US Airways - August 2013 - (Page 11)

Did You Know? embark News, Notes, and Inﬂight Insights How fast does a plane go? The speeds achieved today by modern airliners were almost unimaginable in the early days of air transportation. Even up until the 1950s, traveling across the country was still accomplished best by train — in two days! Today, you can travel from Charlotte to Los Angeles on a US Airways Airbus A321 in just over ﬁve hours. —Capt. Bob Skinner WHAT’S UP WITH AIRPORT CODES? # You’ve probably noticed the three-letter codes for airports on your luggage tag or when booking a ﬂight. Some make sense (BOS for Boston) while others are more cryptic (MSY for New Orleans). ILLUSTRATION BY NIGEL HOLMES ? Why is there a delay when it’s sunny? Summer is one of the busiest travel seasons. And while the weather is mostly bright and clear, there can still be ﬂight delays. You may be ﬂying from sunny Charlotte to sizzling Phoenix, when all of a sudden there’s a delay. Why? There are several factors at play. For example, the plane you’re departing on could be coming from a destination where there are weather problems. Or the plane might have experienced a ground stop or ground delay coming from its original destination. Perhaps planes had to be swapped or the ﬂight crew timed out and a replacement crew had to be called in. LAX RDU YYZ CDG BNA B OS PHL Y MSVG C DFW LGA Airport codes were developed when air travel became popular in the 1930s. Many airports took the city’s two-letter weather station code and added X at the end — Los Angeles became LAX, Phoenix became PHX. Other airports used the ﬁrst three letters of the city name or of the cities served — BOS for Boston, DFW for Dallas/Fort Worth. Some of the more puzzling codes come from the name of the airport, such as Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport in Paris, France. Nashville’s main airport (BNA) was once known as Berry Field Nashville after Col. Harry Berry, who helped build it. Other codes recall what the airport once was — Columbus, Ohio’s CMH is for Columbus Municipal Hangar, and New Orleans’s MSY stands for the Moisant Stock Yards. Geography comes into play as well. Cincinnati’s airport (CVG) is located in northern Kentucky and takes its name from the town of Covington. There are more rules now for new airport codes. Some letters aren’t permitted because they’re designated for other uses: N is reserved for naval codes, W and K are codes Think you’ve got the hang of it? for radio stations, and Y Take our short quiz and ﬁnd out: is used for all Canadian 1. Orlando, FL A. RDU codes. Another catch? The 2. Portland, OR B. DTW ﬁrst and second letters or 3. Raleigh, NC C. MCO second and third letters 4. Detroit, MI D. PDX cannot be the same for 5. Louisville, KY E. SDF airports within 200 miles of each other. ANSWERS: 1.) C 2.) D 3.) A 4.) B 5.) E While at cruising altitude on a long-distance ﬂight, you’re traveling about eight nautical miles per minute. That’s approximately 550 miles per hour! Speeds vary greatly depending on the phase of ﬂight. On takeoff, an Airbus A320 will lift off the runway at about 175 mph and then accelerate to a climb speed of about 335 mph. Cruise speed is generally in the 520–550 mph range. At touchdown the plane’s speed is about 150 mph. usairwaysmag.com AUGUST 2013 11 http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - August 2013

US Airways - August 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Architectural Attractions
Wine & Dine: Italy's Gourmet Capital
Adventure: Diving for Dinner
Golf: The Wyndham Championship
Adventure: Drive Time at Bondurant
Great Escapes: Riu Resorts
Gear Up: Tools to Stay Cool
Travel Feature: Seattle's Outdoor Delights
US Airways: Staffing the Skies
Health Matters: Rapid Recovery
Special Section: Historically Black Colleges & Universities
Must Read: The Book of Immortality
Great Dates: Euphoria Festival
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Giving: Pulling Together
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - August 2013