For most passengers, long-haul flights are a matter of endurance aided by a few drinks, inflight entertainment, and trying to get some sleep between meal services.
It is an entirely different matter for the people flying the plane as there are still plenty of things to do even after takeoff.
Let's look at what's happening on the flight deck during these longer flights… Even though flight paths are decided upon before departure, pilots have to monitor weather conditions and decide whether or not to alter them during the flight.
On long-haul flights, weather conditions are more likely to change from initial forecasts, with aircraft often encountering multiple weather systems.
These systems can vary in intensity from slight turbulence to dangerous thunderstorms.
Traveling at high speeds, pilots must be prepared at all times to alter the flight path if necessary.
If, for example, they see a thunderstorm on the radar, they must first get the OK from air traffic control (ATC) to change their route.
Clear air turbulence is another worry, and because it cannot be seen on the radar, pilots rely upon the information provided by pilots flying the same route ahead of them.
When flying across oceans such as the Atlantic, one pilot's job is to communicate with the ATC while the other monitors a common air-to-air frequency that pilots use to communicate with each other.
The entire time a flight is in the air, the pilots monitor all kinds of gauges to ensure that the plane performs how it is supposed to.
