A lot of major airlines somehow keep a lot of secrets from their passengers. Secrets that only their employees and pilots really know, but they keep things quiet to not incite a riot while high up in the air.
A lot of major airlines somehow keep a lot of secrets from their passengers. Secrets that only their employees and pilots really know, but they keep things quiet to not incite a riot while high up in the air. Thankfully, some employees have spoken on the topic, revealing exactly what is going on behind the scenes. Here are 12 facts that you never knew about airlines.
#Pilots Get Served Different Meals
Virtually every airline has this precaution in place, for obvious reasons. The pilot and co-pilot are required to eat separate and different meals just in case one meal is bad. It rarely happens, but think of it as the royal family traveling separately in case of an accident so the line continues. Precautionary.
#Red Light, Green Light
You might have known there are lights on the outside of every plane, but did you know that two, in particular, are critically important? On each plane, there is a red light on the left wing and a green light on the right. This enables other pilots flying in the dark to distinguish which way oncoming planes are flying.
#Drink, Drink, Drink
For every one hour of flight, your body loses eight ounces of water. Welcome to the wonderful world of in-flight dehydration. Be sure to get plenty of fluids into your body. But not alcohol, which can intensify the dehydration.
#Flying With a Cold or the Flu Ca be Damaging To Your Eardrums
Many people who fly report ear discomfort. When the altitude in the plane changes suddenly, the eardrum doesn’t have enough time to equalize with the pressure which causes discomfort. Fortunately, there are ways to alleviate the discomfort. Some people chew gum, some swallow, and some force their ears to pop. If you have a cold or the flu, your ears may already be blocked. This can make it difficult for your ears to equalize the air pressure. This can result in an ear infection or a ruptured eardrum. Each of these can result in hearing loss.
#Toilets Can Be Unlocked
While flying high up in the sky, sometimes nature calls and you require the use of the bathroom in the back. This bathroom does lock, but flight employees can actually unlock it from the otuside as a precaution. Apparently, people enjoy shooting up in the bathrooms of planes.
#Screwless Flights
While the majority of people flying on an airplane would prefer it if not a single screw was missing from the exterior of the plane, the guidelines state that a certain number of screws are allowed to be missing.
#There's A Very Important Tiny Hole In The Plane
You would think the last thing you want at 30,000 feet is a hole in the plane. But if you look closely at every window, there is a tiny, tiny hole that actually serves to regulate pressure in the aircraft. And, God forbid, if anything ever happened to the outside of the plane, the hole should prevent the inner pane of the window from breaking.
#There Is an Escape Hatch Located In the Cockpit
Passengers have several emergency exits on a plane in case of an emergency. Before the plane takes off, the flight attendant will go over the location of all of the emergency exits. What you may not know is that there is an escape hatch for the pilot in the cockpit, complete with ropes just in case the pilot needs to climb down.
#The Oxygen Masks On a Plane
If the cabin of a plane loses pressure, it can make the oxygen level low. When this happens, the oxygen masks will drop down so that you can breathe. The oxygen masks have enough oxygen to last 12 to 15 minutes. This is enough time for the pilot to get the plane to an altitude where there is enough air to breathe.
#This Is Your Captain Speaking
He’s not just a captain in name only. The captain on your flight is the final authority of everything that happens in the air. Everything. He or she has the ability to detain you, arrest you or divert a light over your actions if need be. He or she will also take your last will and testament, God forbid.
Virtually every airline has this precaution in place, for obvious reasons. The pilot and co-pilot are required to eat separate and different meals just in case one meal is bad. It rarely happens, but think of it as the royal family traveling separately in case of an accident so the line continues. Precautionary.
#Red Light, Green Light
You might have known there are lights on the outside of every plane, but did you know that two, in particular, are critically important? On each plane, there is a red light on the left wing and a green light on the right. This enables other pilots flying in the dark to distinguish which way oncoming planes are flying.
#Drink, Drink, Drink
For every one hour of flight, your body loses eight ounces of water. Welcome to the wonderful world of in-flight dehydration. Be sure to get plenty of fluids into your body. But not alcohol, which can intensify the dehydration.
#Flying With a Cold or the Flu Ca be Damaging To Your Eardrums
Many people who fly report ear discomfort. When the altitude in the plane changes suddenly, the eardrum doesn’t have enough time to equalize with the pressure which causes discomfort. Fortunately, there are ways to alleviate the discomfort. Some people chew gum, some swallow, and some force their ears to pop. If you have a cold or the flu, your ears may already be blocked. This can make it difficult for your ears to equalize the air pressure. This can result in an ear infection or a ruptured eardrum. Each of these can result in hearing loss.
#Toilets Can Be Unlocked
While flying high up in the sky, sometimes nature calls and you require the use of the bathroom in the back. This bathroom does lock, but flight employees can actually unlock it from the otuside as a precaution. Apparently, people enjoy shooting up in the bathrooms of planes.
#Screwless Flights
While the majority of people flying on an airplane would prefer it if not a single screw was missing from the exterior of the plane, the guidelines state that a certain number of screws are allowed to be missing.
#There's A Very Important Tiny Hole In The Plane
You would think the last thing you want at 30,000 feet is a hole in the plane. But if you look closely at every window, there is a tiny, tiny hole that actually serves to regulate pressure in the aircraft. And, God forbid, if anything ever happened to the outside of the plane, the hole should prevent the inner pane of the window from breaking.
#There Is an Escape Hatch Located In the Cockpit
Passengers have several emergency exits on a plane in case of an emergency. Before the plane takes off, the flight attendant will go over the location of all of the emergency exits. What you may not know is that there is an escape hatch for the pilot in the cockpit, complete with ropes just in case the pilot needs to climb down.
#The Oxygen Masks On a Plane
If the cabin of a plane loses pressure, it can make the oxygen level low. When this happens, the oxygen masks will drop down so that you can breathe. The oxygen masks have enough oxygen to last 12 to 15 minutes. This is enough time for the pilot to get the plane to an altitude where there is enough air to breathe.
#This Is Your Captain Speaking
He’s not just a captain in name only. The captain on your flight is the final authority of everything that happens in the air. Everything. He or she has the ability to detain you, arrest you or divert a light over your actions if need be. He or she will also take your last will and testament, God forbid.
#Blankets and Pillows
Even more unfortunate is the fact that those blankets and pillows being handed out by the staff on overnight flights are actually quite dirty. Nobody actually washes those items, so scabies, bugs, germs, and bacteria are commonly passed around.
#The Dimmer Switch
Yep, there’s even a method to the madness as to why airplanes dim the cabin lights during a night landing. In case of an evacuation, the darkened cabin helps your eyes adjust to the darkness outside the plane.
