MSGID: 2:292/854 030c2922   
   Qantas plans to open direct scheduled services from East Australia to London   
   and New York within a few years. To know what the effects of these ultra-long   
   flights are on the well-being of crew and passengers, the Australian airline   
   is planning three test flights, which will be carried out with factory-new   
   Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.   
       
   The plans for direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Europe and   
   North America are known as "Project Sunrise". That should be the longest   
   non-stop airborne services in the world. The purpose of the test flights is to   
   simulate the scheduled services as truthfully as possible. The schedule   
   includes two flights from New York and one from London in the months of   
   October, November and December.   
       
   The Boeing 787-9s with which Qantas performs the test flights are flown to New   
   York or London after delivery in Seattle. From there, a course is set for   
   Sydney. The simulation flights, including the crew, will have forty people on   
   board. In this way, weight is saved and the flight range increases, so that   
   the Boeing 787-9 can perform the flights directly. Fully loaded does not work.   
       
   Measuring equipment   
       
   The passengers in the cabin - mainly Qantas personnel - will carry measuring   
   equipment and participate in specific experiments during the approximately   
   nineteen-hour flights. Scientists and physicians from a renowned institute   
   monitor the influence of sleep patterns, food and drink intake, light,   
   exercise and inflight entertainment on health, well-being and the body.   
       
   Researchers from Monash University investigate the pilots during the test   
   flights. The melotonin level is measured both before and after the flight.   
   This is a hormone that plays a role in the body's sleep-wake rhythm. The   
   pilots wear an EEG device that tracks brain wave patterns and monitors   
   alertness. According to Qantas, the data should contribute to creating optimal   
   working and rest times for pilots on these ultra-long flights.   
       
   Not a done deal   
       
   Whether the intended flights of Project Sunrise will actually be introduced is   
   still uncertain. Qantas expects to take a decision there at the end of   
   December. "There is enough enthusiasm for Project Sunrise, but it is not a   
   foregone conclusion," says CEO Alan Joyce. An important condition is that the   
   Airbus A350ULR or Boeing 777X - both candidates for the ultra-long flights -   
   can operate the flights in a profitable way with sufficient payload.   
   "Ultimately it is a business decision."   
       
   With the flights, Qantas sets a new milestone: it will be the first time that   
   an airline flies directly from New York to Sydney. A direct flight between   
   London and Sydney has only been operated once before, also by Qantas. That was   
   in 1989, in honor of the introduction of the Boeing 747-400.   
       
   Note from the moderator:   
   ------------------------   
       
   Airbus has already flown a non-stop sector Toulouse to Auckland (New Zealand)   
   and back with an A340. This is over 2.000km more than Qantas plans. The   
   flights took some 22 hours ...    
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.99   
    * Origin: AVIATION ECHO HQ (2:292/854)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/123 15/2 153/757 221/1 226/17 229/354 426 728 1014 240/5832   
   SEEN-BY: 249/317 400 261/38 280/464 292/854 8125 317/3 322/757 335/364   
   SEEN-BY: 342/200 396/45 633/280 801/188 3828/7   
   PATH: 292/854 229/426