Classification Essay Omar Núñez

Size does not mean Autonomy.

Actually, civil use airplanes are meant to be used for specific tasks such as tourism, training, mean of transport, cargo transport, fumigation and many other variants. All of these tasks require airplanes that best fits their needs.  One of these needs is the flight autonomy.

The flight autonomy can classify airplanes in three categories: those of low autonomy, medium autonomy and high autonomy airplanes usually named intercontinental airplanes. The difference between this categories is how far distance the airplane can travel with a load of fuel. For example a low autonomy airplane can fly an average of 500 km while a high autonomy airplane can fly an average of 10,000 km. But as is usually thinked autonomy is not always related with size or passenger capacity.

A low autonomy airplane can transport a limited number of passengers between short distances . It is common that regional airlines use this type of planes because the services they offer are for exclusive destinations with a low demand of passenger flow.  An example of this type of airplane can be the DeHavilland Dash 7 that can comfortably transport 40 passengers in short flights.  

                                             De Havilland Dash 7

In the Medium autonomy class, we can find a wide variety of airplanes of many manufacturers. This airplanes can fly an average of 5500 km, are very popular for airlines that provide transportation services in high demand air traffic zones with flights between neighbor countries or local flights. Aeromexico regional and international routes such as those between U.S.A or Caribbean are flown by this type of airplanes like the Boeing 737 that can transport an average of 150 passengers and its operational cost is very effective. But this classification is not exclusively for big and robust airplanes, there are some others of small size such as the Learjet 45 that provides the same autonomy but the number of passengers is limited.

                                                Boeing 737      

                                                                 

                                              Learjet 45

The last and for many people the most amazing classification, is occupied by the High Autonomy airplanes. Traditionally, this are enormous planes that  can transport at least 350 passengers. The lenght average for this airplanes is superior to 60 meters and can fly more than 10000 km with a load of fuel. The most popular plane of all times is the Boeing 747, usually called Jumbo. It can transport 450 passengers in a distance average of 12500 km. Its nearly competitor is the Airbus A380 that can transport more than 500 passengers depending of its configuration. But as was said on last paragraphs, size is not what defines autonomy. A clear example of it is the new Boeing 787 that is bigger than a medium size airplane but smaller than a Full size. This new option can transport between 200 and 300 passengers depending on its configuration with an autonomy of more than 15000 km, even more than a Jumbo jet.

                                         Boeing 747

 

                                              Boeing 787

The aeronautical world is covered by a wide variety of options that fits in every market. Airlines always search for the best operational cost and payback to invest in new airplanes. With the use of new manufacturing technologies and materials, airplanes manufacturers can offer more efficient airplanes for a very demanding market in which size is not related with autonomy and efficiency that airplanes can offer.