The most unusual facts about flights and airplanes

Despite the ordinariness of flying, there is something about airplanes that excites the imagination. Airliners still remain a storehouse of secrets for us. Today we will open this chest and tell you little-known facts about flights.

Takeoff and landing are causes for concern

The statistics are relentless: almost 60% of incidents occur during the landing stage. About 15% - in preparation for it and another 15% during takeoff. These are the most difficult stages of flight, in which the human factor weighs heavily, and much depends on the professionalism of pilots and dispatchers.

Distribution of accidents at different stages of flight. Airbus infographic

It is much more surprising that every 20th aircraft accident occurs on the ground while the plane is slowly rolling along the runway, or even standing still.

The dirtiest places on an airplane

Do you think this is a toilet? No matter how it is! Any flight attendant will tell you that the main breeding grounds for bacteria are the folding table and seat pocket. Passengers constantly unload all sorts of rubbish there, and on the tables, without thinking about the comfort of others, they swaddle babies.

Passenger seats receive only basic cleaning. It’s better to take care of disinfection yourself

It is not possible to wipe all the tables and pockets (and there are from 100 to 700 of them) between flights.

Bring on the water!

You can make such an appeal even at a low-cost airline. Few people realize, but the passenger has the right to ask for a glass of free water to take pills. No one will check whether the medicine actually existed or not.

You can actually get a lot of things on board for free. Even an extra portion. The main thing is politeness.

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Turbulence is completely safe for an airplane

But not always for passengers. The greatest number of injuries due to sudden shaking in flight are suffered by passengers wandering around the cabin.

But for an airplane, turbulence is all right.

This is what a Lufthansa flight from Austin to Frankfurt looked like after severe turbulence. Photo by Ekaterina Fahel. Associated Press

The aircraft is adapted to very high overloads. But pilots still try to smooth out the unpleasant sensations from bumpiness and change the flight altitude to one where it is less felt.

Where is the safest place on a plane?

A 2007 study found that the safest seats are at the back of the plane. From 1982 to 2007, 69% of crash survivors were in the rear, 56% in the middle of the aircraft, and only 49% in the front.

Business class is good, but it is also the most dangerous in case of accidents. Photo by Thrifty Traveler

Where is there less turbulence?

But the shaking in the tail is felt most strongly. This is also why the tickets are the cheapest there. Do you want to fly as comfortably as possible? Choose places above the wings, where the turbulence will be less noticeable.

It's not the food that spoils in flight, it's our taste

If you are not satisfied with the taste of the food on board, do not rush to send an angry letter to the airline. It's not about her, but about the characteristics of our receptors. Due to the effects of pressure and humidity, sensitivity to sweet and salty foods decreases by 30%. To somehow help matters, airline food manufacturers add an order of magnitude more salt and spices.

The food on board looks good, but doesn't always taste good. Photo: BBC Future

How many planes are in the sky every second?

Before reading further, try to guess. So, a record number of planes were in the air on May 26, 2023. There was a real traffic jam in the sky: 22,000 airliners carrying five million passengers! Maybe you were one of them?

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