Here are the most interesting facts you didn’t know about flying!
12 - A hole in the window Window or aisle, everyone has one of those
as a seat they want for a long flight.
If you’re a window person, you’ve probably wandered about that little hole that’s on
the window.
Like many things on the plane, the size and position of that tiny circle has been carefully
calculated for a specific function.
Airplane windows are composed of three panes of acrylic.
The outer pane, is fully solid and as you probably figured out, is responsible for maintaining
cabin pressure.
The pane with the hole is in the middle, and it’s there to protect passengers in case
the outer pane breaks, even with the small hole, technically called the bleed hole.
The bleed hole actually reduces the pressure on the middle pane, so only the outer pane
takes the force of the cabin pressure.
While both the outer and middle panes have the power to resist the pressure from outside
the plane, the brunt of the work falls on the outer window as it's the final barrier.
11 - Lightning All The Time The mere thought of flying is already scary
enough for a lot of people.
How about let’s add flying during a thunderstorm?
Flying through a storm is probably one of the most stress-inducing events that a passenger
can endure as there’s plenty of turbulence and lightning.
However, lightning actually poses very little danger to an airplane.
In fact, the FAA estimates that every plane currently in service in the United States
gets hit by a lightning bolt at least once a year.
An airplane's outer skin does a great job of letting the electrical charge pass through
and onto the ground without damaging anything on the inside of the plane.
The only residue are tiny burn marks from the entry and exit points.
High winds and booms from thunder are actually more threatening!
So next time your plane actually gets hit by lightning, you can relax, it’s just much
scarier than it actually is.
10 - Climate and bumpiness?
There are plenty of people out there that are convinced global warming is happening.
There are also plenty of people out there who think otherwise.
Adding to the debate are studies that show climate change might make the flying experience
worse.
Changes to the jet stream could make flights longer and more turbulent.
Higher temperatures could affect the maximum takeoff weight, meaning more weight restrictions
and flight cancellations.
Increased carbon monoxide in the atmosphere is apparently rerouting jet streams, which
in case you didn’t know, are high-altitude wind currents created by the temperature differential
between the North and South Poles and the tropics.
That differential is increasing, making currents stronger and causing a measurable difference
in what's called "clear air" turbulence.
This effect doesn't cancel itself out, and in fact, on the transatlantic route, the costs
could amount to $22 million dollars in additional fuel costs every year!
9 - Ask for cash Airlines love to overbook – statistically,
every flight is going to have at least one or two no-shows, and of course by selling
tickets in excess of what the plane can hold, they ensure they make the maximum they can.
And they’re usually right because I mean, what’s the point of hiring MBAs without
maximizing profits?
However, as when everybody shows up, unfortunately for the airline, bumping happens.
If you're bumped to a later flight because overbooking, airlines will typically offer
you travel vouchers for your inconvenience.
But guess what?
You can demand cash instead.
The Department of Transportation mandates payments of up to $1,300 depending on how
long you're delayed - as long as it's over an hour, you're entitled to some money.
This, however, has been a very well-kept secret because by offering you another seat the airline
is not actually losing money, whereas if you actually get paid, they do.
8 - Turbulence is just…..turbulence The words ‘airplane’, ‘turbulence’
and ‘fear’ have a habit of popping up in the same sentence.
But it turns out that airplane turbulence isn’t something you need to worry about.
Why?
Because turbulence doesn’t represent a threat to your plane.
In fact, there are no examples in recent decades of an airplane crashing because of turbulence.
Conditions might be annoying and uncomfortable, but the chances of the plane crashing is extremely
low.
Turbulence is an aggravating nuisance for everybody, including the crew, but it’s
also, for lack of a better term, normal.
From a pilot’s perspective it’s ordinarily seen as a convenience issue, not a safety
issue.
When a flight changes altitude in search of smoother conditions, this is by and large
in the interest of comfort.
The pilots aren’t worried about the wings falling off; they’re trying to keep everyone
relaxed and everybody’s coffee where it belongs.
7 - Oxygen Masks The safety instructions on most flights include
how to use the oxygen masks that are deployed when the plane experiences a sudden loss in
cabin pressure.
However, one thing that the flight attendants don’t tell you is that oxygen masks only
have about 15-minutes worth of oxygen.
That sounds like a really short amount of time, but in reality, it’s more than enough
oxygen.
We have to remember, oxygen masks drop when the airplane cabin loses pressure, which also
means the plane is also losing altitude.
A pilot will respond to that situation by moving the plane to an altitude below 10,000
feet, where passengers can simply breathe normally, no extra oxygen required.
That rapid descent usually takes way less than 15 minutes, meaning those oxygen masks
have more than enough air to protect passengers.
6 - Airplane rooms During a 14-hour flight from New York City
to Tokyo, passengers will likely eat several meals, watch some questionable movies, and
get in a few hours of sleep.
But for the flight attendants and pilots who are on duty, 14 hours translates into a very
long work day.
That’s why some airplanes are designed for long-haul flights, such as the Boeing 777
and 787 Dreamliners, which are outfitted with tiny bedrooms where the flight crew can catch
a little shut-eye between serving meals and doling out tiny bottles of wine.
If you’re not an airline staffer, you’ll likely never see the little sleeping compartments
tucked just above the main cabin.
In-flight amenities for flight attendants depend on the particular plane, just as they
do for paying passengers.
The Boeing 777 even has a separate area for pilots, with two beds, two business-class
seats, and, in some airlines, a bathroom area with a sink or lavatory.
Don’t worry, both the pilots aren’t sleeping at the same time, and the flight attendants
are still at work, and remain on-call in case of emergencies.
Well….theoretically anyways!
5 - Lights on dim When an airplane’s cabin lights dim, well-traveled
passengers instinctively know their flight has been cleared for takeoff, or that they’re
in the final moments of descent before a plane touches down.
And although the lowering of cabin lights is widely accepted as a safety procedure,
what purpose does it ACTUALLY serve?
Well, they actually dim the lights so that your eyes can get acclimated.
During nighttime takeoffs and landings, you dim the lights so that you have some night
vision going on.
Dimming cabin lights during the day, then, is less necessary, but it does conserve some
engine power as the plane gets ready to take off.
Airplane power aside, it can take our eyes between ten and 30 minutes to fully adjust
to a dark setting.
The primary reason for a change in cabin lights is directly connected to also why crewmembers
ask passengers to raise their shades during landings, which is safety in case of an emergency.
4 - Window shades open Have you ever wondered why airplane passengers
are always asked by cabin crew to raise their blinds along with other things such as having
seats in the upright position and seat belts buckled at the start and end of every flight?
Maybe you guys have figured out that these practices are for the safety of passengers.
Takeoffs and landings are considered to be critical times in aviation, as many complications
can occur during this time.
These instructions are a part of a long process to prepare the cabin for sudden emergencies.
In the case of an emergency, the cabin crew has only 90 seconds to evacuate all passengers
regardless of the size of the aircraft or the number of passengers.
Open shades help the crew to see outside conditions to help them in planning the evacuation.
Open shades also allow passengers to help point out anything that’s going on outside!
3 - Only one engine The idea of an engine giving out mid-flight
sounds like it’d be a catastrophe, but every commercial airplane can safely fly with just
one engine.
What’d really be one is if both the engines failed!
Operating with half the engine power can make a plane less fuel-efficient and may reduce
its range, but planes are designed and tested for such situations.
Any plane scheduled on a long-distance route, especially those that fly over oceans or through
uninhabited areas such as the Arctic, must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration
for Extended-range Twin Operations, which is basically how long a plane can fly with
one engine.
For example, the Boeing Dreamliner can fly for five and a half hours with just one engine.
In fact, most airplanes can fly for a surprisingly long distance with no engine at all, although
this isn’t exactly a situation you wanna be in!
A Boeing 747 can glide for two miles for every 1,000 feet they are above the ground, which
is usually more than enough time to get everyone safely to the ground.
2 - Morning Flights vs Evening Flights How many times have you boarded a flight and
maybe have noticed one or two passengers who seem like they’re super nervous?
You might pass it off as general stressful or dissatisfaction with the airline, but they
could actually be suffering from fear of flying.
The wide-eyes, clenched fists, profuse sweating, and rocking motions are among the tell tale
signs of someone who’s freaked out by flying.
Apparently, if you’re nervous about flying, booking a morning flight is your best bet
because that’s the time with the least turbulence.
Most thunderstorms are reported in the afternoon and generally clear overnight, meaning there's
less windy weather to contend with.
Cooler temperatures also help as hot air rising from the ground can make a flight bumpier.
The later your flight is, the hotter the ground becomes, and the more the turbulence!
1 - The Smoothest Part of the plane The general flow of air on any airplane is
from front to back.
So if you're really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too
hot, sit as close to the front as you can.
Planes are generally warmest in the back.
If safety is your main concern, then bad news for you: there is no safest place to sit.
Both people sitting in the back and in the front have lied in plane crashes.
But if the bumpy ride is what keeps you up at night before your flight, then relax, there
is a portion of the plane where it’s the smoothest.
Airplane turbulence can make for a bumpy ride, but seats over the wing and in front of it
will get less of the unsettling wobbliness.
Like a playground see-saw, the center of the plane moves less than the ends.
At the wing, the slight rotation isn’t that noticeable.
But at the tail, the up-and-down motion is.
So if you’re nervous about flying or just hate turbulence in general, sit towards the
middle of the plane!
Here’s what’s next!