ocean Station November,
17:22a Coast Guard vessel
17:23that was sailing nearby.
17:24To reduce the weight
17:26of the plane,
17:27the pilots flew in circles,
17:29burning fuel.
17:30By dawn,
17:31they were ready
17:32to land the plane
17:33on the water.
17:35The pilots reduced altitude
17:36as much as possible
17:37and shut off the engine
17:39to drop the speed.
17:40The plane then touched down
17:42safely on the water.
17:43Soon after,
17:44the rescue vessels arrived
17:46and rescued all the passengers.
17:48None of the people were hurt
17:50or even seriously injured.
17:53Most airports are equipped
17:54with giant kitchens
17:55where the food for passengers
17:57is prepared
17:57for different airlines at once.
17:59Since those oh-so-delightful
18:01airplane meals
18:02must be cooked
18:03about 6 to 10 hours
18:05prior to the flight,
18:06the kitchens have to work
18:0724-7.
18:09Besides,
18:10the menu for your flight
18:11is developed
18:12up to a year in advance.
18:14This is a common practice
18:15for most airlines
18:16because every single ingredient
18:18matters
18:19and adds to expenses.
18:20In fact,
18:21American Airlines
18:22managed to save
18:23$40,000 per year
18:25in 1987
18:26after they removed
18:28just one olive
18:29from every salad
18:30they served
18:30on their flights.
18:32If you have a long layover
18:34between flights,
18:35going to the nearest hotel
18:36to rest
18:37might not be
18:38the cheapest option.
18:39There's a much better trick.
18:41Check if the airport
18:42or airline
18:43sells 24-hour access
18:45to the VIP lounge zone.
18:47In most cases,
18:48you can have free snacks
18:49and drinks there
18:50and use free shower cabins
18:53and rooms for rest
18:54at a very affordable price.
18:56There's an actual term
18:58for the first 60 minutes
18:59after you check in.
19:01The golden hour.
19:02It's the time
19:03that passengers
19:03statistically spend
19:05more money in retail
19:06and duty-free areas
19:07of the airport.
19:08and having the most comfortable seats
19:11in those areas
19:11right in front of the shops
19:13is a clever trick
19:14to lure you in for shopping.
19:16Sitting in a comfy chair
19:17while looking at a flashy sign
19:19or shopping window
19:20can be tempting.
19:23If you ever wanted to know
19:24what happens to your baggage
19:26while you're on board a plane
19:27the short answer
19:28is that airport staff
19:30don't know
19:31once it leaves their territory
19:32and they probably
19:34don't really care.
19:35Sorry.
19:36Baggage is sorted automatically.
19:38Scanners scan the barcode
19:39and sort the baggage
19:40according to its destination.
19:42The three main tasks
19:44of airport baggage handlers
19:45are to move your bags
19:46from the check-in area
19:47to the gate.
19:48To move them from one gate
19:50to another
19:51when you have a connection
19:52and to move your bags
19:54from the plane
19:55to the baggage claim area.
19:57And that's it.
19:59So if your baggage
20:00doesn't move fast enough
20:01it can be late
20:02for your connecting flight
20:03or the exact opposite.
20:05Your bag gets to your destination
20:07before you do
20:08because you're stuck
20:09at passport control.
20:11Another problem can arise
20:12if you forget to tear off
20:14any old stickers
20:15showing a different destination.
20:17In this case
20:18the scanner might send
20:19your baggage
20:19to the wrong country.
20:22You arrive at the airport
20:24already anticipating
20:26a couple weeks away
20:27from work
20:27and all your daily troubles.
20:29Park your car in the lot
20:30and then find out
20:31that it's going to cost you
20:32a small fortune
20:34to leave your car there.
20:35Why so much?
20:36The construction
20:37of the lot itself
20:38the maintenance
20:40of the whole thing
20:40once it's already in operation
20:42all that costs
20:43a handsome amount of money.
20:45And somebody's
20:46got to pay for it
20:47of course.
20:48In addition
20:48parking right next
20:50to an airport
20:50is simply convenient
20:51which adds
20:52to the final cost.
20:54If you're not ready
20:55to dip into your pocket
20:56for a piece
20:57of extra comfort
20:58better take a cab.
21:01Contrails
21:02those white trails
21:03airplanes often leave
21:04behind them
21:05at high altitudes
21:06are easily mistaken
21:07for engine exhaust.
21:08But most are nothing
21:10more than water vapor.
21:11During a flight
21:12moisture in the air
21:14collects in the engines
21:15before being vented
21:16with the exhaust.
21:17The hot wet air
21:19leaving the engines
21:20mixes with the cool
21:21dry air found
21:22at high altitudes
21:23resulting in long
21:25thin lines of vapor.
21:27Humidity determines
21:28when contrails form
21:29and how long
21:30they remain visible.
21:31If it's already
21:32humid up there
21:33then there's more water
21:34and the contrail
21:35is more prominent.
21:37And if it's cold
21:38the droplets
21:39might turn into ice
21:40staying behind
21:41for a much longer time.
21:44If someone were able
21:45to open the door
21:46mid-flight
21:46they would be
21:48immediately pulled
21:49out of the plane
21:49by a sudden change
21:50in air pressure.
21:51It could also do
21:52serious harm
21:53to the aircraft.
21:55Fortunately
21:55that's almost impossible.
21:58The doors
21:58on an airliner
21:59open inward
22:00while the cabin pressure
22:01pushes them out
22:02from the inside.
22:04The difference
22:05between internal
22:05and external pressure
22:07makes it impossible
22:08for the door to open.
22:11It might seem odd
22:12that the flight crew
22:13cares whether
22:14your window shades
22:15are up or down.
22:16The main reason
22:17is so that
22:17the passenger's eyes
22:18can adjust
22:19to the outside light.
22:21Mostly
22:22it's just a matter
22:22of getting people
22:23on and off quickly.
22:25But in an emergency
22:26the last thing
22:27they want
22:27is people stopping
22:28to blink
22:29before they evacuate
22:30the plane.
22:31Another reason
22:32for all the shades
22:33to stay up
22:34when the airplane
22:34is about to take off
22:35or land
22:36is for the ground crew
22:37to see if there's
22:38any trouble on board.
22:40For example
22:41if there's a fire
22:42in the cabin
22:43the ground crew
22:44will immediately notice it
22:46and act accordingly.
22:47If the shades are down
22:48they might lose
22:49precious time
22:50they would need
22:50to rescue the passengers
22:51and the airplane crew.
22:54Ever notice the numbers
22:55on the end
22:55of the runway?
22:56They're actually used
22:58to show the pilot
22:59which direction
22:59the plane is facing.
23:00For example
23:01the number 36
23:02is short
23:03for a heading
23:04of 360 degrees
23:06or due north.
23:08Along with numbers
23:09the letters R
23:10and L
23:11indicate if the nearest runway
23:13is to the right
23:14or left.
23:16Every commercial airplane
23:18you've been on
23:18has only one wing.
23:20That's right
23:21the left and right wings
23:23are actually two parts
23:25of a single wing.
23:27The first airplanes
23:28were called biplanes
23:29because they had two wings
23:31one on the top
23:32and the other
23:33going through the bottom
23:34of the fuselage.
23:35They were connected
23:36with struts and wires
23:37which made a kind of box
23:39that basically allowed
23:40the aircraft
23:41not to fall apart
23:42in the air.
23:43It was necessary
23:44at lower speeds
23:45that early planes
23:46could only muster.
23:47But as the engines
23:49increased in power
23:49the second wing
23:51became redundant.
23:52The single wing
23:53still serves
23:54as a support
23:55for the whole structure though.
23:58Looking out the window
23:59on the plane's wing
24:00you can see
24:01a small yellow
24:02double hook on it.
24:03It seems strange
24:04since it might mess
24:05with aerodynamics
24:06but it's there
24:07for your safety.
24:09In case of an emergency landing
24:11these hooks are used
24:12to secure ropes
24:13that help passengers
24:14exit the plane
24:14via the wings.
24:16If they're slippery
24:17the rope will help you
24:18keep your footing
24:18and not fall over
24:20while going down.
24:21There are several
24:23extremely fast streams
24:24of air
24:25high up in the atmosphere
24:26of our planet.
24:27Their paths
24:28are meandering
24:29but they have
24:30a more or less
24:31constant flow
24:32allowing passenger
24:33aircraft to use them.
24:34When an airplane
24:36comes close
24:36to a jet stream
24:37it may adjust
24:38to the direction
24:39of its current
24:39and fly a lot faster
24:41propelled by the flow.
24:43Many airlines
24:44use this
24:44to their advantage
24:45to cut the fuel costs
24:46and make air traveling
24:48even faster.
24:50Clouds
24:51especially thunderheads
24:52can indicate
24:53that an area
24:54of turbulence
24:54is ahead
24:55but sometimes
24:56clear air turbulence
24:58occurs
24:58when a plane
24:59can drop a few feet
25:00and start shaking
25:01without any warning.
25:02It happens
25:03when two bodies
25:04of air
25:05clash
25:05at very high speeds
25:07and it's
25:08absolutely invisible
25:09so the pilots
25:10can't tell
25:10when it would happen.
25:12The chances
25:12of getting into
25:13an area
25:14of clear air turbulence
25:15are higher
25:16at low altitudes
25:17over mountain ranges
25:18and near the jet streams.
25:22Normally
25:22after it's hit
25:23by lightning
25:24an airplane
25:25is sent
25:25for inspection
25:26right after landing
25:27but it can still
25:28safely complete
25:28its current flight.
25:30The fuselage
25:31conducts electricity
25:32well enough
25:33and like with
25:33a lightning rod
25:34the zap
25:35will most probably
25:36strike one of the tips
25:37of the airplane
25:37either one of the wings
25:39or the nose.
25:40Then
25:41it seeks the ground
25:42but doesn't find it
25:43exiting from the tail
25:45in the end.
25:45It's easier
25:47for electricity
25:47to roll through
25:48the surface
25:48of the plane
25:49than go inside
25:50so people on board
25:51are safe
25:52from its effects.
25:53Still
25:54lightning is powerful
25:55and there can be
25:56some damage done
25:57to the airplane
25:57on the outside.