Planes have changed a lot since the days of the invention by the Wright Brothers. That first wood-and-cloth contraption is a completely different species than today's sleek Boeing Dreamliners. With the constant advances in aerospace technology, it is difficult to keep up with all the amazing things that today's aircraft are capable of (and understand). Below are the ten facts and things you didn't know about airplanes and air travel.
1. Airplanes are designed to withstand Lightning
Planes can be hit by Lightning - and they are a regular hit. This estimated power flies once every year - or once per 1,000 hours of flight time. Nevertheless, lighting has not been brought down from the plane since 1963, due to careful engineering that charges the electrical bolt through the plane and exits it, usually without damaging the plane.
2. There's no safest seat
Airplanes are designed to withstand lightning strikes. The FAA states that there is no safest seat on the aircraft, although a time study of aircraft crashes found that an accident in the rear middle seats of the aircraft resulted in the most There was a low mortality rate. Their research showed that, during a plane crash, "the third seat in the back of the plane had a 32 percent fatality rate, while the middle third had 39 percent and the front third 38 percent."
However, there are so many variables at play that it is impossible to know where to sit to avoid an accident. Oh, and plane crashes are incredibly rare.
3. Secret bedroom on the flight
In long haul flights, cabin crew can work 16 hours. Some aircraft, such as the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliners, has been designed with small bedrooms to deal with exhaustion, where flight crews can close their eyes slightly. The bedroom is usually accessed via a hidden staircase, which leads to a small, low-ceiling room with 6 to 10 beds, a bathroom, and occasional in-flight entertainment.
4. The tires are designed to not burst while landing
The tires on an airplane are designed to withstand unbelievable weight loads (38 tons) and can hit the ground at 170 mph more than 500 times before ever requiring a retread. Additionally, airplane tires are inflated up to 200 psi, which is about six times the pressure used in car tires. If an airplane requires new tires, the ground crew simply jacks up the aircraft as you would a car.
5. Why is dim light necessary?
The cabin crew will dim the interior lights when the plane lands at night. Why? Plane landings are unlikely to take place badly and requiring passengers to evacuate; their eyes will already adjust to the darkness. As a pilot, Chris Cook explained to T + L: "Imagine someone in an unfamiliar bright room full of obstacles when someone turns off the light and asks you to get out quickly." Similarly, passengers near flight attendants pick up their window shades during landing, so they can look outside in an emergency and assess whether one side of the aircraft is preferable to be evacuated.
6. Both engines are not required to fly a plane
The idea of a mid-flight engine seems frightening, but every commercial airplane can safely fly with just one engine. According to popular mechanics reports, operating with half the engine power may make an aircraft less fuel-efficient and lower its range, but aircraft are designed and tested for such conditions. Any aircraft set on long-haul routes, especially those flying over oceans or through uninhabited areas such as the Arctic, must be certified by the Federation Aviation Administration (FAA) for extended-range twin operations (ETOPS). Which is basically how long it can fly with an engine. The Boeing Dreamliner is certified for ETOPS-330, which means it can fly for 330 minutes (ie, five and a half hours) with only one engine. In fact, most airplanes can fly for surprisingly long distances with no engine at all, due to its glide ratio. Due to careful aeronautical engineering, a Boeing 747 can slip up to two miles above the ground every 1,000 feet, which is usually more than enough time to get everyone on the ground safely.
7. Tiny hole in the window helps a lot
It controls the cabin pressure. Most airplane windows are made of three panels of acrylic. The exterior window works as you expect - keeping the elements out and maintaining cabin pressure. The event is unlikely that something happens in the outer pane, with the second pane acting as a fail-safe option. The small hole in the inner window is meant to control air pressure, so the middle pane remains intact and uncontrolled until it is called into duty.
Source: with input from the Airport Authority of India and PTI.
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