A Look Behind Some Of The Longest Air Journeys [4K] | Secret Life of The Long-Haul Flight | Spark

[Music] there's a way to make an entrance my destiny it was now a conspiracy of witches download veli today each year over 300 million passengers fly over 6 billion miles on long-haul flights epic daily journeys made by some of the world's biggest planes like flying hotels they transport people across the world in comfort and style but what does it take to keep these giants in the sky all our team is running to action it's almost like a choreographed dance but the key is just keeping moving come with us as we hit your ride on one of the longest journeys in the world london to sydney australia as with exclusive behind the scenes access we can reveal the confessions of the cabin crew sometimes we do get a few weird requests such as marriage proposals we go below stairs to their secret crew rest and welcome to our secret sleepover meet the back of this staff who monitor every second of each flight the isa is the nerve center to the airline we feel that they literally would be flying blind and follow the stories of passengers both animal and human who have their own reason to board flight double 02 from london today from starting a new life down under it's a big move for both of us we haven't got a clue what to expect to meeting a long-lost family for the very first time they've been looking for me for 20 years filmed at 40 000 feet this is the ultimate insider's guide to life in the skies so make sure your seat is in the upright position and your seat belt is fastened as we prepare to uncover the secret life of the long haul flight it's just before dawn at london's heathrow the world's largest passenger plane the airbus a380 is towed onto stand [Music] costing over 280 million pounds it's 73 meters long 25 meters high and has a tip-to-tip wingspan of 80 meters in just two hours time it will depart on its daily long-haul flight to sydney australia [Music] loaded with up to 484 passengers the 11 000 mile journey will take 24 hours but long before the passengers can board a whole army of service personnel must get her ready to fly in the world of long-haul flying there is not a second to lose we don't want any of our planes hanging around the ground the best place for our aircraft is operating within the air so it's all hands on deck and everyone's onto the aircraft straight away to get their jobs done and we can make that turn around within that two-hour time frame now a well-rehearsed ballet swings into action as the refuellers baggage handlers engineers cleaners and catering teams all set to work there's certain jobs that have to be done the wheels have to be inspected the engines have to be checked oiled you have to do a walk around to make sure there's nothing hanging off of the whole of the outside same for the inside it's a very very structured process and it's broken down minute by minute each department and each team have a job to do within a certain amount of time frame it literally does go to the minute so we need to have the aircraft closed up by 10 minutes before departure [Music] with our plane not suffering any serious faults the engineers can crack on with more cosmetic jobs like a sticky tv screen tiny screw someone's just over tightened it can we get something in there too like this yeah to leave it while below the wing the action is in full swing 90 minutes before departure the 21 cabin crew clock in for their pre-flight briefing we all have individual roles like there are business and first class flight attendants on board um economy flight attendants kelly has been flying for five years for her aviation is in the blood my father is a corners captain so yeah i've just grown up with him traveling around and going to different exotic destinations and yeah just the whole thrill of just flying there's somebody amongst the crew who uh you've not met yet please spend some time having a little chat with them and uh get to know each other on the tarmac second officer adam thompson carries out his visual inspection the purpose of the inspection is to make sure that there's no uh ground service vehicle to cause any damage there's nothing leaking from any pipes it's not meant to be in the engine looking to see if there's been any stretches or dents on the fan blades any indication that something's gone through the engine it shouldn't have if they've had a bird strike perhaps or something like that on the previous sector on the tyres we're looking to see that there's no gases or any any bombs at all with the tires on every long-haul flight each passenger has a story and we're following four of them we're just a long-haul flight away from preaching three sisters malcolm and adelaide are about to board their first long all flight to meet the family they never knew they had what just can't wait i've never seen them in real life can't believe it and young parents daniel and bethany are heading down under to see if they want to make sydney their new home daniel bethany and how do you say i lose oh we've got a lot planned we've got a list written up of all the places we want to go and visit and different um neighborhoods we kind of want to see and exciting really isn't it back on the tarmac second officer adam thompson checks the a380s huge wings which are so large you could park 70 cars up there they only just fit really don't they they do only just fit yeah it's quite common on such a large aircraft to have a ground service vehicle follow us to check the wing tips to make sure that we're all safe you don't hit anything do not want to hit anything looks very good good to go back in terminal 3 28 year old australian sean checks in going home to surprise my mum for a 60th she has no idea i'm coming while fellow aussie belinda is leaving fiance alice behind to return home after almost four years we're getting married we're getting married soon it's gonna be okay i love you although for her the 24-hour flight time is a little overwhelming i've done a lot of long-haul flights so it's not like i'm new to the game um but i just find them rather horrendous to be honest like long i don't think anyone enjoys a long-haul flight i know i've i don't know i just dread it and i think that's a part of that stopped me from going back all these years but belinda's in for a surprise as she's been upgraded yeah it's actually business class and actually i'm flying business class which is crazy because i've never flown any kind of class except for a comedy i can't anything economy yeah and i i feel like i'm a little bit emotional actually off to the gate here we go we're baby's doing really well baby honest say hello [Music] everyone wave and it's not just our human passengers that are about to go long haul every day qantas alone make 4 000 freight shipments the two huge holes can carry up to 20 tons of freight although anything bigger than a suitcase is handled by the specialists i would say we're a big check-in for freight [Music] just a few miles from heathrow is donatus bonded warehouse a high security 24 7 cargo facility where they handle up to 450 tons a day we're open all the time every day of the year and it is it's very fast paced it comes in it goes out anything from clothing to cars live animals absolutely anything we had an armored vehicle come in customized and had all leather seats in fridges so that was quite unusual the a380 can even carry its own spare engines although at 10 tons apiece it's a bit of a tight fit they'll go out this afternoon on a special vehicle they direct load onto the aircraft just squeezes in and out but yeah that's quite tight [Music] today it's not just jet engines and luxury cars that are going long haul as two very important passengers arrive mitzy and alfie are being relocated back to australia and a few days ago it was time to say goodbye to mum and dad come on we're gonna go quick quick we won't see them for about 12 13 days which is a long time for us and mitzi here suffers from a little bit of separation anxiety so um hopefully the flight's not too bad for them good boy good boy good boy just a little bit uncertain she probably thinks we're going with her she's probably gonna get a surprise we're all gonna go on a car ride that's right yeah so she's all up for the ride it's just when when she works out we're not going mitsy and alfie are traveling with a specialized pet transport service and they've just realized they're going alone i think uh see you soon see you soon but they're in safe hands as the animals welfare is top priority for all the airlines even before they fly they get a thorough checkup [Music] australia especially are super paranoid about uh importing infectious diseases so that's parasites and other signs of contagious diseases so i just work from head to toe go through these guys and make sure they're all well everything's healthy lovely clean ears super go through his coat to make sure there's no signs of ticks fleas anything like that hanging around i choose cardiovascular systems up to the trip you are good we'll have a look at your sister but i'm very happy with how things look with him you worried you're coming on the table as well i'm afraid you are pretty laid back customer nice steady heart rate nice clear chest good very good and it's not just domestic pets that travel long haul every day of the year you could be sitting there on a plane and below you don't realize there are literally half a dozen animals going from one place to another around the world and it's not just cats and dogs there's exotics as well on international breeding programmes from zootopia too the largest animal i've moved by air is uh asian one horned greater rhino rhinoceros in a big box today the dogs are accompanied by a few feline friends so mick has to be careful about who sits where we try and separate everyone this we've got some cats on the corner uh we obviously face them away from the dogs uh so don't upset each other uh but no they all look quite happy to spawn in although the holds on the aircraft are pressurized they are not usually heated but with outside temperatures at forty thousand feet of minus fifty degrees centigrade today these guys will be well looked after they'll actually warm the compartment so it's comfortable for the animals their main concern is their welfare mitsy and alfie are just two of the 65 000 domestic pets carried by qantas each year a tiny fraction of the 100 million animals flown worldwide back at the airport with just 60 minutes before departure the catering trucks arrived specially built to reach the plane's two decks the service team now has to replace 40 000 items including 70 meal carts two and a half thousand glasses and five thousand pieces of cutlery customers for endorsing our business with 45 minutes to go boarding begins but delays on the roads around heathrow mean getting the flight away on time could be a challenge as a consequence we have late passengers and late crew so we um everything that we did this morning was a little bit behind as the crew rushed to prep the plane now even some of the checked-in passengers have gone walk about qantas good morning oh aren't you thank you 11 passengers where do they go um this is the 1 million dollar question but inez is undeterred for her getting the flight away on time is a matter of pride the flight on time is when i watch those wheels move right on the dot if that doesn't happen then we fail everyone that has worked very hard to get all the passengers all the crew you know the aircraft at its destination so yes it would be they would be disappointed in me if i didn't deliver with boarding about to close most of the passengers have been found but there's always one one premier economy which is trying to get a phone number okay thank you thank you thank you so uh we are 20 minutes to departure we're missing one passenger and at minus 15 minutes we start looking for their bags next we'll ines avoid costly delays and get flight double o2 away on time i sometimes say that waiting for the door to close ages me [Music] and a very good morning to you ladies and gentlemen my name is jason and i'm your customer service manager at london's heathrow boarding of flight double 02 to sydney is almost complete as the last passenger is rounded up we've located him and um it is him is it yes and um yes so we should be all good to go inez can now make sure the doors are all sealed we're just waiting for engineers to get off and then i sometimes say that waiting for the door to close ages me that is a very happy moment i know it's a bit sort of obvious because i work here but that is closely withdrawal with the door sealed the arrow bridges retract and flight double 02 is pushed back for takeoff on time there she goes and she slides away from us [Music] takeoff is one of the most critical phases of the flight captain rod duncan and his crew now accelerate the plane to 138 miles per hour we always only use as much thrust as we need that just saves wear and tear on the engine so it never seems to accelerate really quickly as the speed increases the air pressure around the massive winds changes now air flowing over the wing has a lower pressure than the air flowing under it with enough speed the pressure difference begins to lift the aircraft into the air once you get to that speed if you have an engine failure or a major problem prior to that speed you'll stop on the runway and if you have a engine failure or problem after that speed you'll sort it out in the air as the giant aircraft heads southeast it's following the kangaroo route a 70 year old air link between australia and the mother country the 11 000 mile trip crosses europe the middle east and the indian ocean before arriving in australia in just over a day's time one epic journey that's a tiny fraction of the 6.28 billion long-haul miles flown each year hi so here i am in the business class section i've just been given some champagne life is pretty good right now [Music] unfortunately um baby alice was sick on bethany's shoulder so not the greatest but she's now fast asleep so hopefully she can stay like that now for the rest of the flow am i going so far in seat 70c 65 year old malcolm has hardly ever flown before this is the first time i've ever flown a long long haul oh my gosh ever fly mobile wow that's what brings you to australia oh well what it was one one friday night oh my gosh watching television got a phone call this woman on the phone again she told me all my details and all that she says i'm your sister oh my gosh there's another two of us all right oh wow i've got three malcolm's parents split up when he was just three months old until his sister alison tracked him down in october 2016 he had no idea he had another family in australia [Music] she said they've been looking for me for 20 years my dad's been looking for me for 40 years well i just went then i just completely went tears were rolling down my faces both of us at either end and we just we five five minutes before we started talking and i just couldn't believe it malcolm's father david had joined the thousands of ten pound poms who emigrated to australia in the 1950s starting a new life he had remarried and had three daughters could imagine how you would be feeling after that phone call really thrilling oh yeah we're on the phone for at least an hour and a half that night it would just the nicest thing i found out is he's been looking for me for all these years you know how that makes me feel and obviously the first thing is we've got to meet we've got to meet i don't know what's going to happen when i see him at the other end when you get off this plane that's it yeah that's it i'm gonna meet them all for the first time malcolm's dad passed away in 1996 having never been reunited with his son and now malcolm's got a lifetime of catching up to do with his new family i'm never going to meet me dad in real life but the next best thing is my three sisters fabulous oh i've got these ones everywhere i'm actually tingling so beautiful that reminds me why this is my dream job as flight double o2 begins its track across mainland europe 11 000 miles away in sydney it's just one of a hundred qantas flights that is being tracked second by second in the integrated operations center or ioc the ise essentially is the nerve center to the airline we provide information to all the aircraft that we have flying anywhere anytime around the world this system gives us a timeline of all the aircraft that we have at any given moment through their phase of flight that information is updated as soon as an aircraft releases breaks takes off lands or comes back to the terminal yeah that's right we might be diverting to sydney qantas 94. a lot can vary in approximately 18 to 24 hours be that weather information engineering medical assistance security assistance so we're always providing updates to those aircraft throughout the course of their journey okay let me go and check the maintenance watch and i'll come back and this communication isn't just one way as each a380 is equipped with hundreds of sensors which beam real-time data about the health of the plane and its engines across the have a globe at the telemetry from the aeroplane at this stage and we'll see if it's carrying any defects which may cause us an issue although flight double o2 isn't reporting anything serious it does have one or two minor niggles aircraft carries some minor defects just like your car the ashtray may be full or the window may not wind down properly or something like that if it's a serious fault there's other alerting from the engine manufacturers they've been monitored also airbus themselves are monitoring the aircraft and if they believe it's a serious issue they can also send us some additional information if the engineers do spot a worrying problem they can pick up the sat phone and talk directly to the pilots we have to be very mindful that we don't bother them during a critical phase of flight so if they're just starting their flight we won't call and if they're just towards the end of the flight definitely won't be calling engineers like david are just one of the many unsung heroes of the long-haul flight one flight from london sydney could have anywhere from approximately 10 30 to 50 people involved so there's a lot of people behind the scenes that are making that aircraft get to where it's going without the iac the airline wouldn't function you'd have aircraft in the air that wouldn't be able to get real-time information be that mechanical be that for weather be that security or medical related situations and as a result that literally would be flying blind which is exactly what used to happen when the pioneers of long haul took to the skies nearly 80 years ago 1938 and qea qantas empire airways operates the short c-class flying boats in modern luxury and comfort and what's more the trip only takes nine days which includes 70 hours of flying and 36 stops essentially long haul was a series of short hops none of them longer than 200 maximum 300 miles between each hop you would come down the plane would be refueled you had to be adventurous there was a lot of forced landings you had to be prepared more or less for anything [Music] there is even a demand for fishing lines at refueling stops where both passengers and crew members can enjoy the relaxation of dropping a line over the side back on board our passengers won't need to be fishing for their dinner as just 30 minutes into the flight it's time to eat please of course thank you very much is the busiest time for the 21 crew and each one has their own specific role depending on where we're seated for takeoff and landing depends on what we're doing either in the cabin or in the galley so basically i'm taking the opportunity to get things ready for the dessert service now while all the other cabin crew were out doing the bar service today aaron is one of the 10 crew looking after the 64 passengers in business class give the passengers a nice glass of wine with their meal a small side salad where they get a choice of dressings and then we start delivering entrees and main course with food and drink playing a crucial part of the long-haul experience each year over 1 billion meals are dished up at 40 000 feet qantas alone served 7.5 million on their long-haul flights 400 000 in first class 2 million in business and five million in economy [Music] everywhere in the world at any minute of the day there's a queen up there and we're serving a meal to somebody neil perry is one of australia's best-known chefs for 20 years he's been putting the food he serves in his rockpool restaurants into the sky it can be a massive risk putting your name on something you have no control over landline foods always had a bad rap so when we got involved the most important thing is we created sort of a number of cornerstones so we said what have the airlines always done well they're flowing really bad bread so we have to have great bread they've found pretty poor cheese let's have beautiful ripe cheeses that are ready salad not great let's do great salads and then we'd roll dishes around that [Music] today all the food is prepared in huge catering centers the 105 chefs at alpha lsg in london produce 31 000 meals per day in the premium cabins each of the dishes must be dressed and plated the same way across every flight just gonna be calm collected go along step by step no it's all good there is pressure but hey you can't let the nerves get to you serving restaurant quality food is an idea that harks back to the pioneering days of aviation feeling peckish well here's a sample of our in-flight dining anyone care for the crustacean hmm trivia have had a seven course meal you'd be served by a steward who'd be wearing a white jacket and a white cap like a waiter in a fine restaurant really this was served the 14th of september 1952 they started with lobster bisque roast fillet of beef fresh sliced peaches with kirsch fresh double cream martini cocktails granvander borgonya and bisquid du boucher i'm sorry about my french accent but you get the idea creating the tricky dishes is one thing but serving them is quite another as in the air both equipment and space are severely limited this is a real ballet isn't it it is it's a bit of a juggling act yeah it's like yeah a bit of a circus trick this one yeah it's like a wall it's like a dance one moves one way and we move in and backwards and forwards you are all jammed in a small area you have to be very comfortable on the aircraft with people in your personal space you do learn very quickly how to maneuver around it's like we almost have eyes behind our heads because we sort of just like move away and we all just get out of each other's way we can just sort of you know would never really collide anymore we're used to it yeah we come to work knowing that it's going to be full and we're trained to work when it's full and yeah another day at the office [Music] next we'll take a sneaky peek at life below stairs as we inspect the crew's secret waters flight double o2 out of heathrow is on its way to sydney australia as the world's only fully double-decker passenger plane the a380s upper deck is mostly business class while the lower deck is the main economy cabin [Music] in row 81 daniel and bethany are enjoying a rare moment of calm i think this is the first meal mummy's had on without baby eyeless crying saying feed me first so it's actually quite nice to to do that isn't it the routine is whatever she wants so when she's hungry she will cry and she will ask for food and when she's tired she will sleep the young parents are preparing to move away from their families to start a new life in sydney we've just kind of gonna go out there kind of research the areas look at the neighborhoods get some houses and just kind of look at what we potentially letting ourselves in for in the future we haven't got a clue what to expect we could go there and we could hate it we haven't got anyone nearby to help out it's a big move for both of us but i'm not scared because i know we're a good team [Music] three hours into the flight and with service over for some of the crew it's a chance to sneak a quick break we just went to check out all our passengers and our passengers are all good absolutely so we thought we would reward ourselves with a cheeky cup of tea should we grow up that's what we're doing now beatrice has been flying for nine years for her keeping the passengers happy is one of the things that keeps her in the air okay thank you i'm a people pleaser to a certain degree and that's what i really like meeting the people and making them leave happy and i think i could be sat in an office nine to five looking towards 4 30 and yeah obviously there are some fights wrong thinking oh i can't wait to get to the end of this flight but then my reward is like i'm in dubai for 24 hours or in australia for three days so i don't really know what what more you could wish for really but all that excitement does come at a price so i'm just about to get stuck into every cabin crew's favorite job which is as you can see i've got my glove on cleaning the toilets so off i know people tell you it's a glamorous job i think they lied so we just kind of do this like every half an hour just to check all everything's really good in the toilet and that there's some paper in there because no one likes going to the toilet with no paper give it a little spritz beautiful if we have like a friendly family sort of atmosphere on board we'll go out together i'll go to the beach and play it's really nice i'm going to sit down and have my cup of tea in a biscuit that's the best part of this job for a cup of tea today the kangaroo route has a single stop of 90 minutes in the world's busiest airport dubai welcome to dubai recruit refueled and re-catered the plane is ready for the longest leg of the flight 14 hours to sydney about to hop on the plane not much longer back in the air the crew are preparing for another meal service we have a little trick that we like to call grant you know about tom cruise don't you when we talk about tom cruise on the aircraft we're not talking about famous movies we're certainly not we certainly are not we are talking about tea and coffee how do you put them on the trolley tea then coffee tom cruise there you go fact of the day [Music] on the upper deck in business class belinda settles in for lunch wilson you're joining us for something to eat thank you thank you so much this is her first experience in the premium cabin and she's not yet used to the restaurant like service so i'm serving a side salad with your meal and i have a choice of dressings for you i have aged balsamic or i have a very shoe what's a verzoo oh funny and it's not just the food jargon she needs some help with aaron's just been telling me about the lifestyle [Music] australian belinda left home to pursue her dream as an actress and singer i think i underestimated how hard it would be setting up in london it's not easy to come over with like two suitcases and that's all you have but she might have to get used to the high life as things are on the up so we're getting married um legally married which is a little bit different for um if we were in australia but in the uk we can get married which is incredible yeah it's very exciting so keep your eyes at the point that you're looking at but just drop your nose down a little bit and she's also landed the role of judy garland in a new west end show i can't wait for my mum to see this i don't think she'll quite believe it but i think she'll be really proud of everything that i'm achieving over here judy really is going to us isn't she judy's going to us she's going back to arts yes absolutely and judy's travelling in style the qantas a380 has 64 business class seats at up to eight times the cost of an economy seat this premium cabin is vital to the success of the airline what they're selling is exclusivity it's that great sort of social cachet if you turn left at the top of the steps and turn it turning right for the airline it's a question of economics if you're a standard economy class traveler they're not making much profit on you in fact they're hardly making anything at all so in a sense those business travelers who are paying a great deal more are paying for the ordinary passengers like you and me we often see this cabin full on every flight lots of business travelers or people that have saved up for a little while to take that trip of a lifetime it's very exclusive with the sky beds that go fully flat you can have privacy there's these mid-seat dividers it's all about service tailored to the customer oh business class is is the business really it's not just the business class passengers who travel in comfort in the forward hole directly below first class are the animals like mitzi and alfie while it's not possible for owners to visit their pets in flight if they're in the serenity of first class they occasionally might hear them sometimes you can actually hear the dogs chatting to each other and barking which can be a little bit distracting it's really interesting hearing hearing those noises and thinking that your ears are playing tricks on you cruising at almost 40 000 feet the a380 is one of the most comfortable planes in the sky quiet and stable it travels at more than 500 miles an hour almost effortlessly through the thin frigid atmosphere but it wasn't always this way the early long-haul passengers had to endure flying much lower in primitive and pressurized planes okay the good news about flying low that's eight or nine thousand maximum ten thousand feet is you get a good view of what's down below the pyramids or the taj mahal or the sydney harbour bridge the bad news is because you're going through the weather your stomach is being thrown all over the place and up to 50 of people in pre-war flights were nauseous they were queasy and a great many of those were actually vomiting on the floor and it's interesting that when the first stewardesses were introduced they had to be qualified nurses no such problems today as 10 hours into the flight the lights dim for the passengers to get some rest although few of them realize that there is another secret compartment in the belly of the plane and welcome to our secret sleepover one big slumber party in here this is where the cabin crew go on their down time naomi and sarah have agreed to show us around so these are the bunk beds there's 12 1200 crew rest is the best thing on the aircraft hi guys hello welcome welcome to lisa hi now we are ready for a nap we might get three hours off and then we'll switch and then the next person will get the three hours off yeah do a demonstration of how we get into the top bunk all coats can't see and do you normally have a hot water bottle down here normally because it's freezing down here it can get quite cold right not nice good night we get cozy pillows blankets hot water bottles you know you're lucky you don't see us in our pajamas but uh we saved that floor down there yeah it's just like a little cozy compartment underground and where's the harry potter bunk who gets the harry potter bunk yeah we do have one bunk which we call the harry potter bunk which is just under the stairs all right let's go to very pretty the easiest i've ever done i actually don't mind it cause it's like someone's actually giving you a hug under there because it's like you've got a wall that's halfway through and you kind of just all you know cozy up in there and it's quite warm [Music] it's not just the cabin crew getting some rest even pilots get a moment or two to enjoy the scenery there's a lot to see and you've got your map so you know where you are and see some great sunrises sunsets good mountains [Music] in the economy coming is 28 year old australian sean living in the uk he's been plotting with dad to be the surprise guest at his mum's 60th birthday party all her friends are gonna be there so that's gonna be brilliant and then guys sit on top of the cake should be when you walk in yeah my mom's very emotional i think when she sees me she's probably gonna scream run and hug me possibly even cry um i think she'll be very entertaining sean's not the only one with secrets sometimes i guess we do get a few weird requests such as marriage proposals after they've had a few wines you just make sure that they know that we're just there for their safety and the service we're not you know there for anything else next with just a thousand miles to run in sydney a whole army prepare to welcome flight double o two [Music] with flight double 02 now just hours from sydney the international airport prepares to open after its overnight curfew are you doing the two arrival as well not sure okay on board the pilots make contact with the air traffic control policy super hello t turn right heading zero two zero air traffic control is pretty much the policeman of the skies we make sure that the rules and procedures are followed and that separation standards aren't breached keeping the planes apart takes a special kind of skill you need to be able to think fast on your feet you need that spatial awareness a lot of people think in two-dimensional but we're thinking three-dimensional but we're also thinking four-dimensional at times because we've got speed involved as well meanwhile in the daily briefing at the ioc it's the weather that's the worry uh sydney we are looking at uh storm potential staying quite likely within the next two hours at the airport those storm cells hugging the coast whether or not there's going to be a tropical cyclone over the flight path of several flights becomes increasingly important to high passenger volume flights such as those that go to china those that go to london we are looking at storm cells to the north west of port and they are likely to move over do you think they're fast moving then they're quite fast moving we have some stuff to the southwest at the moment but that should stay offshore i'm just concerned that those things that are developing to the northwest while the worst of the storms are not yet over sydney the pilots prepare to land in some typically british weather in the cabin as the dawn breaks the crew prepare breakfast so as you can see it's sunrise on the plane i'm just going to go through and check on any passengers that might have woken up just see if we get them any drinks or anything like that the last service was hours ago so i guess they're ready for their their brekkie before they land my first order and cheeky james bones at sunrise josh here is loading up the oven doing a great job of being a gallery operator and yeah i've just got the card all ready and it's good down in the crew quarters the early morning alarm call is less welcome i've just come downstairs to do the worst job which is waking everyone up from break and everyone's still down here and they're not very happy who can give you a heart attack at the past two times but um and then when that hand does come up you're like okay and then you come up and you feel sorry for any passengers that don't come across you in that process between going from the crew store to the toilet one of my favorite things during the flight is to see the crew that are coming back from break and how upset they look after coming back from great here's edward he's looking really happy in the first class galley marissa is tackling a tricky dish fresh scrambled eggs cooked in a steam oven we've got to keep a close eye on it constantly stir it because if i take my eye off them i either burn them or they go a bit dry which we don't want oh yes platinum passengers little nerves but all good after you set your [Music] yeah i think we touched down in like 36 minutes which is really exciting too was excited having traveled 11 000 miles just to be his mother's very special birthday present literally my plan is to get a box that's big enough to fit me to wrap it up in paper maybe put a bow on it i think when i leap out of the box i think my mom's going to scream i had to panic a little bit and then once you realize whose it is uh should probably give me a big hug probably start crying um i think it'll be very entertaining keeping the emotions in check is also going to be a challenge for malcolm who after 65 years is now just minutes away from meeting his long-lost family first time in meeting him in the flat oh his nerves will be going now a bit emotional a bit a lot [Music] and it's not just malcolm feeling the nerves as at sydney airport his welcoming party has arrived my two sisters are here with me my partner my daughter my grandson and my nephew we are so excited the nerves have been chattering all the way down here yes really excited can't wait to see quality turn right heading one two five to join final one six right and you are cleared the ils prm with the runway in sight the plane enters its most critical phase landing and the a380s massive size creates a huge amount of weight turbulence or jet wash black tournaments is the unstable air that is produced from the wings and the body of the aircraft as it flies through the air the wake turbines hangs behind the aircraft for a period of time and we put like an envelope around the aircraft so we've got one thousand feet below and for a super it's six nautical miles behind it so we don't want anything in that envelope otherwise they get buffered around a lot if you're quite close to the the weight tournaments coming up the back of a super or a heavy and you're in a light aircraft like a cessna it could flip the aircraft correspond one three zero degrees one zero knots runway one six right to land while the a380 can land automatically usually this part is handled by the human pilots all right visual standard prestigious check in tough conditions they can be challenging crosswinds make it harder usually happens just in the last little bit and at that stage you nearly are always flying it manually it's probably the most satisfying part you try and fly the airplane as efficiently as you can and do a good landing possible if you do you basically feel satisfied it was a good job it's landed oh my god it's here he's landing busy how exciting malcolm is just moments away from coming face to face with his past [Music] flight double o2 from london has just landed into sydney international airport where a small army of service personnel are ready to welcome the plane how many baggage containers you got to take off for four more to go are you gonna use these ones here ramp manager sam shannon oversees the offloading it's almost like a choreographed dance we've got engineering staff that are overviewing the aircraft and looking for any damage that might have occurred in flight we've got our ground service team that are offloading all the baggage and cargo we'll also have catering come to the aircraft and start offloading all the rubbish from the inbound slide refuellers are also coming around to refuel the aircraft with the flight burning through over 300 000 liters of fuel the plane has lost half its takeoff weight although a little extra has been added obviously after such a long flight with over 480 passengers there's a lot of toilet waste so this gentleman now is just taking it out of the aircraft and also flushing all the tanks in the aircraft to make sure they're all clean for the next flight so the country's you don't dump it in the air no we don't dump it in the air i can assure you of that sam's team need to get all the passengers reunited with their 600 bags in less than 45 minutes and for three special ladies that can't happen soon enough we'll take them a little while to get through customs and then get their bags and stuff so [Music] with all the passengers disembarked the crew can finally clock off bye jason but while it's goodbyes for the crew malcolm's three sisters are desperate to say hello [Music] finally after what has literally been a lifetime malcolm arrives [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh you're here i'm touching it finally oh my god you believe it it's all good fantastic i can't believe it [Music] i can't wait to tell him just about our dad what he was like growing up it's a little bit bittersweet sort of we don't want to tell him too much i want to think he's missed out on everything but he just wants to hear about everything that we shared with dad [Music] great to find them i mean 65 the only one four months ago now i've got three sisters how lucky are you oh lucky me yeah you're here with the plane due to be back in the air in just seven hours there is just enough time for some regular maintenance the tug has now grabbed it closed its jaws and we're elevating the aircraft up so it's pivoting on its landing gear the dead weight of this aircraft at the moment possibly about 300 odd ton we're going to follow the a380 line out just to keep these wing tips clear from all arounding aircrafts all around us it's that big you can have an accident you could hit a wing on something so you must concentrate on handling it onto the center of those lines with the engineering hangar on the opposite side of the airport louis must tow the 73 meter long aircraft across a live room way and quickly we're gonna have to go we've been cleared we've got lights illuminated there's an aircraft coming in and it's on its final approach so we have to [Music] that aircraft's pretty close what's coming in now well done here we go this seven-story hangar was specially converted to accommodate the giant a380 and even then it only just fits the aircraft is very high and was a great challenge for us a lot of the equipment that we need to do a job at uh normal human level has to be elevated to those heights it's not just getting the people there it's getting some of the specialized tooling there as well one of the regular jobs is to give the giant plane a good scrub you wet the aircraft and you'll apply the foam over the aircraft scrub it off rinse it off so how do they get dirty i mean they're flying in the air bugs offs the rubber coming off the tires hitting the back of the aircraft the exhaust fumes hydraulic leaks all sorts of various ways they can get dirty and all this effort is not just for show obviously for our customers to look at a bright and shiny airplane is very nice however there's a hidden agenda there in fuel burn i mean a clean airplane their fuel burn is significantly reduced [Music] while our plane is being readied for its next trip belinda has finally made it home australia has a smell this sort of fresh grass kind of smell is just like i can't explain it it's quite comforting it's very emotional coming back to an old life that i used to have you know but it's also just so nice to be able to see mum yvonne's delighted that belinda's musical theater career is taking off at last [Music] proud of her finally she's going to be considered a professional and getting paid and that's so yeah i've been paid before though yeah but not like west end theaters is definitely a yes a first for me definitely [Music] it's not just belinda that's happy to be home next the rest of the passengers have their own emotional reunions you found a great spot for him anyway [Music] so we're in sydney now and uh we're just off to our first destination fuji the kangaroo road is just one of the thousands of long-haul flights that deliver passengers around the world as each day tens of thousands of travellers begin their own journeys we've got a beautiful view behind us of sydney harbour bridge and the sydney opera house [Music] for daniel and bethany their journey is just getting started as they scope out a possible future in sydney hello hello welcome shadow look around so we've got a lovely open plain kitchen lounge dining bedroom's just to uh your left here the mirror's sold to straight away and waking up to that every morning oh wow yes i fell in love with the apartment to be honest with you it's perfectly located that balcony in the mornings having a cup of coffee or having some breakfast it's really settled our nerves yeah kind of coming out here and seeing how beautiful sydney is we're looking forward to it my nan summed it up she she said it'll break my heart to see you go and at the same time it's the best thing for you and if my grandpa was still alive he'd be proud of us for moving out here because this is a big step but she knows that for our future this is the best move for us and this is where our future lies [Music] while daniel and bethany look to the future for mitzi and alfie after 10 days in quarantine it's a case of home at last i just got off the phone with your parents they're very excited to see you i've got them out at the airport in sydney just to stretch their legs chance to go to the toilet and both of their body languages were fantastic they handled the flight really well both happy and obviously glad to be on the ground [Music] while the dogs settle in at home back at the airport the countdown is on to get the next long-haul flight out on time after about one minute thanks everyone we have one minute before quarterbacks and then about 10 minutes before passengers board but the crew aren't the only ones on a countdown it's good to be back in sydney as shawn and his brother put the final touches to his mum's ultimate birthday surprise it's my brother mark just picked me up he manly [Music] plan is to cover this box um i'm gonna put a couple of eyes on it and so i've got a couple of peepholes there's already some cutouts on the side so as she goes to open the box i'm gonna pop my arms out it's not going to be neat but it will do sean takes up his position as mum is due at any moment oh they're coming i'm gonna hear some yells any second now he's not the only one undercover we've told mum that our camera crew are making a promotional film for the restaurant [Laughter] i love you so much my whole being is just shaking i i i'm gobsmacked know it's a dream come true in my head i'm thinking oh to me sure wouldn't that be wonderful but it won't happen it's happened [Music] so tranquil in it i think you're supposed to do all right yeah we're down here now aren't we north of sydney malcolm is having a very different family reunion you show me the way hiya dad we're all here i told you i found your boy yeah 65 years ago yep here we go again thank it's you totally emotional since i've been here finding you three and my dad's grave it you can't explain it fabulous turn my world right around i'm sure he had something to do with it oh yeah he's probably shorted it out yeah shorted it out yeah [Music] in just a few months the first non-stop 19-hour flight from the uk to australia will begin a technological leap forward that will further shrink our world yet while another long-haul milestone will be achieved the spirit and romance of long-distance travel remains as each year long-haul flights transport millions of people billions of miles to reconnect those who are half the world away even though we've been doing it now for half a century there's sort of certain magic about long haul which you can't eat for with a short tall hop of 90 minutes in a sense long haul is what aviation is really about this is dead on his journey over here oh i've never seen that one before that's going up front bedroom beside elvis [Music] bye [Music]

Channel: Spark

Views: 1,289,911

Keywords: Spark, Science, Technology, Engineering, airport, Heathrow, Heathrow spark, spark Heathrow, Heathrow: Britain's busiest airport, Heathrow airport, Heathrow airport documentary, spark Heathrow: Britain's busiest airport, Heathrow series, passenger arrest, airport police, Britain's busiest airport, spark science, spark channel, Heathrow documentary, air traffic control, how airports work, airport documentary, long haul flight tips, long haul flight essentials, long haul flight vlog

Id: iV_p2WguzFI

Length: 66min 59sec (4019 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 13 2021