Why are window shades requested to be opened during takeoff?
Airplane Cabin
Planes are a whole separate world. With their own incomprehensible language spoken by pilots and flight attendants, with their strict rules and not always clear signs.
1. Do phones really need to be turned off? Can my iPhone really disrupt the entire aircraft?
Of course not, the aircraft's phone is unlikely to cause any trouble. However, it can easily interfere with pilots. Remember that characteristic noise in the speakers a few seconds before a call? So, due to this noise, the pilot may not hear some important information from the dispatcher, such as the runway not being ready for takeoff yet.
2. Can the autopilot land the plane by itself?
No. The autopilot, though a smart guy, is far from artificial intelligence. After all, it's just a program that doesn't control the plane itself but simply facilitates control for the pilots. PowerPoint is smart too, but it won't make the presentation for you. The same goes for the autopilot.
3. If smoking is not allowed in airplane toilets, why are there ashtrays?
They wouldn't be there if all passengers were so conscientious and didn't break this rule. The airline can't attach a personal sensor to everyone and shock them every time someone tries to smoke in the airplane toilet. So, following basic safety techniques, ashtrays are installed there. If you're going to break the rules, at least stub out your butts in the ashtrays, not in the paper bins.
4. The airplane meals are so small; you can't get full on them. Can you ask for seconds?
You can. Especially for very hungry passengers, as well as in case of any unforeseen situations (if someone accidentally drops the food box on the floor), 10-15 spare meals are taken on board. By the way, that same foil box in which hot food is packed is called a "cassoulet." Another word for your treasury of useless knowledge.
5. Do pilots eat the same meals as passengers?
No. Many airlines provide each pilot with separate food, which differs from the food of other crew members. This is done more as a precaution, in case, for example, the fish turns out to be not fresh, it will spoil only one pilot's meal, and the one who ate chicken will be healthy. In any case, this happens extremely rarely.
6. Is it necessary to raise the window shades, recline the seat, and fold up the tray table during takeoff and landing? And why?
All the same safety technique provided for emergencies and abnormal situations. Seat backs need to be raised so that if something happens, it's easier for people sitting behind to get to the aisle. The tray table should be raised so that you don't break your ribs in case of sudden braking. And the window shades help the flight attendants orient themselves if the cabin suddenly fills with smoke.
7. I saw the airplane wings flexing; is that normal? What if they break?
They won't break. The airplane wing is not only very strong but also extremely flexible, although you wouldn't say that by looking at it. In fact, the wings can bend at an angle of almost 45 degrees, and they still won't break.
8. What if someone opens the door during the flight?
Then, of course, it will be bad. But! At an altitude of 10 kilometers, the pressure acting on the door from the other side is almost 10 tons. Do you know many people who can withstand such weight? Exactly. However, even if we assume that the world's Strongest person, who can handle this weight, is flying with you, he still won't be able to do anything: the doors are securely locked with electronic and mechanical locks.
9. Is it true that toilet contents flush downward?
Of course not. This is not a train where the lights flash when you press the flush button. The noise you hear when flushing is not depressurization but just an air flush that sends everything down into a special tank. And this tank is then emptied on the ground.
10. Are air pockets deep?
Turbulence is an unpleasant thing, yes. However, that deceptive feeling of falling that your body experiences during such shaking is nothing more than its protective reaction. The fact is that our vestibular apparatus is not designed by nature for flights. In fact, during such turbulence, the plane moves in space only by a few tens of centimeters. In very large and serious air pockets, this displacement can reach 5-7 meters. But this is already when food carts jump around the cabin. And, by the way, it shakes less in seats near the wings.
11. How do animals feel in the cargo hold?
Let's start with the fact that animals in the cargo hold do not fly. At an altitude, the temperature outside reaches -60 degrees, and there is so little oxygen that it is impossible to breathe. Animals have their compartment with heating and ventilation. Of course, there are few conveniences there, even compared to the economy class cabin; it's simply paradise compared to that corner. But, they are animals after all.
12. What if caught having sex in the toilet?
Most likely, nothing, except, of course, the feeling of embarrassment. But it's up to everyone. Have you ever wondered why there are exactly two oxygen masks in each aircraft toilet? Coincidence? So, if you're caught having sex in the airplane toilet, most likely there won't be any hearings or fines; you'll just be asked not to do it again. And, just in case: if the cubicle is occupied for more than 15 minutes, the staff may get worried and open the door.
