(CNN)— For the aviation industry, this is a heinous year. In fact, this is absolutely terrifying.
However, in the dark, there are some lighter, crazier, and even hopeful moments that capture our imagination in the dark times. This is the most wild.
1. A small airport in Alaska became the busiest airport in the world
Alaska’s Anchorage International Airport lacks the waterfalls and noise of the eight runways of Singapore Changi Airport or Chicago’s O’Hare, but in April, this humble little airport briefly became the busiest airport in the world.
The main reason for this situation is that the global passenger flow has been eliminated by the pandemic, and the delivery of medical supplies has led to an increase in the volume of cargo transportation-this is the characteristic of Anchorage Area.
2. “Nowhere to Flee”
; becomes a thing
Flying from nowhere in Sydney, Australia, and then back to Sydney. Stubborn travelers are eager to board flights around the country and enjoy the beauty of Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef. CNN’s Kim Brunhuber reports.
Potential travelers were so hungry for the pleasure of shaking on the ground in a pressurized tube that Qantas, the Australian airline, conducted a 7-hour sightseeing tour of Byron Bay and the Gold Coast. It was sold out within ten minutes.
In Taiwan, these “flying nowhere” are also combined with in-flight speed dating, such as EVA Air’s “Fly! Love Is in Air” campaign, while Thai Airways has brought trends to the spirit through “flying nowhere” Advantage. Some Buddhist religious sites in Thailand.
3. Naomi Campbell is the Nostradamus of the aviation industry
As early as the summer of 2019, Naomi Campbell revealed her elaborate airplane ceremony, which included putting on disposable gloves, wiping the surface with antibacterial wipes and wearing a mask, which surprised the world.
In March next year, when the rest of us began to accept Campbell’s message about staying safe, the British supermodel had to do better. She shared a photo of herself at Los Angeles International Airport, wearing a dangerous goods suit, goggles, mask and gloves.
4. The longest flight in the world becomes longer
From quiet cabins to special wings, find out everything you need to know about the 19-hour flight from Singapore to New York.
The reorganization and rerouting caused by the pandemic has triggered many surprising aviation records.
The reason is: Singapore Airlines converted the US airport from Newark, New Jersey to Kennedy International Airport in New York. Therefore, the new SQ24 SIN-JFK route can now board at 9,536.5 miles, an increase of 2.5 miles compared to the previous one.
5. A 64-year-old man accidentally ejected himself from a fighter jet
This horror trip is a retirement gift arranged for the unknown man.
Civil Aviation Safety Investigation and Analysis Bureau
A raid to an air base caused a 64-year-old Frenchman to withstand so much pressure that he fell from a fighter plane in the air, grabbed the catapult button in a panic, rolled over France, and landed in the field. on.
Although the unnamed person has never expressed his desire to fly in a fighter jet and has no previous military aviation experience, the employees of his company still believe that it is a good idea to treat him as a happy person.
Fortunately, the man avoided serious injuries after parachuting 2500 feet to the ground below.
6. Passenger plane becomes cargo plane
This pandemic has triggered an aviation trend in which so-called “pre-sale” flights-“passenger” and “cargo” portmanteau-airlines modify their cabins to accommodate packages instead of passengers.
Portuguese charter operator Hi Fly removed most of the seats from its only A380 aircraft in order to free up more cargo, which made it the world’s first A380 to be converted to cargo.
7. No pilot is responsible when the plane takes off
Are we one step closer to unmanned commercial aircraft?
Provided by Airbus
According to Airbus, the A350-1000 achieved eight automatic takeoffs within four and a half hours, with two pilots on standby.
8. An airplane takes off without jet fuel
eCaravan is the result of a collaboration between the engine company magniX and the aerospace company AeroTEC.
Magnificent
The world’s largest all-electric aircraft flew for the first time in May, marking a new milestone in all-electric technology. The nine-seater eCaravan plane was attacked for 30 minutes over Moses Lake in Washington.
Then in September, Airbus launched its zero-emission concept aircraft trio ZEROe. The European manufacturer said it plans to bring zero-emission passenger jets to the market by 2035.
9. Berlin’s “cursed” airport finally opened
Willy Brandt at Berlin Brandenburg Airport has suffered nearly a decade of frustration, complaints and inefficiency.
Berlin’s trapped new airport was finally nearly ten years behind the original plan, exceeded the budget by 4 billion euros (about 5 billion US dollars), and broke out in the middle of the pandemic.
According to reports, Berlin-Brandenburg Willie Brandt Airport (BER) has received 300 million euros in state aid before transporting a passenger.
10. There are many interesting new aircraft
The whale-shaped Airbus Beluga XL, one of the biggest beasts in the sky, began full-time service in January.
A mysterious bullet-shaped aircraft first discovered at a Southern California logistics airport three years ago was discovered in August as the Celera 500L. This is a six-person private jet that is expected to fly at jet speed, but its fuel consumption has been reduced by eight times.
The story about this futuristic flying V-plane released by CNN Travel in October attracted the attention of Kanye West, the US presidential candidate.
After 30 years of hibernation, finally, the Caspian monster (a huge ground-effect vehicle of the Soviet era, between a hovercraft and an airplane) was transported along the coast of Russia to the city of Dribent.
11. There are many very fast planes
XB-1 is the first self-developed supersonic aircraft.
Supersonic speed
In February, British Airways broke the record for the fastest subsonic flight from New York to London, with a top speed of over 800 mph (1,287 km/h).
In September, it was reported that the supersonic “Air Force One” prototype could appear as early as 2025, and the U.S. Air Force is busy awarding development contracts.
California start-up company Exosonic is developing a low-speed supersonic Mach 1.8 twin-engine aircraft, and Atlanta-based Hermeus Corporation is developing a 20-seat supersonic aircraft that is expected to transport passengers from New York to London in 90 minutes
Denver-based startup Boom is one of the hottest companies currently working in the field of supersonic aviation, and it launched the XB1 demonstration aircraft in October. XB-1 is the first self-developed supersonic aircraft.
12. Takeoff is easy, but touchdown is difficult
Boeing, Boeing, but did not disappear.
Vincent Jennings/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
A month later, the German low-cost carrier Eurowings was eager to resume service from Dusseldorf to Sardinia, Italy-but was forced to turn around at the destination because the airport was still closed.
In the summer, six Lufthansa 747 aircraft subsequently flew into an airport in the Netherlands, but due to security certification issues, they were trapped before Halloween. Larger planes were allowed to land at Twente Airport-but could not take off.
Similarly, when all of us are at a loss in early 2020, few can foresee the bumps in the future and how far we are from the year of hope.
The journey is far from over, and we can expect more turbulence. But on the horizon, there is still a clearer sky.
CNN’s Benjamin Berto, Julia Barkley, Blake Fletcher, Tamara Hardingham Gill, Jack Gay, Rob Picta, Rory Sha Levine, Holly Silverman, Francesca Street, Yachun Wang and Amy Woodyard contributed to this.
