The number of flights and, we
actually broke a record this year. Really?
134,000 flights in one day... wait wait wait... did he say 134,000 flights in
one day wow that's a lot of Delta flights in one day that is so cool but all these planes are going
around but how do these planes actually fly and how are they able to transport people so far and
how do we ensure that these planes are safe well in this episode I'm will be talking to Mr. Jonel
Murray he is an A220 instruction developer and an
aviation mechanic out Delta and he knows a lot
about airplanes how they work and how Engineers like him are working to make airplane and air
travel safe and accessible let's get right into this amazing interview let's go hello Mr. Murray
how are you doing today I'm good how are you not bad another good day yep so can you please
introduce yourself to listeners of course my name is Jonel Murray I am an A220 instructor for
Delta Airlines so that means I teach all of the technicians how the A2
20 aircraft Works which
if you look at my background there that is my aircraft the A220 wow so what's so special about
the A220 it is one of the newest aircrafts of the fleet it is a brand new sheet design into
the aviation world it was made by Bombardier but it's currently owned by Airbus so a brand
new aircraft it holds up to 130 passengers and it is lightweight fuel efficient so it saves us a
lot of fuel which for every airline that is a big factor when it comes to profit mhm yeah and we
're
going to get more into the science of airplanes and all of that later in the episodes but first
how did you get interested in airplanes oh it's a long story so when I was young as a kid I lived
in Brooklyn New York very close to JFK airport so I actually used to watch The 747s Fly overhead
so that's what initially got me started and JFK Airport was Infamous for the Concorde coming
in so the Concorde supersonic flight nice and fast beautiful looking jet I always wanted to
work on that s
adly that was a little before my time so by the time I came into the industry I
got to work on those big jets like the 747 the 767s 57s all the big airplanes so it's awesome to
work on a machine that it weighs well over a 100 ton it's bigger the aircraft more weight but yet
it's able to go ahead and get up there around one 120 knots get up in the air and you're able to go
anywhere around the world so it's truly amazing yeah it's truly amazing so that's really great
so you you grew up lookin
g at planes and look at you now you're working on airplanes yourself
exactly so now to get into the exciting part the science of airplanes I'm pretty sure most of us
have been on airplanes but we don't really take the time to think what goes on behind the scenes
or what's inside of an airplane that helps us fly so what are the parts of an airplane and how do
they work together to make the airplane fly oh well when it comes to an airplane it works on a
very simple concept Bernoulli's Princip
le which when we say it it sounds simple but pretty much when
it comes to anything that flies when you're going through the air the air flowing over is going to
go faster while the air flowing under the wing is going to go slower faster moving air creates low
pressure this low pressure is something that we see almost every day for instance your vacuum
when it sucks up all the dirt on the floor it creates low pressure so that's that suction right
now imagine an aircraft you have those two ni
ce beautiful Wings on the outside once we go ahead
and move forward with those engines that air is flowing over nice and fast and it's creating low
pressure so it's like you're being sucked up into the sky oh so the wings will actually lift the
aircraft the engines on the bottom jet engines usually work on a very simple concept suck squeeze
bang blow okay so that jet engine it's gonna go ahead and suck the air in right and when it comes
to air we get a little more energy out of it when we c
ompress it when we squeeze it all together
right so we're going to compress that air and add fuel to it once we add the fuel we'll ignite
it and now that nice air fuel mixture is going to turn into hot expanding gas but it's in the jet
engine it has to go somewhere it's expanding right so that's where it's going to blow after we do
the is going to blow out the backs side and that's going to go ahead and spin a set of turbines those
turbine blades are connected to the front so it's like neve
r ending as long as it keeps spinning
the turbine it's sucking in that air squeezing it bang blow and that's what gives us our thrust
so those two things alone with our low pressure that's going to give us lift and with our thrust
that's going to give us our forward movement and that will help us to overcome gravity and our
drag the thing that's holding us back yep so if you ever been on an airplane you probably noticed
that it starts off really slow and it just goes faster and faster as th
e taxis done the runway
eventually it takes off is that to help get all that air inside the jet engine so that's to go
ahead and start moving that air over the wing fast to create that low pressure right we're going
to gain speed it's kind of like getting a running start right yep all planes they got to get that
running start unless you're you know one of the cool military jets you know can take off we're not
there yet someday someday yep but when we're going down that runway we're going to
pick up speed
so that way we can create our own lift and then we can take off wow so it goes how fast does an
airplane go when it taxes down the runway so when it it depends on how heavy it is as well as how
much fuel so there's a lot of different factors like for instance my aircraft when it comes to my
aircraft it's able to take off around 120 to 140 knots so by take off that's where it can start
rotating and going up into the air so bigger Jets they might need a little more right becaus
e
they got way more passengers and bags right so they need a little extra umph yep that's that's
really fast though probably faster than any car could go yeah yeah that's just so cool because I
was wondered we're going so fast it's like so you can feel that you can feel the airplane going back
and taking off the ground so it's really cool to see that science of Bernoulli's Principle helping push
that I mean suck that aircraft up yep so what are some interesting facts about airplanes that mo
st
people would not know about well when it comes to airplanes it is one of the safest modes of
transportation really at any given day you're looking at well over 45,000 airplanes in the sky
over the us alone wow now 45,000 airplanes yep that's 45,000 th000 machines just like this one up
in the air getting you safely to your destination but even with that the number of flights and we
actually broke a record this year really 134,000 flights in one day one day? one day. and that
was here in
the beginning of 2024 just around the holiday season of 2023 so more and more people
are flying it's the easiest way to get around the world and see the world which is one of Delta's
main objectives we like to connect the world yep I know it's such a it's such a cool thing that
before when Flight first came about we didn't even know if we're going to get off the ground but
now now now um in 20124 and maybe even the future we have all these over a 100,000 flights a day wow
Aviation is gettin
g accessible day by day yep that is so cool well when you think about it there's
no other mode of Transport that can get you let's say from here to South Africa within 15 hours
15 hours that's crazy that's almost around the world exactly it's a very long flight yep but it's
still amazing so how do you how do how are planes built to withstand turbulence and storms because
those are things we can't really avoid storms are just natural but how are these airplanes built
to withstand those and w
ithout delays continue their flights to their destination so when it
comes to airplanes they built they are built in a very meticulous way in which they go ahead and
distribute the stress throughout the frame of the aircraft so that way when you are flying through
the sky it's able to handle it so when it comes to airplanes did you know they actually pump up
a little bit wow yeah they actually wow when they pressurize when you're up in the sky we have a
hard time breathing at 30,000 ft righ
t so we need to pressurize the cabin but also pressurizing that
cabin actually gives us a little more rigidity inside the structure of the aircraft so that makes
it nice and easy so when it's built it'll go ahead and take on that stress and now as we fly along
we're nice and happy right but let's say we do run into turbulence as that stress is being put on the
structure of the frame it's already been tested through and through you know Aviation has been
around for a long time so luckily a l
ot of the manufacturers have learned a lot of good lessons
so it can handle a great amount of stress almost to the point where it's more stressed than we'll
see naturally out there so when it comes to that stress let's say we did go through it that's
where it's my job as an aircraft technician to inspect the frame of that aircraft and make sure
nothing bad has happened it is always down to the smallest cracks even the tiniest ones we have
the equipment to see things that are literally a mic
ron and that's a very small crack that means
you can't even see it with your eyes so when it comes to things like that we can see it on the
ground and that's how we maintain the safety standard within Aviation so when we see something
like that yep take it out of service let's go fix it and then we'll put it back in once we get it
all fixed up yeah even the smallest thing could impact the safety and that's why Engineers like
you are able to find these problems and they're able to fix it tha
t is awesome and I bet it takes
a lot of skill for a pilot too to fly through a storm and fly through turbulence yes when it comes
to pilots they have to be cool calm and collected at all times to make sure that they ensure the
safety of their passengers that is their number one goal so they work very hard and it is a very
very hard path to become a pilot especially for the big the big commercial aviation airlines
wow and people you get on exactly gives you a little more calm feeling knowin
g that your
pilot has worked very hard to make sure you get there safely right yep that is great so you were
talking about how you inspect airplanes and how you maintain these airplanes so how do you ensure
an airplane is safe during maintenance oh so when it comes to the aircraft once it lands we do an
inspection we call it a walk around not only do we as maintenance do a walk around the pilot will
also do a walk around in Delta Airlines we also have what we call the ramp agents the very p
eople
that help you to push the aircraft help to load and unload your bag and make sure everything is
ready for the flight they also do a walk around so right there you have three people looking at your
aircraft from there at night we'll go ahead and do a detailed inspection we'll check out all the
systems make sure all your oil your hydraulic fluid it everything is all topped up so you're ready
to go in the morning yeah so as long as that is so much going on yep it's a constantly moving
o
peration 24/7 and that's how we ensure the safety of our passengers so what else do you do on the
ground while you're looking at these airplanes oh well while we're looking at them we're making sure
the tires are good as well as because of the fact that we collect a lot of information on planes we
know when certain things will break so by knowing when certain things will break we will actually
change them before they get to that Breaking Point wow right it's kind of like your shoes you know
at some point you're running around your shoes are going to wear out so you should start buying
a new pair of shoes right before your feet touch the floor yeah same thing before our aircraft
wears out we're going to go ahead and replace those parts that are worn out to make sure that
it is always up to a nice good standard yeah and what I really appreciate when when I'm flying an
airplane is that all these people work together to get a Plane off the ground and they do this
multiple times l
ike you said a 100,000 flights they do this a lot in a day so how are you able to
efficiently do that and keeping up with delays and everything how do you keep these flights on time
it is nothing but teamwork it is teamwork Delta Airlines has over 990,000 employees all working
together to keep these airplanes moving so when it comes to our Movement we have to make sure the
pilots on board we have to make sure all our ramp agents food catering our flight attendants
everybody has to work toge
ther so it's just working as a team honestly when it comes to Delta
you're looking at one of the greatest examples of teamwork out there yeah and even the founding
story of Delta that also shows teamwork and all these years that teamwork has led to over
a 100,000 flights as you were saying before so it is just really really cool to think that all
these people are working together so efficiently to get over a 100,000 flights off the ground and
to make sure the flights are safe and flights ar
e comfortable for people that are that are in them
yep so now we're talking about the past we think about the right brothers and the first things of
flight but let's look at the future now how do you envision the future of Flight Aviation is
moving at such a fast pace my aircraft is one of the new Advanced aircrafts out there I like to
joke around and say it's a flying computer because it's very smart it has a lot of logic in it so
when it comes to airplanes I can see a future especially wi
th Boeing and Airbus they're doing
a lot of innovative things so I can see a future very similar to cars when I was young an electric
car was not a thing now there's nowhere you can go where you will not see an electric car on the
road y so with that being said I can see a future where we'll have aircrafts that no longer run on
fuel they will be electric possibly yeah you know there's always a chance for the Next Generation
to make something and not only that they they may even be able to g
o even further and higher so
that'll be awesome I will definitely sign up maybe for not the first space flight the second one you
know second ask somebody how it was yeah yeah you gotta get your get your reviews in and then you can go I'm used to regular flight being strapped into a rocket not
just yet not just yet maybe that might be the new norm in the future it might it might and I can't
wait for it yeah and what do you see what what improvements do you think airplanes should have
and wh
at problems do you think these Engineers are trying to fix see that's the thing with not only
Aviation but anything that we use when you use it it gets worn down okay so airplanes cars boats
everything needs to be fixed so that's the current problem with most machines how do you go ahead
and stretch the life of the machine so that's what Engineers are working tirelessly to solve
so they're developing new materials new composite material new metals that can withstand more force
and last a li
ttle bit longer so that way we can have these aircrafts for a very very long long
time so that's what they're working on hopefully someday we'll see the planes that hey will stop
breaking yeah I could I could use a vacation yeah and you might be one of the people to help create
that and maybe even the Next Generation would and I can't wait I'm sure there's a lot of people
in the Next Generation who are going to come up with new exciting ways to go ahead and Advance the
aviation field yep an
d we're excited for that so speaking of the future generation what advice do
you have kids who are interested in science when it comes to kids who are interested in science
just go for it there are a lot of different programs out there that go and deal with different
parts of the whether it's the aviation field if you're into geology whatever stem program right
science technology engineering and Mathematics go for it that's the fun of science you can go
and start some place and end up in an
other you know it's all about exploring and expanding your
mind that's so that's what I would suggest go go out there and enjoy see what you can what you can
help fix what you can figure out and have some fun with it yep having fun is the biggest thing I'm
sure you have fun even when you were a kid just watching airplanes take off to now coordinating
an entire team yes yes I have a lot of fun as an aircraft technician not only do I fix these
aircrafts I also get to run the engines taxi to a
ircrafts so very similar to a pilot I'll move
these around so it's a very big toy right but I don't treat it like a toy but that's what makes
my job fun you know it's the pride of knowing that I made sure this aircraft was safe and it's
interesting because every once in a while we get to go up and see the passengers as they're coming
off and all and we get asked questions like would you put your family on here and every single
time I respond go ahead and move over I'll sit right next to you
where we going Bahamas no no
Caribbean let's go let's go some sun some some nice yep traveling the world is also a way to see
the science around you yes yes yes it is and it's a big world out there yep that is amazing thank
you so much for joining me today I really enjoyed it and I learned so much about airplanes and your
work as a maintenance engineer and the future of flight I'm also really excited I'm excited for the
next generation and our listeners that may grow up to be an airplane e
ngineer and they might create
some of these new things you mentioned today so I'm really excited thank you for having me Y
and I look forward to seeing you I hope to see you in my class yeah I'll teach you about the
A220 yes I'd love that thank you so much till next time yep thank you so much for listening to
this high soaring episode of Spectacular Science. Spectacular Science is produced and hosted by
me Akshay Jayaraman our theme song and naal music are by Charan Ramachandran special tha
nks
to Mr. Jonel Murray for accepting my interview invite and also to Mr. William Smith and Ms.
April Gregg for coordinating this interview and making this possible thank you so much please
visit my podcast website spectacularsci.com to find interactive activities articles and
blog posts that's spectacularsci.com do you have a science question do you want answered on
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