Even though it's a lot safer than traveling on the ground flying is still one of those things that terrifies us
Maybe because we're six miles off the floor or maybe because we don't understand the logistics
And how such a huge piece of metal can take off in this video?
We put together a list of ten airplane features that you might not have considered in the past
That all work together to improve your safety. So are you ready? We're about to take off next time
You're on a plane
You won't have to worry about what all these features are there for so you'll need something else to do instead
Before we start make sure to click on the subscribe button, so you're well prepared for a few hours up in the air
Weird seat numbers the majority of airline seats are tiny and we all feel that pressure of frantically trying to hunt down your seat number
Without holding everyone up behind you but think about it
Have you ever flown on Row 13 probably not this doesn't apply to all airlines, but a growing number
Do not have a thirteenth row in the plane, and it's all because of superstitious flyers
It's thought to be the unluckiest number so would you really want to chance your luck on this row when you could sit
Absolutely anywhere else
What are the chances of the 13th Rose oxygen mask not working where the window falling out or something equally as dangerous?
Well realistically your chances this happening is no different to sitting in any other seat
But plenty of passengers are not happy to take the risk
This is such a big deal for some that airlines now have skipped the row completely and go straight from 12 to 14
However, it's not only the 13th row that doesn't exist anymore the Seventeenth row doesn't either on certain airline
It's considered an unlucky number in italy and brazil so to keep passengers happy and calm
It's no longer there either. Next thing you know, we'll be getting rid of Gate 13 -
Dimmed lights.
It's a common misconception that plane lights are dimmed during takeoff and landing at nighttime to stop the light shining into nearby buildings
We wouldn't want to wake anybody up of course
Ignoring the loud noises that planes make anyway in fact the reason why the lights are dimmed at these points is
completely different and not necessarily one you'll want to hear the plane is most likely to crash or have an accident during these periods
Meaning you're more likely than ever to have to evacuate the plane during takeoff or landing
This isn't too bad we've my rather jump a few feet at the window than from a thousand feet in the sky
But it's still not ideal!
When the lights are dimmed our eyes adjust to the surroundings if you have to make an emergency exit from the plane you'll be better
Equipped to do so if your eyes are already matched to the darkness outside
Instead of seeing glaring lights seconds before you're outside the plane
Your body will react better to the consistent darkness as a result you're more likely to survive
We don't think we're going to complain about having to use the reading light ever again after finding this out
Ashtray in the bathroom.
Smoking on planes has been illegal for as long as we can remember and for good reason nobody wants the plane to spontaneously combust
Mid-flight, and the smell of cigarettes isn't especially something we'd relish in confined spaces anyway
It's generally thought that everybody abides by these rules because who would be selfish enough anyway to light up when you're so high in the air
It's a walking safety Hazard
But have you ever noticed that most airplanes usually still have an ashtray in the bathroom?
Despite signs all over the place warning you not to smoke
It's clear that airline staff aren't quite as trusting as we once thought
You might have been like us and wondered if the ashtrays remain because we were flying on a really old plane by that logic it
Had been too costly or just a waste of time to go around removing every single ashtray from each plane
And maybe they don't exist on all planes now. Nope the ashtray
Is there just in case someone does ignore all the rules and lights up in the bathrooms in the Grand Scheme of things?
It's much safer to put it out in an ashtray than it is to throw it in the bin where there's a high chance it
Would set alight and then we'd all be finished
The weird window shape
You've probably heard the myth that guy on a plane who somehow managed to open the window and his eyes popped out because of the
Pressure it's a story that's been repeated absolutely everywhere, and we're 99% sure it's not true
But it has led us to wonder why plain windows are such a weird shape your traditional window is square
But the airplane windows are strangely curved and it's not for esthetic purposes
Instead the curved Windows reduce the pressure making the aircraft
Safer and the Windows sturdier in a typical square window there are four weak points the four Corners
This is why in an emergency,
They're supposed to break the corners to get free you probably wouldn't fit through a plane window in this circumstance
So the reason is purely for safety purposes when hitting high speeds up in the air
there's a lot of pressure on the
Windows The curved element means this pressure is spread almost evenly around the surface making it far safer and less likely to crack you might have
complained in the past because it restricted your view
But we bet you'll be far happier to miss out on the scenery now that you know the true reason for their odd shape
Inflight food envy
Did you know airline pilots aren't allowed to eat the same meal as each other?
While the rest of us are slumming it with an unidentified lump of food and some below Standard coffee airline pilots get different foods
This probably doesn't come as a surprise except they eat different food to each other
The next part might make you doubt airplane food even more than usual
Because the reason why pilots aren't allowed to eat. The same food is due to risk of food poisoning
It's pretty smart when you think about it if both pilots get sick at the same time and you're 30,000 feet in the air
We're not really sure what would happen aside from food. They're also not allowed to share drinks
You'd think the risk of contaminated drinks was pretty low
But it's not a risk many airlines are prepared to take
If the pilots are forced to eat the same food either due to dietary requirements
Or just lack of alternatives one must wait half an hour after the first is finished to check for any potential food poisoning effects
We guess becoming a pilot isn't the career of choice for anyone who suffers from frequent food Envy or a weak stomach?
Flying on an empty tank
The same way you stock up on fuel before starting a long Road
Trip you would assume aircrafts fill up their tanks right to the top before flying better to be safe than sorry right?
Actually, they do the opposite and fly with as little fuel in the tank as they can get away with but it's all for a
good reason
Airplanes are obviously incredibly heavy and it takes a lot of fuel to get going the more
It's weighed down with passengers and bags the heavier
It's going to be as a result it will use up more fuel
So logically the less fuel you have in the plane the lighter it will be and the less fuel it'll then need to use
Carrying Excess fuel only weighs the plane down
So companies like to combat this by only adding the exact amount of fuel that they're going to use
This is always a bit of a risk you've got to have a good estimation of how much fuel you're going to need
Because while you're in the air
It's not like you can have a spontaneous pit stop at the nearest gas station however even if this does happen
It's not the end of the world on the few occasions
It has the airplane has simply landed at a closer airport to stock up on fuel and then taken off again
Opening bathroom doors from the outside
It's probably one of your biggest fears on Airplanes having someone open the door to the bathroom while you're inside
Most of the time, it's pretty irrational locks are designed to keep people out but on airplanes
It's a whole other situation when you're high up in the air. There's only so much staff can do to look after you therefore
They have to make sure that everything is easily accessible in case of emergencies. This means that unlike your traditional door
There's a very easy way to Force Entry if it's needed
It's a pretty well-kept secret
But if you lift the laboratory sign on the bathroom there is a switch to open the door these switches do vary between different airlines
And unless you've worked for one you probably won't ever find out the exact way of opening it from the outside
But it does exist now
this is very frowned upon unless your airline staff and will most likely end in you getting escorted off the plane with the police if
You do it for fun
But it's a handy tip for the aircraft staff if someone's having problems
Generally is only used in serious cases like if someone passes out inside
Or if a child is stuck in there
Lightning strike prevention
If you're not scared of someone opening the bathroom door on you, you most definitely are the plane being struck by lightning
But did you know even if the plane is struck?
It's very unlikely to have an impact on your journey this probably sounds crazy
Because we've all heard horror stories about planes being struck and falling thousands of feet but Modern planes are actually built to Withstand lightning
It's a pretty impressive feature and is made flying a whole lot safer
Planes are designed to allow the lightning to move along the skin of the aircraft without conducting any damage
It's actually very common to be in a plane
That's been struck by lightning and not even really noticed it the outside of the plane is usually covered in copper
So even when lightning hits one of the extremities like two wing it's protected to the extent that the underlying layers won't be affected more
Importantly the fuel tanks are thoroughly protected to be safe from Danger
Occasionally the lightning will cause the generator to fail which can result in the lights going out
But this special feature means you're actually safer up in the air on the plane then you are on the ground next to the plane
If lightning does strike
Engine fail
It's almost unheard of but on the tiny chance both engines in your plane fail
You won't fall to the ground too fast don't worry we've all occasionally heard of one engine failing on the plane
But an impressive
Precautionary feature means
We're all pretty likely to survive if it happens even if it means having to take a slight detour on route when an Aircraft is
In flight it has a 1 to 10 lift-To-drag ratio
This means that for every 10 miles it goes forward it will lose one in height by that logic if you're 6 miles up in
the Air and the engine fails you can fly another 60 miles forward and downward before the engine truly gives up this leeway means the
Pilot can almost certainly conduct a safe landing even if it's not the destination you're hoping for
Unless you're flying over the middle of an ocean there is likely to be somewhere safe to land nearby
Although it might shock residents a little bit even one engine failing is a pretty rare occurrence
Thanks to Modern technology and specialist engineering
But it's always nice to know that we won't plummet down to Earth if something actually did happen
Holey windows
If you're unfortunate enough to not have Wi-Fi on your plane
Or you've just finished your book you might have noticed the tiny little hole in the corner of your airplane window. Don't be shocked
it's there internationally and has been placed in every single window on every single plane for a
Specific purpose the hole is known officially as a breather hole and is used to regulate the amount of pressure inside the window
Airplane Windows have three layers and this will guides the inside pressure out and vice versa
Luckily the hole is on one of the inner layers because it might not be quite so efficient on the outside
You probably wouldn't be surprised to hear it's the outside layer of the window that faces the most pressure
So the hole is talked on the inside to allow it to perform most
Proficiently, if there is too much pressure the hole make sure it's the outside layer which breaks, so you'll still be able to breathe properly
It's also used to stop the cabin fogging up
Which is great because otherwise we would all struggle to get that taking off from the runway shot that we all upload every single time
We get on a plane even
If you're a veteran flyer there were probably a few features in this video that you weren't aware of wasn't that fun
Now hold on tight because we're aiming for a smooth landing
We hope you enjoyed this video and make sure to click subscribe to the hub for plenty more interesting videos. Thanks