Even though they’re one of the most popular ways to travel long distances, airplanes remain
somewhat enigmatic and evoke countless questions. Can a plane fly if one engine is out? Do the
wings do all the flying? But most importantly, why, after choosing a window seat, are you
sometimes stuck looking at a wall??? Well let’s dive into this, shall we?
1. The pressurized air in the passenger cabin is as dry as the Sahara Desert - with only
about 20% humidity. That's why your skin may feel tight and your lips chapped during a
flight. It’d make sense to install humidifiers that could add some moisture. But this extra
load would cost airlines too much money. Plus, the plane's frame is mostly made of aluminum
and other metals, and humid air could lead to corrosion. So plan to wear moisturizer
and some lip balm instead.
2. Every 37 seconds, a plane takes off or lands at Chicago’s O'Hare International
Airport. Um, they’ve tried to stop this particular plane, but no, every 37 seconds,
off it goes. Nah -- just kidding. It’s a bunch of planes doing that.
3. The wings are just one of the flight's crucial components. There must be 4 forces
for a plane to be able to fly - they have to push an aircraft forward, up, down, and
slow it down. These forces are thrust, lift, drag, and weight. So when someone say’s
flying’s a drag…they’re partially right!
4. With time, there is increasingly more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And that's why
turbulence is getting worse and more frequent.
5. The Boeing 747-8, one of the world's largest commercial airplanes, has enough electrical
capacity to power almost half a million flat-screen TVs.
6. Try to avoid cozying up under airplane blankets. Some airlines only wash them about
once a month. Better use your own travel blanket, a scarf, or a jacket.
7. The Bede BD-5 Micro holds a Guinness World Record for being the smallest and lightest
jet. This baby can seat one person and weighs just a bit more than a giant panda.
8. The Airbus A380 is the world's largest commercial aircraft – it can carry up to
853 passengers! And its wingspan is bigger than the airplane itself. The aircraft's body
is 240 ft long, while the wings stretch for 260 ft. Mind you, that’s approaching Lady
Liberty’s height!
9. And the world's largest and heaviest aircraft is the Antonov An-225. This giant can take
off while carrying 640 tons of its own and cargo weight. And that's heavier than three
single-story houses!
10. The dirtiest place on a plane isn't the bathroom - it's your tray table! It has 8
times more bacteria than an on-board toilet flush button.
11. Voyager was the first plane to fly around the world without refueling or stopping. The
flight took place in 1986 and continued for 9 days, 3 minutes, and 44 seconds.
12. At any moment, there are 61,000 people traveling by plane over the US, and around
5,000 aircraft carrying them.
13. More than a third of your taste buds don't work when you're in the air. That's why even
the tastiest dishes and drinks may seem bland and unappetizing.
14. Only 5% of the Earth's population has ever been on a plane. Most of those who do
travel by plane are regular flyers.
15. Inside a Boeing 747, there are around 140 miles of wiring, which is half as long
as the Grand Canyon. The weight of all this wiring is as heavy as a mid-sized sedan.
16. While traveling by plane, you may feel like you're moving unimaginably high off the
ground. But, in fact, the average cruising altitude of most commercial aircraft is only
7% of the distance to space.
17. Airplanes not only get hit by lightning, they can also trigger it! When your aircraft
is flying through a cloud, its friction with the surrounding air creates static electricity
that can cause lightning. But even if a plane is struck, the electrical current won't do
any harm to a modern aircraft. On average, lightning strikes every commercial jet at
least once a year.
18. During a 3-hour flight, your body loses 10 glasses of water, putting you at risk of
dehydration. And if you’re dehydrated, your jet lag will probably be much worse!
19. If flying first class doesn't sound so exciting anymore, you can try the Residence
by Etihad Airways. It's a three-room apartment with a bed, vanity, armchair, and onboard
shower. But the ticket will cost you tens of thousands of dollars depending on your
destination.
20. Even though airplanes can easily handle -60°F at their cruising altitudes, it's very
different on the ground. If the temperature drops below -40°F, jet fuel freezes, and
the plane can't take off. Extra cold temperatures in the air don't affect aircraft so much because
once a plane starts moving, the fuel heats up while passing through the engine.
21. There are planes that can fly with one engine shut down without any problems. For
example, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner can safely transport its passengers on one engine for
5½ hours before it needs to land. However, if your plane only has one engine, like many
private aircraft, and it shuts down, well …then you get to practice your gliding.
22. A Boeing 767 tanker carries enough fuel to fill the tanks of 1,200 minivans. I’m
just guessing here, but I think the challenge is getting all those minivans to a high enough
altitude to do the refueling….
23. Airplane windows and seats don't always match up, so choosing a window seat doesn't
guarantee you’ll have a great view of the Earth from above. In large commercial aircraft,
for example, Airbus or Boeing, seat placement depends on the airline. In business and first-class,
passengers have more legroom and overall personal space than in economy class. And if it's a
low-cost airline, chairs are typically crammed inside the cabin. But windows always stay
in a fixed position. That's why the seats sometimes match up with the windows, and sometimes
they don't.
24. The late great Concorde, the fastest commercial airplane ever, could fly at twice the speed
of sound when it was in use. It held the record for the fastest transatlantic flight – the
trip from New York to London took the super-jet just 3 hours. (It usually takes 7!)
25. The average cruising speed of a commercial airliner is 575 mph, which is almost 3 times
faster than the speed of a Lamborghini Gallardo and over 4 times faster than a tornado’s
wind gusts! How’s that for a wacky comparison?
26. Mercury isn't allowed on flights because even a small amount of this liquid metal can
seriously damage the aluminum most planes are made of. The problem is that mercury combines
with aluminum all too eagerly. And when it does, this disrupts a protective layer that
keeps aluminum from corroding.
27. While drivers can’t for obvious reasons, pilots can and do sneak in a nap! That's why
at some point in your flight, the plane is likely to be controlled only by the autopilot.
When 500 pilots were interviewed, 43% of them admitted to falling asleep "behind the wheel,"
and 31% said they’d woken up next to their sleeping co-pilot at least once.
28. In case of an emergency, oxygen masks only have enough airflow to last for about
15 minutes. Luckily, it's just the amount of time a plane needs to find a suitable landing
place or to at least descend to the altitude where people won't need oxygen masks anymore.
29. Though it doesn’t exist yet, there is a concept of a plane with a detachable passenger
cabin. It would let pilots eject the cabin if one or both engines fail. After that, the
cabin would fall gently and safely toward the ground thanks to several massive parachutes.
Unfortunately, most crashes happen not because of engine failure mid-flight, but during take-off
and landing. And in these circumstances, the whole detachable cabin idea is… not so good.
30. Even though it's not one of the FAA’s rules, a lot of airlines insist that their
pilots and co-pilots eat different meals. Then, if one of them gets food poisoning,
the other will be able to fly the plane.
31. The first company that offered its customers online check-in was Alaska Airlines, and it
happened in 1999! At first, this system was available to a limited number of passengers
and worked only for select flights. Oh, how the times have changed!
32. The white trails airplanes leave in the sky are nothing but condensation - that's
why they’re called "contrails"! As part of the combustion process, an aircraft releases
hot water vapor, and it gets pumped out of the exhaust and freezes in the cold air of
the upper atmosphere.
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