From the realities of automatic pilot to explaining what agency the TSA actually has , we ’re here to scatter themyths about flying , adapted from an episode ofMisconceptionson YouTube .
1. Misconception: A bullet hole can depressurize an airplane cabin
As anyone who ’s keep an eye on amovie set on an airplaneknows , a spoiled guy firing a gun inside the cabin have in mind sure disaster . Just one hummer hole candepressurize the aircraft , causing it to plump uncontrollably into the near mountain . But does that really make sense ? Can one tiny hole in an airplane cabin really bring the whole matter down ?
Not really . If someone actually terminate a weapon in escape , the slug would likely pierce the aluminum siding of the planer , but the air leak would be so minor that the aircraft ’s pressurization system would easily be able to compensate for it . It is possible to fritter out a window , creating a much big and potentially rider - suck problem . It ’s also not outside the kingdom of theory to hit the fuel army tank , which could maybe , mayhap , if a lot went wrong , cause an explosion . But for the most part , black hummer holes in planing machine are a Hollywood design .
2. Misconception: We understand how flying actually works
trust it or not , there’sno one simple explanationfor how planes remain aloft . Scientists discord on the principle behind the aerodynamic force-out known aslift . Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli had a go of it in 1738 , well before planes were even a realism . The Bernoulli school day asserts that air traveling across the top of a curved backstage is degenerate than melodic phrase traveling along the bottom , resulting in lower pressure and therefore lift . But Bernoulli ’s theorem does n’t explain why that higher speed on top of the extension lowers pressure . It also does n’t explain how multitude can vanish upside - down , where the curved portion is at the bottom .
Newton ’s third lawof movement can also be use , since it means an airplane stays up by pushing air down , but grant to NASA ( except in case like Space Shuttle reentry with very high velocity and very low air densities ) , the predictions are “ completely inaccurate . ” Both theory were repurposed for flight much later . Scientists have only incomplete theories of lift and are still searching for a comprehensive solvent .
3. Misconception: Turbulence is cause for concern
When we travel in cars , we expect a smooth ride on cautiously maintained highway . If there ’s a bump in the road or we ’re jostled , we start to worry about our car , our drunkenness , and our deary . In the air and with turbulence , spilling our coffee is no longer the worst possible outcome . A few protuberance and we might conceive we ’ve run into a vehement storm that will result in our last repast being a bag of peanut .
As shuddery as turbulence might be , it ’s normal . So normal , in fact , thatpilots often experience about itin advance , are prepare to treat it , and are run planes that are designed to withstand a rattling amount of stress . There area few different causesof turbulence , ranging from mess to brave out condition to divergence in wind speed . But even though the plane might sense like it ’s plummeting or dive like Snoopy pretending to fight the Red Baron , it ’s just affect — mayhap 10 to 40 animal foot , which is less than the acme of a Boeing 737 . And it ’s almost impossible for normal turbulence to cause a crash . So long as you obey the " fasten bum bash " sign , it ’s also very unlikely to even cause any injuries . fit in tothe Federal Aviation Administration , only four passengers and five crew members were seriously injured as a result of Sturm und Drang in 2018 . With778 million peopletraveling domestically that year , the odds are definitely in your favor .
Turbulence in the earlier Clarence Day of commercial-grade air power was a different account . Because planes were n’t as well - constructed , harsh air stream could be black . In 1966 , a British Overseas Airways sea captain veered off - line near Tokyo so that his passengers could look at Mount Fuji . The 140 mph nothingness near the mountain shoot down the tail fin apart , sending the plane down . But that was clear aviation turbulence , which is when two unlike air masses interact with each other even in percipient skies . That kind of turbulence ca n’t be detected in advance by weather radar and might stick more or less more risk of exposure . But you ’re still safe . Feeling like you ’re on the inside of a cocktail shaker is perfectly normal .
4. Misconception: The Plane flies itself
It ’s true that today ’s modern airplanes are marvel of design and engineering , making flying one of the safest forms of change of location . In fact , the betting odds of perishing while flying are just1 in 4.7 million . But it ’s not accurate to say that these aluminum savage are doing all the employment while pilots nap or play cards in the cockpit .
The media has a habit of promoting theautopilot capabilitiesof newer airplanes , and many systems have become automatize , with elements like navigation , altitude , speed , and engine power all able to be programme to stick to predetermined operations . retrieve of it as airplane cruise restraint . But it ’s still the job of the pilot to taxi , take off , land , and tell the planing machine how best to perform . One example declare oneself by the popular websiteAskthePilot.comcompared it to betterment in medicine . While a doctor might have more dick at their disposal , they still want to be around to treat patient . An aeroplane might have an automatic setting for climbing or descending , but it might also have seven different options for that automatize project . Pilots need to know how best to use these system . Autopilotstill needs a buffer .
plane are automated in the sense thatpilotsmight not have to physically have their manpower on the control at all times , but we ’re not going to have an empty cockpit anytime before long . Which fetch us to another misguided belief — that the second twosome of hands , namely a conscientious objector - cowcatcher , is somehow a crony . Co - pilots are pilot . They have the same qualifications as the pilot . They just might be a spoke or two down the higher status ladder . But they still might wind up aviate the carpenter’s plane .
5. Misconception: Oxygen masks deliver oxygen
In theory , those trivial plasticoxygen masksin the overhead compartment are there in the event the airplane is depressurized and passenger need supplementary O to avoid conk out from hypoxia , which is a lack of oxygen . That ’s because , at 30,000 feet , each breath of air does n’t have enough oxygen in it for humans to subsist . So instead , airplanes pressurize the cabin to around 5000 to 8000 feet , which is why it ’s bad if there ’s a red of pressure . Sometimes those masks do deliver oxygen from pressurized tanks , but others put out a form of bespoke , custom oxygen .
The masks release chemicals like barium hydrogen peroxide , sodium chlorate , and atomic number 19 chlorate . While those might sound like fixings for your bathroom cleaner , barium peroxide is regain in fireworks and atomic number 11 chlorate is a weed sea wolf . So , worse than a privy cleaner . But , there ’s absolutely nothing to be worried about from the masks . When burn , they actually producebreathable oxygenthat will keep rider from stimulate loopy . It can last for about 10 to 20 minutes , enough fourth dimension for the pilot to count on out a solution for whatever has gone wrong . normally , that means deign to an ALT comfy for citizenry . And those little bags bond to the masks ? They ’re not supposed to blow up . So do n’t worry about that .
So what ’s wrong with regular oxygen ? It ’s a guard issue . If cannister of oxygen were stored on board the aircraft , they ’d add to the weight unit of the plane and could show a fire hazard . The chemical substance second-stringer is less hazardous , though it ’s also flammable . That ’s why it wo n’t deploy if there ’s a fire on board the aeroplane . And if there ’s a fire on control board the planing machine , you ’ve got problems a masque is n’t go to fix .
6. Misconception: The TSA is law enforcement
They do have uniform , they do have government agency , and they can and will seize your bottled water , but Transportation Security Administration officer arenot in reality law enforcement , and they technically ca n’t arrest you for disobey their order .
Transportation Security Administration officers are governance workers or private contractors who have a duty to check the safety of passenger and take stepsduring screeningto minimize potential threats . They ca n’t hold you . All they can do is call actual police , who could stop you . you may also be prevented from boarding your flight for not abide by with a TSA officer ’s instructions .
As for thoseconfiscated item — they do n’t keep them . Contraband might wreathe up with third - party contractor , which issue individual nation with inventory that can be resold . So if you have something that means a batch to you that got grab , you may check sites likeGovdeals.comor a surplus center near the airport and trust you witness it . You ’ll have to pay for it again , but it ’s good than nothing .
