18 tricks and secrets that those who fly on airplanes need to know

It doesn’t matter whether you often fly a plane or have never taken a ride on it yet, it’s always interesting to find out how the work of people who ensure the safety of a flight works; what secrets pilots and aircraft technicians keep behind seven locks, and most importantly, how to travel in comfort and at no extra cost. Some facts will not only satisfy your curiosity, but may also be useful to you in the future.

• 18. How can you find out where the aircraft you are flying is currently located? Can it go off track?

  Before each flight, the aircraft route is adjusted depending on the weather or other conditions, as well as based on the recommendations of the controllers. Even flight attendants, who often work on the same flight, will not give you accurate answers to these questions. And, of course, you will not be allowed to see the pilots.

  There is a way out: use the GPS tracker in your phone on built-in maps or in a special application. It works without the Internet and can determine your location, altitude and even the speed of the aircraft.

• 17. Should you use luggage locks?

  The locks on the suitcases are easy to open for baggage inspection. Therefore, you do not need to waste time hanging locks. It is better to take valuables to the salon with you.

  By the way, the locks on the toilet doors on board the aircraft are also easily opened. So do not be afraid that you will get stuck there or not cope with the lock: the flight attendants will always be able to rescue you.

• 16. What should a flight attendant do and what are the duties of a passenger?

  The main task of the flight attendant is to ensure the safety of the flight. A flight attendant training course can last several weeks, and 98% of this time is spent on training in skills such as fire fighting on board, quick evacuation, hand-to-hand combat, first aid, including the ability to deliver.

  In 99% of cases, the work on board is limited to serving passengers, and, according to the rules, it should not be potentially dangerous for the flight attendant. For example, a flight attendant should not lift your bag into the overhead bin because doing so could result in injury, which could be fatal if an emergency occurs.

  Of course, the crew does everything possible to make you feel comfortable, but it is the passengers who must obey the requirements of the ship's captain and crew, and not vice versa. By the way, flight attendant call buttons are designed primarily for emergencies, and not just to ask for a blanket or a glass of juice.

• 15. Why should you sit with your seatbelts fastened when the plane is on the ground?

  Until the plane comes to a complete stop, you are still at risk and the seatbelt can save your life. The aircraft may overrun the runway or collide with another vehicle. As long as the pilots have not started the engines or a ramp is attached to the aircraft, you can sit without seat belts. The rest of the time, especially if the “Fasten your seat belts” icon lights up on the scoreboard, it is better to obey the instructions.

• 14. If you go through online check-in or pre-flight control, will the plane wait for you?

  Check-in, checked-in baggage and your presence in the transit zone do not affect the departure time of the aircraft. Most often, the flight is delayed by 20-30 minutes in the evening due to the formation of “traffic jams” on the runway or due to heavy snowfall. Sometimes the pilot and ground services use this delay to wait for latecomers.

  By the way, the departure time indicated on the ticket means the same time when the doors close. The aircraft needs another 10-20 minutes to get airborne, and this time is included in the total duration of the flight.

  On the other hand, for example, an ordinary plane makes 6-8 flights a day to European destinations. Each delay affects the time of the other flights of this aircraft and the schedule of several airports at once: pilots and flight attendants do not have time to rest between flights, passengers are late for connecting flights, technicians must check and refuel the aircraft in an accelerated mode, and the last flights may even be canceled so as not to overwork the crew. Therefore, it is better not to create situations in which you become the main reason for the flight delay.

• 13. Why are pregnant women not taken on board if the doctors say that the flight is harmless for the baby and mother?

  Long-term observations of pregnant passengers, as well as flight attendants, have shown that the main danger during flights is pressure drops and nervous stress, but you can prepare for this. It is enough to wear loose clothing, drink more fluids and not sit in one place for the entire flight.

  In the early stages of pregnancy, flying is harmless (if the attending physician has not identified any contraindications). But the airline may refuse to fly a pregnant woman if she is due to give birth in the next month, fearing the risk of premature birth right on board the plane.

• 12. Why does a plane go around in good weather? Is this an emergency or a normal situation?

  There are many reasons why a plane goes around, and all this is a regular situation. For example, an aircraft may be clearing a path for a ship that needs an emergency landing due to a critically ill passenger on board.

  Most often, they go to the second round because of the weather. It happens that two identical planes arrive at the same airport. One cannot land and flies to another city. And the other descends and lands successfully. This is normal: the weather changes, airfield regulations and recommendations for a particular aircraft are taken into account, as well as the personal experience of the ship's commander.

  Important: The aircraft always has enough fuel to allow it to make a couple of circles over the destination airport, and then, if necessary, go to the nearest alternate. By the way, when organs for transplantation are transported by plane, the plane receives a special status (medivac flight). This means absolute priority over all flights except those in distress.

• 11. Should I be worried if at first the flight was postponed due to technical malfunction, and then the plane took off?

  No, you shouldn’t. Pre-flight inspection is a serious event, and all participants in this process are very strict about every little thing, and therefore, in most cases, the identified problems are so small that they do not affect the safety of passengers in any way. It's just that the crew and technical staff do not have the right to miss them.

  If something really serious happened on board, then the aircraft is replaced, and the faulty aircraft remains at the airport pending further instructions from the airline's management.

• 10. Why do some pilots land the plane gently, while others do it rather hard?

  Both of these are the norm. The push on the ground is more reliable, and the soft touch is more comfortable for passengers, but requires more effort on the part of the pilots. The pilots practicing soft landing, which is called a kiss landing, then press the plane hard to the ground.

  Other pilots prefer to “drop” the plane a little so that contact with the surface is more reliable: the likelihood of slipping is reduced, part of the aircraft’s energy is dissipated, and a shorter runway is required for braking. Although it feels like it hit the ground or the plane, figuratively speaking, “jumps” on the ground several times.

• 9. Why are flights so cheap in Europe?

  Usually, an airline makes a flight to a particular country from the country where it is registered. For example, an airline registered in Serbia flies from country A to country B via Serbia.

  But on the territory of the European Union, there is an agreement that some airlines can fly freely between cities in the territory, regardless of the country of registration. This is used by low-cost airlines. For example, an airline registered in Ireland flies between cities A and B in one of the EU countries. However, this rule and the developed transport infrastructure in EU cities are not the only reasons that affect the price of a ticket.

  When flying over a certain country, the airline pays money for the use of airspace. For example, being in the sky over Canada is more expensive than over the EU countries.

• 8. What happens if a plane makes an emergency landing in a country where you need a visa to stay?

  Nothing threatens you if you comply with the requirements of the authorities: you can move freely in the transit zone, and if the stop is long, you will be taken to a hotel under guard or escorted to a restaurant, but you will not be allowed to walk around the city.

• 7. If you forget something on the plane, can it be stolen?

  There are video cameras on the plane: in the lobby and often also in the ceiling of the aisle. If you secretly grabbed a blanket or a life jacket, then you should keep in mind that the crew knows for sure about your little crime.

  As soon as passengers leave the plane, flight attendants carefully inspect the cabin, and the items found are handed over to representatives of the airline, who then look for the owners through the Lost and Found service (the bureau of forgotten things at the airport). Upon receipt at the bureau, the thing is packed, sealed and left for storage for up to several months.

• 6. Why do my ears hurt on a plane when you have a runny nose? How do flight attendants deal with this?

  During the flight with a cold or runny nose the ears hurt a lot, for some this sensation persists for another day after landing. Flight attendants are saved by the following lifehack: they take several napkins, moisten them with hot water, put them on the bottom of a cup, which is then applied to their ear. The pain goes away within a minute.

• 5. Why is it impossible to douse the aircraft with anti-icing liquid in advance in order to take off on time?

  It happens that it is -35 ° C outside and the plane immediately takes off, and at another airport in warmer weather, passengers wait until the aircraft is processed with a special anti-icing fluid.

  The fact is that the task of this liquid is to rid the wings of the aircraft of frozen precipitation, which affect the aerodynamic properties and can cause a plane crash. The wings and moving parts of the liner are processed right before takeoff so that a crust does not form on them.

  As an additional protection during snowfalls, the aircraft is processed with a different composition, which does not allow snow to stick to the wings, but completely flies off on takeoff. However, if the plane does not take off within 20 minutes after its application, it will be re-processed.

  By the way, it happens that this liquid gets into the ventilation system and clouds of steam with a sweet smell appear in the cabin. Be aware: this is not a fire, but you should still call a flight attendant.

• 4. Does the aircraft have winter and summer tires?

  No, it doesn’t. Airplane wheels are not like car wheels. Chassis tires are designed to meet other load, speed and other requirements. Inside the tires is not compressed air, but gas - nitrogen: this way they react less to changes in altitude and temperature.

• 3. Why are pilots so afraid to enter a special lane?

  A special lane is EMAS (Engineered Materials Arresting System), which is designed for an emergency smooth stop of the aircraft and prevents it from rolling out of the runway. EMAS is located at the end of the lane and is made of large and lightweight concrete structures with increased brittleness. The wheels get stuck, the aircraft stops, and the risk of injury to the crew and passengers is reduced.

  Unfortunately, such a lane is still rare for airports, and pilots are afraid of damaging the aircraft, believing that it is better to risk and turn onto the grass, from where they can be pulled out by a tow. To date, EMAS has already proven its effectiveness. And in the future, it could prevent an incident like the one that happened with the Boeing 737 in Chicago.

  The plane skidded off the runway onto a highway during landing. Of the 103 people on board, no one died, and the liner itself was later restored and continued flying. However, the victim was a 6-year-old boy who was in the car on which the plane fell. For Southwest Airlines, this was the first fatality event in its 30 years of existence. The EMAS system could have stopped the plane and saved the child's life.

• 2. Is it true that it is dangerous to fly both very old and very new aircraft?

  Yes and no. The age and year of development of the aircraft model are also important. It is best if the aircraft was developed about 8–10 years ago and there is already plenty of experience in its use. Thanks to proper maintenance, liners assembled 10-15 years ago are almost as reliable in terms of reliability as those that fly only a couple of years. But it is more profitable to decommission them after 15–20 years of service, because newer aircraft are more economical to use.

  Important: If you have a choice, you should avoid flying on models that are more than 25-30 years old, especially if the owner airline is barely making ends meet.

• 1. Where can I see the airline's menu before departure? How to order special dishes? And are they available on planes?

  Each airline publishes a menu on its website, from which you can find out what you will be treated to on board. Many companies also have a special menu that includes baby food, hot dishes and desserts of national cuisine, vegetarian dishes, as well as meals designed with religious beliefs in mind.

  To order food from a special menu, you need to contact the airline a couple of days before departure, then they will have time to deliver your special order: usually there is exactly as much food on board as there are passengers. Although sometimes on short flights, if the plane flies in one direction and goes back immediately, 2 sets of portions are loaded on board at once. If a person buys a ticket at the last moment, then the plane may linger in the parking lot until an additional set of food is loaded.

  The kitchen of a modern aircraft looks like this. At the very bottom are carts that deliver food and drinks. In the top row there are empty containers with glasses and other things. In the middle row there are stoves where food is heated with hot air.

  It heats up, and the fan drives the air. There are models where food is heated thanks to steam. This is a more delicate mode, suitable for meals intended for business class passengers.

  Some airlines use chefs on board, but their kitchens look much the same. Chefs cook and store preparations in the on-board catering workshops at airports, and already on board the aircraft they heat up, collect and serve food.