SYDNEY: A plane and its passengers are set to test the mental and physical limits of long-haul aviation when Qantas operates the first direct flight by a commercial airline from New York to Sydney this weekend.
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In the first of three “ultra long-haul” test flights planned by Australia’s national flag carrier this year, researchers will monitor the effects on passengers of the 19-hour non-stop journey.
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Up to 40 passengers and crew – most of them Qantas employees – will be on board the Boeing 787-9 when it departs New York on Friday. The plane is scheduled to arrive Down Under Sunday morning.
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Passenger numbers have been restricted to minimise the weight on board and give the plane sufficient fuel range to travel approximately 16,000 kilometres (about 9,500 miles) without re-fuelling, heading west over the Pacific.
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No other airline has ever achieved the feat, which Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has called the “final frontier in aviation”.
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Scientists from two Australian universities will be on board to monitor passengers’ sleep patterns, melatonin levels, and food consumption.
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Pilots will also wear a device that tracks their brain waves and alertness.
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With a 15-hour time difference between New York and Sydney, the impact of jetlag will be closely watched.
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“We know from the basic science of circadian rhythms that a bigger time difference between departure and arrival locations, and travelling east rather than west, tends to mean people feel more jetlag,” University of Sydney professor Stephen Simpson told AFP.
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“But people seem to be wildly different when it comes to the experience of jetlag – and we need more research on what contributes to jetlag and travel fatigue, so we can try and reduce the impact of long-haul flights.”
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Qantas last year introduced the first direct service from the western Australian city of Perth to London, with the 17-hour journey one of the longest passenger flights in the world.
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As well as the New York-Sydney route, Qantas will test a service from London to Sydney in the coming months.
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The airline is considering launching commercial services on the marathon routes – if the economics stack up.
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A decision will be made on the validity of the flights at the end of the year. Joyce has said it is “ultimately a business decision”.
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Pilots concerned
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Another hurdle could come from within the organisation.
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Qantas pilots have raised concerns about the impact of ultra long-range flying on safety standards.
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The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA), which represents Qantas pilots, said the exploratory flights “will produce a limited set of data that will not adequately replicate real-world flying conditions”.
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AIPA safety director Shane Loney has called for a “scientific long-term study” into the impacts on crew.
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“Pilots are concerned about being able to get enough quality rest during ultra long-range flights to maintain peak performance and we believe significant caution should be exercised in the initial operations to make sure there are no unintended consequences,” he said.
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A Qantas spokesperson said the test flights are “just one part of the work we are doing to assess how to the operate these flights safely”.
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Both Airbus and Boeing have pitched aircraft for the Qantas ultra long-haul routes. Joyce has said it is not a “foregone conclusion” which company will be chosen.
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