Just over 100 years after Orville and Wilbur Wright changed the face of global travel forever, aviation passed another historic milestone. In December 1903, Orville piloted the brothers’ home-made Flyer for just 12 seconds at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina the first time that man had made a controlled powered flight in a machine that was heavier than air.

 

A century later, in June 2004, a Singapore Airlines (SIA) ultra long-range A345 LeaderShip flew 16,600 kilometres around 9,000 nautical miles from its home base at Changi International across the Pacific Ocean and the entire breadth of the United States to Newark outside New York. The journey took 18 hours, making it the world’s longest non-stop commercial flight.

 

Although seemingly eons apart technologically, both flights were similar in that they were the result of years of dedicated research. As children the Wright boys had been fascinated by a toy helicopter powered by a rubber band. As adults, they ran their own bicycle design and manufacture company, before transferring their attention to building an aeroplane.

 

A successful glider was followed by experiments with powered flight and much trial and error. They built their own engine, and decided to treat the propeller as a rotating wing, as it would create propulsion in the same way that a wing created lift. After delays caused by bad weather, technical problems and the Sabbath their father was deeply religious finally the Flyer lived up to its name, and the names of the Wright Brothers were at once emblazoned across the Atlantic skies.

 

That two dedicated, humble amateurs they celebrated their triumph with a simple handshake could have achieved so much using nothing more than their own resources and sagacity made for a touching inauguration of the aviation age. When SIA made the decision to launch its record-breaking flight, it was the start of years of planning and research involving hundreds of employees and a multi million-dollar budget.

Passenger comfort

Everything from pilot fatigue to the number of toilets on board the new aircraft needed to be studied, weighed, analysed and run through the mill of commercial viability. SIA was determined to make sure that 18 hours in the air was going to be a journey to remember for all the right reasons.

 

As SIA chairman Koh Boon Hwee explains: "We finally came up with a premium product in all respects, complemented by premium cabin service designed for the seasoned leisure traveller and more discerning leisure traveller."

 

One of the first priorities was seating, and the A345 was set up with 181 seats 64 in Raffles or business class and 117 in Executive Economy.

 

"We took into consideration the nature of the longer flight, the market characteristics and the long haul requirements to decide on the balance in the number of seats," says SIA public relations executive Hwee Yin How.

 

The Raffles SpaceBed seats were placed in rows of six, grouped in three pairs with a seat pitch of 163 centimetres as well as an adjustable headrest, leg rest and lumbar support, granting more legroom, space, comfort and accessibility. The Italian-Swiss designed bed considered the biggest bed in business class has a width of 66 centimetres and a bed length of 198 centimetres.

 

The remaining seats were spread in a 2-3-2 configuration, offering the industry’s widest economy-class seats at 51 centimetres, with an expanded seat pitch of 94 centimetres.

 

Comfortable though the seats are, passengers in both classes are encouraged to make use of specially allocated areas where they can stand up, stretch their legs, mingle with fellow travellers and help themselves to some snacks when they are hungry, adds Hwee, referring to the passenger corners where people can socialise, enjoy self-service snacks and drinks, and play CDs and games.

DVT to music CDs

A major factor in SIA’s research into passenger comfort was the current concern over deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which has attracted a measure of publicity.

 

"DVT is a condition that results from non-activity over an extended period of time it is not specific to flying," says Hwee." On all SIA flights, we encourage passengers to take regular walks along the cabin aisles, carry out in-seat exercises, avoid excessive alcoholic and caffeinated drinks, and to consume more water." "We also advise travellers who may be suffering from DVT, or are predisposed to it, and require special socks, to purchase them prior to the flight."

 

The problem of how best to feed bodies and brains was solved by a combination of high-tech and haute cuisine.

 

SIA’s A345 fleet is installed with the Matsushita 3000i system that enables passengers to pause, fast forward or rewind a video or audio programme at any time. Over 400 entertainment options vie for attention on KrisWorld, the airline’s inflight entertainment system, which includes 60 movies, over 90 TV hits, over 200 music CDs and Nintendo and PC games exclusive to A345. Passengers can also get hourly news updates via live text news.

 

On the food front, a panel of eight world-renowned international chefs helped develop SIA’s inflight meals, taking into consideration both passengers culinary likes and dislikes as well as the problems of making meals taste good at 30,000 feet.

 

Finally, there are eight lavatories on board the A345, four in each class, which works out to 16 Raffles class passengers to one lavatory and 29 Executive Economy class passengers per lavatory, which is believed to be one of the best ratios in the industry.

Piloting it right

In addition to creating the ultimate comfort for passengers, research was used to determine the best conditions for the crew.

 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) was to play a large role in the run-up to launching the Singapore flag carrier’s Ultra Long Range (ULR) flight, as the authority’s public relations manager, Yip Siew Joo, explains.

 

"In Singapore and in most other countries, regulations on flight time limitations allowed for a pilot to be on duty for up to 18 hours," she says. This included flight time and the duration that pilots had to be at the airport before and after a flight, so new rules were needed for the ULR flights, since the pilot’s flight duty period would extend beyond 18 hours.

Flight time limitation rules focus on issues such as the number of days off that a pilot is entitled to, rest periods, flight crew number and maximum flying hours. So the provisional rules for ULR flights had to address the same issues.

 

Before the launch of ULR flights, the rules governing flight-time limitations were drawn up based on international best practices. The CAAS set up a task force in late 1998 to develop the provisional rules for ULR flights, in response to a request by SIA, which was then planning to start non-stop flights between Singapore and Los Angeles.

 

This task force was made up of representatives from SIA, the Airline Pilots Association of Singapore, CAAS and the Civil Aviation Medical Board. In an intensive process, the task force examined scientific studies on flight crew fatigue and examined the history and practice of flight-time limitations. It also worked with the Joint Aviation Authority to develop a set of rules using computer modelling. In 2002, CAAS commissioned the

 

European Committee for Aircrew Scheduling and Safety (ECASS) to validate this set of rules, using actual data from existing long haul flights.

 

The findings were shared with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The study findings were also presented at

 

international workshops in Washington DC, Paris and Kuala Lumpur, which were attended by scientists, airlines, regulators, aircraft manufacturers and pilot union representatives.

 

The provisional rules that were finally drawn up focused on five key points. The study concluded that a four-strong flight crew was required for ULR flights, with at least two commanding pilots or captains; the pilots needed two rest periods during the flight; their inflight rest facilities had to be of a good quality; rest periods were essential both before and after flights; and the airline needed to state specific departure windows fromAmerica and Singapore to allow for maximum pilot alertness during takeoff.

 

Research got an added boost when SIA launched its Singapore-Los Angeles service in February 2004, so data from actual ULR flights could be collected.  This is currently being analysed and will be used to determine if the provisional rules for ULR flights need to be fine-tuned, with the final report due out in 2005.

Coffee, tea or sleep

To come up with the optimum results, The CAAS used a variety of tools to monitor the crews while they were in flight. Each pilot kept a diary to record rest and duty cycles as well as alertness levels. They also wore activity watches which monitored rest and activity throughout the flight. Further high-tech monitoring came in the form of an interactive hand-held computer that tested pilot alertness levels throughout the flight, including at the point of descent and after landing.

 

Polysomnography was also employed to record data on the quality and quantity of rest taken by the crew in flight during the two rest periods by measuring brainwaves. The initial results on some 200 Singapore-Los Angeles ULR flights indicated that the levels of alertness of pilots during actual flights were as good as those seen in previous long range operations, and CAAS is continuing to monitor the flights to New York.

 

Away from the flight deck, cabin crew are given four to five hours rest on the flight, taking turns among themselves to manage the off-duty period. In addition, they all undertake ULR fatigue management training programmes, which include learning how to make best use of rest and sleep, how to counter circadian rhythm disruption, alertness management and fatigue counter measures and stress management.
From safety to service, SIA is in it for the long haul  with other carriers, like Cathay Pacific, joining the new trend in flying. This trend shows that when imagination takes wing, even the skies are not the limit.