45 amazing facts about planes that will make your mind fly away
Join the Trivia Mile-High Trivia Club.
You can be aseasoned flyer with infallible strategies to pack an aerial compartment, obtain upgrades orsnooze When you hit the altitude of the cruise, but even the most intrepid aircraft travelers are often in the dark when it comes to what is happening behind the scenes on planes.
Why are aircraft tires not exploded on impact? What is dangerousness when a plan loses an engine? Does this airplane waterreally Safe to drink? Read it to find answers to your clutching questions about the piloting of the friendly sky.
1 Some aircraft can fly for more than five hours after the release of one of their engines.
Extended ETOPS-or TWIN operations - is a designation that indicates the duration of a dual-motor aircraft can cure safely with an inoperative engine. In 2014, theBoeing 787 Dreamliner Gagnary 330 minutes ETOPS certifications, which means that it can remain operational safely on a single engine for more than five hours before having to land.
2 If someone dies on your flight, their body could stay in the cabin with you.
Although you can assume, there is a standard procedure to follow if a passengerdie Mid-Flight, what really happens to your dearly giving cabin varies considerably by the airline and the type of aircraft. While some planes, such as Singapore Airlines Airbus A340-500, aircraft Airbus A340-500, were built with a specialplace to store bodies, according toa dashOn many flights, the body will be simply transferred to a rear and covered row, with the exception of the head, until the health professionals on the ground could attend the deceased.
3 The oxygen masks in flight are not intended to last all the flight.
In fact, according to a report of theBoard of Inquiry on Air Accidents and Air Safety BoardThese masks provide only 12 minutes of continuous air flow on a 737. Fortunately, it is usually the amount of time needed for your flight to find a safe landing place.
The drivers fall asleep frequently on the heap.
So, who pilots your plane, exactly? Maybe no one - at least for the portions of the flight. According to a 2017 report of thePilot Association of the British Airline (Balpa)among a group of 500pilot interviewed, 43% admitted with accidentallyfall asleep By missing from the plane, while 31% were admitted to waking up at the nap to find their sleeping co-pilot.
5 Black boxes are not in reality black.
The black box, also called flight data recorder, is actually bright orange painted. The heat-resistant paint used to cover the exteriors of the boxes is located in an orange-orange highlighter tint, which also occurs easier to find in case of an accident.
6 The air of the plane is significantly drier than any other than you might meet on earth.
While the Mojave desert in the West of the United States often has moisture levels up to 50%, you will get a fraction of this moisture aboard an airplane. In fact, according to theWorld Health OrganizationThe humidity aboard your average aircraft flies over 20%.
7 A Boeing 747 is mFuel with ore that your car.
The Boeing 747 burns about 1 gallon of fuel every second, 5 gallons per mile. Invert this gives us the figure of 0.2 miles per fuel gallon. This is much lower than the average energy efficiency of the car at about 25 miles per gallon. But, given the number of passengers, the 747 door, it is much more efficient.THIS VENTILATIONExplain that because the plane can carry about 500 people, it really gets 100 miles per gallon per person.
8 A diverter pirate sang the control of a flight for beer.
In 1985, an ex-con whichdiverted A Norwegian Boeing 737 Armed with a pistol decided to abandon his plan as long as the police were willing to give him one thing:Beer. In the end, the aircraft landed safely at Fornebu Airport in Oslo, none of the 115 passengers on board were injured and that hacking was arrested.
9 An engineer designed an airplane with a detachable hut to save passengers.
In 2016, a Ukrainian Aero-Engineer unveiled a system allowing the pilots ofEject a plane cabinin case of engine failure. After ejection, the cab would deploy parachutes to reduce passengers safely on the ground. But as it turns out, mOst crashes does not happen because ofengine failure. Because the problems tend to take place duringtakeoff and landing, This would leave very little time for the drivers to be successfully ejected the cabin and save the passengers. A for effort, however!
10 The dirtiest place of the plane is not the bathroom.
As it happens, thedirtiest placeOn an airplane, this tray table you eat your meal. According to a study conducted byTo travelThe tray tables have hosted 2,155 bacterial units of the colony (CFU) per square inch. In comparison, the button to flush the toilets had only 265 CFU in the same amount of space.
11 Dead chickens are thrown into air jets during safety tests.
Yes, this incredibly real test is done with a "chicken pistol" and if you saw the movie 2010Captain Phillips,you know why. But bTherefore, you report experts in Aviation to Peta, know that the chickens they receive are already dead. Airlines must ensure that their windshields can protect pilots and passengers in the very probable event that they collide with a bird. If you dare, you canSee the Test in Action (NSFW).
12 There are thousands of planes over the United States at any time.
While you only see the passage of the occasional aircraft by overhead, it does not mean that the sky is not full of them. In fact, according to theFaaThere are 5,000 aircraft in the air over the United States at any time and more than 8,000 flywheels around the world.
13 Takeoff and landing are the most dangerous times during a flight.
According to a report ofBoeing13% of fatal accidents occur during flight take-off and an initial climb, or the first three minutes of a flight. However, the descent and landing, or the eight-minute flights, are much more mature, representing 48% of all fatal accidents.
14 The largest aircraft in the world weighs nearly 600 tons.
Antonov An-225 has a maximum weight of 591.7 tons. In comparison, the maximum maximum take-off weight of Boeing 747-8F is 489,218 pounds less, at 347.091 tonnes.
15 The safest seats on an aircraft are on the back of the aircraft.
According to the crash data compiled byTimeThe mortality rate of seats located in the rear third of an aircraft during an accident was 32%. The middle of the aircraft was the least safe, with a mortality rate of 39%, while the front was slightly safer with a 38% mortality rate.
16 You represent about 7% of the distance to space during flights.
Sometimes we can feel as if you are astronomically high in the air when you are on a plane. However, you might be surprised to discover that you are really only7% of the distanceIt would take so that you can enter intospare. The planes can fly a lot higher than their average altitude of 30,000, but they do not do it, it would have health risks to those of the interior.
17 Planes can trigger lightning.
When an aircraft passes through clouds, the created static can actually produce theLightning development. Fortunately, even if your plane is struck, you are probably quite safe. There was no plane crash related to lightning in the United StatesSince 1967and increasing security measures have made less dangerous lightning strikes for passengers than ever before. When lightning strikes an aircraft, the electric current is uniformly distributed within the aircraft aircraft, while grounding that the plan interior electrical systems prevent overvoltages that may interfere with its features.
18 Airplane covers are not always washed between passengers.
If you are considering Cozyer under one of these airplane blankets, resenting it. According to a report published in theThe Wall Street newspaperSome airlines clean their covers as rarely as every 30 days.
19 A Boeing 747 tank may contain 48,445 gallons of fuel.
It's 17,248 times the amount of fuel owned in the gas tank of a Dodge RAM pickup truck. However, all fuel is not used during a single flight - in fact, the plane uses only five gallons of fuel per mile, which means that a trip of 3,450 miles from New York to London only requires one-third of the total fuel capacity of the aircraft.
20 The gradation of the lights of the aircraft serves a goal beyond sleep.
Although it is nice to imagine that the airlines are simply hope that you will get relaxingto sleepIt's not exactly the truth. In fact, the dimming of the lights aboard a plane helps the eyes of the passengers to adapt to the darkness, an essential element to help them survive if there is a sudden nocturnal evacuation.
21 The aircraft exhaust kills more people than aircraft accidents.
According to a study conducted atMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyAirplane emissions are linked to 8,000 deaths each year. The number of people killed in aircraft accidents? Less than 1000.
22 Airplane doors can not actually open in the middle of the flight.
While many people have tried to open the outdoor door to a half-flying plane (only to meet later to do it), so that would be almost impossible. The inner pressure on the aircraft varies from 4 to 14 psi, which means that unless the Hulk or Thanos boarded your plane, it is unlikely that the door can be opened.
23 All pilots flying internationally must know at least a little English.
English may not be the official language of the United States, but itis theTongue Air travel. In 2003, theInternational Civil Aviation Association Introduces new requirements to the Chicago Convention, which stipulated that all international flying pilots must master the English of the aviation to prevent potentially fatal communication errors.
24 The tip of a laser pointer on an airplane is a serious crime.
Driftpets Crazy of a laser pointer everything you want, but never aims that the red point annoying on an airplane. According to18 U.S. Section code 39aIf you have a laser pointer in a plane or piloting, you can enjoy five years in prison to think about what you did.
25 The world's oldest airline will have 100 years in 2019.
The Dutch airline KLM has the longest continuous operating record in the world. Airline airlines based in Amsterdam raised and have been affecting since 1919.
26 The airplane bathrooms can be opened from the outside.
Returning this latch inside thebathroom This transforms the sign of the door into "busy" can give you a semblance of privacy, there is an easy way for flight staff to enter if necessary. Under this sink panel, there is a switch that allows driving crews to open the door if they are concerned about your safety or the safety of other passengers.
27 An airline has not had fatal accidents.
Despite its activity for almost a century, the Australian airline Qantas has never had a deadly accident involving one of its commercial aircraft.
28 There are 140 miles of wiring inside a Boeing 747.
According to a report of the technology companyTyco Electronics, which manufactures wire connectors for the aerospace industry, a 747 can pack 750,000 feet, or 140 miles of wire inside, weighing about 3,500 pounds in total.
29 American Airlines saved $ 40,000 by cutting an ingredient of meals.
When attempting to reduce costs in the 1980s, American Airlines discovered that the elimination of a single passenger meal article would do the trick. Nixing simply an olive of salads served in flight, the airline savedan omniping of $ 40,000 during a single year.
30 The air of the plane is riddled with bacteria.
You may want to discover the extra money for a bottle of ridiculous water too expensive at the airport. A report from theThe Wall Street newspaper reveals that bacteria, including salmonella and staphylococcus, have been found in the air of the plane, in addition to insect eggs. Another study conducted atUniversity of Limerickfound 37 distinct bacterial species in the water of the plane, with long-haul flights havingWorst of water quality as their short-belt counterparts.
31 Some of the most deadly accidents occur when planes are securely on the ground.
In 1977, the most deadly accident in the history of aviation happened on the ground. Pan Am Vol 1736 and KLM Vol 4805, Boeing 747s, crashed in Tenerife. However, asCBS News Reports, it was not an error on the part of one or the other of the pilots, the fog of SE-LOW, the poor visibility and the tracks of the airport were too crowded, leading to the two planes in Collision, killing 583 passengers and crew members in the resulting fire.
32 Pilots and co-pilots eat different meals on a flight.
Although this is only a rule lasts and quick on some airlines,Travel + Leisure reports that mostpilot And the co-pilots do not eat the same thing for dinner. In this way, if the food is contaminated and a pilot gets sick, the other should always be able to exploit the aircraft.
33 The most expensive first class seat costs more than $ 30,000.
TheEtihad Airways First Apartment-A private room with a bed, an armchair, a vanity and a makeup mirror and a shower on board - can easily run more than $ 30,000 for a round trip ticket from New York to Dubai.
34 Your taste buds change from theft.
Good news for those who do not find a particularly pleasant aircraft meal: you do not use as many of them as you could imagine. According to peopleJetblue, the difference in atmospheric pressure and the low humidity in the cabin of a plane make it more difficult to recording sweet and salty flavors.
35 Traveling by plane is the surest way to get around.
Traveling by plane is extremely safe and more and more secure every year. In 2017, there waszero related to commercial aircraft accidents. By comparison, in the same year, 40,100 people died incar accidents in the United States only.
36 The sound barrier was broken in 1947.
PilotChuck YeagerAmazed the world with its record driving skills. This US veterinarian has learned to fly as a hunting pilot during the Second World War. Using the Bell X-1 rocket jet, he stolefaster than the speed of sound-662 miles per hour at 40,000 feet. Later in his life, he added another incredible fulfillment to his savagery-impressive CV: training of air force veterans forbecome astronauts.
37 Sandra Bullock and about 2 million other AmericansHave an aviophobia.
Despite accidents to be very rare,6.5% of Americans suffer from aviophobia, or aThe fear of flying. If you are afraid to set foot in a plane, you are in good company, even celebrities likeSandra Bullockare seized with this common fear. TheGravityStar said once she is "I'm afraid of flying to fly."The Anxiety and Depression Association of America says that most of this stress comes from the total loss of control or possibly of the feeling of being trapped.
38 Long-haul flights have secret rooms and a bathroom for flight attendants.
If the edge agents work on long-haul flights - which can last more than 12 hours - they need time to rest properly. So that airlines have installedsecret neighborhoodsAbove the main cabin with seven or eight beds, and sometimes a separate bathroom too. They can also enjoy entertainment in flight while in these secret rooms. This must be the way they continue their joyful behavior on these long flights.
39 The smallest aircraft in the world weighs only 358.8 pounds.
TheBEDE BD-5 Microjet weighs nearly 360 pounds (less than 360 pounds than400,000 Americansand has a wingspan of only 14.5 feet. Although tiny, this jet can reach speeds of more than 300 miles on time, which is just under half the speed of sound.
40 The longest military plane is six stories in height.
The US Army Gargantuan C-5 has a 222.8 feet fins, each wing measuring the length of a basketball court. According toPopular mechanics, "The aircraft is 65 feet high, the equivalent of a history building of six and a half." IT can also carry more than 250 million pounds and 350 passengers, even with equipment on board. It is so important that many air force bases had to cut big holes in the door of the hangar to keep it inside ... well, most of them, the end of The tail always exceeded.
41 Turbulence is the main cause of non-fatal anti-flat injuries.
There is a reason why you should always respect the sign of the seatbelt. According toFederal Aviation AdministrationUS air carriers had 234 turbulence accidents, resulting in 298 serious injuries and three deaths, between 1980 and 2008. Two of the three deaths were confirmed to be passengers not carrying seat belts when the sign of the belt security had been activated. Coucling Up might not be "the law" in the air, but it certainly worth maintaining your safety.
42 Living on a plane flight plane could harm your heart.
While regular air travelers could imagine they would like to live near theairport They frequent, actually alive under a flight path that can shorten your life. According to a 2010 study published inEpidemiology, individuals exposed to noise above 60 decibels on a regular basis - like the sound of an airplane over an airplane, had a risk of dying of 30% moreheart attack that those generally exposed to noise levels of less than 45 decibels. More than a 15-year period living under a flight route, this risk was 50%.
43 The fastest business plan stole twice the speed of sound.
The Concord, which offered continuous flights from 1976 to 2003, spoke twice the speed of sound. In fact, the supersonic jet, which could reach 1,354 miles per hour, also broke a number of world records for its speed, in a case winning the fastest transatlantic flight when it has transported passengers From JFK to New York in New York and Heathrow Airport in London in just 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds.
44 The airplane tires are inflated at about six times the car tire psi.
Real reason rarely concerns airplane tires, even if they wear a huge amount of weight? It is not their just thick that contributes to their pressure under pressure. On aCable Report, airplane tires are pumped up to 200 psi-about six times the PSI of an average car tire. In fact, according to an experience recorded byNational GeographicThe Boeing 737 tires can withstand more than 900 psi before bursting.
45 There are too cold temperatures to fly.
While outside an aircraft could reach -60 degrees Fahrenheit when it is cruising to 35,000 feet, similar ground temperatures can stop an airplane in its tracks. In 2014, when temperatures reached about -47 degrees Fahrenheit at Igarka Airport in Russia, aThe Tupelov-134 landing gear breakage system actually frozen, the main passengers to do their best to help: they have really been released to try to push the plan of 61,640 pounds.