The world’s longest commercial non-stop flight by both distance and duration is operated by Singapore Airlines between New York (JFK) and Singapore (SIN). The journey spans 15,349 km (9,536 miles) and takes approximately 18 hours and 50 minutes to complete!
So what you would say!
Well, did you know that there is a natural flight which is around 14,000 Km and it is taken by a bird with no GPS or meal break!
Like any long haul flight even here the technical requirement is to lose excess weight and be fit!
The bird is called the BAR TAILED GODWIT! And it is a miracle of nature!
The Bar-tailed Godwit holds the world record for the longest non-stop animal migration.
Each year, these Arctic-nesting shorebirds fly up to 13,500 km (8,400 miles) across the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to New Zealand and Australia in 11 days
Just like how humans prepare for a marathon; even these birds make their prep for a long non stop journey!
Prior to departure, they bulk up at staging grounds like the Kuskokwim Shoals in Alaska. There is an Extreme Fat Loading where the birds go on a feeding frenzy on coastal mudflats, doubling their body weight until 55% of their mass is stored fat! providing the required energy!
To reduce weight and increase efficiency, they shrink their internal organs (including the gizzard, intestines, kidneys, and liver) by up to 25%!
Then you have the Muscle Boosting! At the same time, they enlarge their heart and flight muscles to maximize oxygen and power output.
Once they land, their internal organs fully regenerate!
Unlike seabirds, godwits cannot land on water to rest. They perform an uninterrupted, continuous flapping flight across the ocean.
Alaska to Australia/New Zealand route done by the subspecies Limosa lapponica baueri is the most famous.
Now the Pioneer was this bird code named E7! In 2007, a female which first proved this incredible feat by flying 11,680 kilometers non-stop over 8 days!
Then in 2022, a juvenile godwit named “B6” set the world record by flying 13,560 km from Alaska to Tasmania in 11 days without stopping!
While the southbound flight is a direct, non-stop trans-Pacific trajectory, the northward return flight to Alaska follows a different path. They fly non-stop from Australasia to staging grounds in East Asia (such as the Yellow Sea) to rest and refuel before heading to the Arctic breeding grounds!
So the return journey is a little easier with a stop!
Then again whenever ‘man’ sees a challenge, instead of getting inspired and learn how to get it done; he starts destroying nature without bothering about the fact that the nature is for everyone and not only for humans!
Because these birds rely heavily on specific mudflats to refuel, they face severe threats. The rapid loss of intertidal habitats around the Yellow Sea due to industrial reclamation has caused a worrying drop in godwit survival rates, making international conservation efforts critical!
The bird can prepare for a long haul by hogging! It may not work for the average HUMAN though!
An above average human though is Nitish Bharadwaj especially when he used to play the role of Bhagwan Shri Krishna…
Now prepare for your FLIGHT to dream land!
Shubh ratri…
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