INTRIGUING FACTS ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY

IF A CABIN IS PRESSURIZED AND AN AIRPLANE DOOR

OPENS IN MIDFLIGHT AT A HIGH ALTITUDE, THE SUDDEN

OPENING COULD CAUSE ITEMS AND PEOPLE TO GET

SUCKED OUT. HOWEVER, PRESSURIZATION IN THE

CABIN AND A PLUG-TYPE DOOR (A DOOR THAT IS BIGGER

THAN THE OPENING) MAKE IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE

FOR EVEN MULTIPLE PEOPLE TO OPEN A DOOR

DURING A FLIGHT

A BOEING 747 CAN CARRY ABOUT 60,000 GALLONS

OF JET FUEL, WHICH WEIGHS ABOUT 400,000 POUNDS

THE CONTRAILS PLANES LEAVE BEHIND ARE MADE OF

WATER VAPOUR. A THIN, SHORTER-LASTING TAIL

INDICATES LOW-HUMIDITY AIR AND FAIR WEATHER.

A THICK, LONGER-LASTING TAIL COULD SIGNIFY THE

EARLY INDICATORS OF A STORM

A STUDY BY POPULAR MECHANICS DETERMINED

THAT PASSENGERS WHO SIT NEAR THE TAIL OF

THE PLANE ARE FORTY PERCENT MORE LIKELY TO

SURVIVE A CRASH THAN THOSE IN THE FIRST FEW ROWS

THE AIRBUS A380, BOEING 787, ATR-600, AND BOMBARDIER

C SERIES AIRCRAFT USE LESS THAN THREE LITRES OF

JET FUEL PER ONE HUNDRED PASSENGER KILOMETRES.

THIS MATCHES THE EFFICIENCY OF MOST MODERN

COMPACT CARS

THE AIR ON AIRPLANES IS FILTERED BY THE SAME

TECHNOLOGY THAT FILTERS AIR IN HOSPITALS, SO

WHILE THE TRAY TABLE MAY HARBOR GERMS,

THE AIR IS CLEAN

IF A PLANE NEEDS TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING,

A PILOT MAY DECIDE TO DUMP FUEL FROM ITS

WINGS. WHILE IT’S NOT VERY COMMON, IT IS A

SAFETY PROCEDURE TO KEEP THE PLANE FROM

EXPERIENCING AN OVERWEIGHT LANDING. THE FUEL

USUALLY EVAPORATES BEFORE IT REACHES

THE GROUND

AIRCRAFT RADAR CANNOT DETECT TURBULENCE.

TURBULENCE CAN OCCUR IN CLEAR, CLOUDLESS

WEATHER AS WELL AS IN BAD WEATHER

THE FAA REQUIRES THAT ALL AIRPLANES BE CAPABLE

OF BEING EVACUATED IN NINETY SECONDS. IT TAKES

ONLY A MINUTE AND A HALF FOR A FIRE TO SPREAD

AND ENGULF A PLANE