Preparing for the worst could save your life
According to Boeing, 49% of all fatal plane accidents happen during the final descent and landing phases of the average flight, while 14% happen during takeoff. One of the reasons for this is altitude, the closer the plane is to the ground, the less time a pilot has to react to problems.
According to a study conducted by TravelMath, tray tables hosted 2,155 colony-forming bacterial units (CFU) per square inch (6,4 cm). In comparison, the button to flush the toilet had just 265 CFU in the same amount of space.
The main reason why airplanes are painted white or light colors is to reflect sunlight and minimize both the heating and potential damage from solar radiation.
This is standard procedure while the aircraft is being prepared for departure. This is because many people need to enter and exit the cockpit before departure, the First Officer is required to conduct an external walk-around preflight, and with the door open, the Captain can monitor the boarding procedure.
The airplane's black box, also known as the Flight Data Recorder, is where all the flight data and information is stored. And while they're known as black boxes, they're actually painted with heat-resistant bright orange paint to protect them and to make them easier to locate.
Each pilot is free to use their own judgment about when it's safe for passengers to move freely about the cabin.
Known as a chicken gun or flight impact simulator, this compressed-air gun is used to fire bird carcasses at aircraft components to make sure they can protect pilots and passengers in the very likely event they collide with a bird. To be clear, the chickens are already dead during testing!
According to a 2018 study from Emory and Georgia Tech, sitting farthest from the aisle and staying put during your flight reduces your chances of breathing in germs circulating on the plane.
The flight crew may need to access the toilets if there's an emergency, somebody is stuck, or to close it off due to a maintenance problem.
A little unsettling airplane trivia, some airlines still provide unwrapped blankets or blankets that have been refolded and reused.
While not all airplane seats are the same color, many airplanes are built with blue seats. This is because blue is considered a calm color.
Around 40% of the air you're breathing during a flight is filtered through a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) system. The other 60% is surprisingly fresh air that's being brought on board from outside the plane.
Known as contrails, those white lines that planes leave in the sky are simply trails of condensation. The engines release water vapor as part of the combustion process. When that hot water vapor is pumped out of the exhaust and meets the cooler air of the upper atmosphere, it creates those lines in the sky.
Airplane mode protects the plane against radio interference, which not only applies to pilots communicating with ground control, but also to the sensors the plane uses to gauge the distance to the ground during takeoff and landing.
Although this sounds frightening, this duration is intended to provide enough time for the aircraft to descend to a lower altitude, where passengers can simply breathe normally.
The Pilot In Command (PIC) has unlimited authority whenever the plane doors are closed, meaning they control the cockpit and the cabin.
A 2015 Cornell University study found that the environment inside an airplane actually alters the way food and drink tastes. Sweet items taste less sweet, while salty flavors are heightened.
Planes are designed to be struck by lightning, and they're regularly hit. It's estimated that lightning strikes each aircraft once a year, or once every 3,000 hours of flight time.
That tiny hole, known as a bleed hole, is a crucial element in the structure because it helps to regulate air pressure. Most airplane windows are made up of three panels, so the hole helps the middle panel from becoming stressed with pressure during flight.
The idea of an engine giving out mid-flight sounds terrifying, but every commercial airplane can safely fly with just one engine.
The tires on an airplane are designed to withstand extremely heavy loads during landing, take-off, taxi, and parking. They can hit the ground at 170 mph (273 kmh) more than 500 times before being changed.
This is because, in the unlikely event that the plane landing goes badly and passengers need to evacuate, their eyes will already be adjusted to the darkness.
The Federal Aviation Administration says there's no safest seat on the plane. However, a TIME study of plane accidents found that the middle seats in the back of the plane had the lowest fatality rate in a crash.
Founded in 1919, Dutch airline KLM has the longest continuous operating record of any airline in the world.
Sources: (Travel and Leisure) (Reader's Digest) (Best Life Online)
See also: Spirit Airlines may deny boarding for passengers with ‘offensive’ tattoos, ‘see-through clothing’
On long-haul flights, cabin crew can work up to 18 hours. To help combat fatigue, some planes, like the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliners, are built with tiny bedrooms where the flight crew can get a little shut-eye.
Similarly, window shades need to be raised during landing so that passengers can see outside in an emergency, and to assess if one side of the plane is better for an evacuation.
While smoking is banned on planes, there's actually a specific rule which stipulates that all commercial airlines must have an ashtray somewhere in the cabin. This is because if someone violates the smoking policy, they'll do so in the relatively confined space of the bathroom and dispose of the cigarette butt in a safe place: the ashtray.
On a 1982 flight from Boston to London, passengers and the crew got sick after eating the same tapioca pudding, and the flight had to turn around. As a precaution today, the pilot and co-pilot eat different meals so as not to risk them both getting food poisoning.
During every safety briefing before takeoff, flight attendants will point out the emergency exits on board the aircraft. This is, in part, because it takes just 90 seconds for a fire to spread through a plane, which is also the time an aircraft needs to be evacuated.
Flying has become a normal part of our everyday lives in the last few decades, even though it's estimated that only 5% of the global population have ever been on an airplane. So whether you're an air travel enthusiast or a first-time flyer worried about all the different airplane sounds, knowing airplane trivia could help make your next journey smoother and more enjoyable.
From the safest seat (if there is any) to how long the oxygen mask lasts, click on for some curious airplane facts you probably didn't know until now.
You'll be safer knowing these essential airplane facts
Get ready for takeoff!
TRAVEL Flights
Flying has become a normal part of our everyday lives in the last few decades, even though it's estimated that only 5% of the global population have ever been on an airplane. So whether you're an air travel enthusiast or a first-time flyer worried about all the different airplane sounds, knowing airplane trivia could help make your next journey smoother and more enjoyable.
From the safest seat (if there is any) to how long the oxygen mask lasts, click on for some curious airplane facts you probably didn't know until now.