We have always wondered about these things while sitting on an airplane but have never remembered to Google them after the flight.
1. Why do some planes leave a trail in the sky?
If you're a sucker for conspiracy theories, you must've read about how the trails left by some airplanes are chemicals released from the engine by the government just to make us sick. Not only is it too far fetched, it's also not true. If the government really wants to make society sick they would play on communal harmony. Oh, wait!
Anywho, the trails that we see are called contrails and are made up of mostly crystallised water, in vapour form. It's a condensation that is formed when the hot and humid exhaust of an airplane enters cooler atmospheric temperatures. They generally vanish within minutes if the air is dry, but can very well grow as much as 300-400 metres in length if there's a high percentage of humidity in the air.
2. Why do planes need headlights?
Ya, seriously. Are they afraid of rear-ending another plane flying at a slower speed in the air? They have a navigation system for that. And an air traffic controller constantly in touch with them.
The answer is actually pretty straightforward. Airplanes don't have headlights. It's a plane, not an Alto. It has a number of lights, different ones to be used in different circumstances.
Position or Navigation lights - Located on the wings. The right wing is green while the one on the left is red used to spot and understand the direction in which the plane is flying.
Taxi and Landing lights - Used to light up the runway while the plane is taxiing. Located near the nose of the landing gear, the light is used to illuminate the runway right before the plane lands and are turned off when the plane reaches its gate. Extremely bright, a prolonged use of this one can cause serious retinal damage.
Anti-collision lights - Bright red light located on the top and the bottom of the plane to avoid a collision.
Strobe light - Bright white lights that blink rapidly, used for landing. These are also put on when the aircraft is passing through some really dense fog.
In addition to these, there are other inspection lights, including the ice-detection lights used to spot ice formations in the clouds. Most lights are generally put off when the flight is cruising at a high altitude.
3. Why do flight attendants ask us to keep our windows shades up?
Yeah, why do they do that,? We are flying over the ocean, I'm getting the same goddamn view for the past hour. This sucks bro!
While this is true for most of the Indian flights, they actually only need us to keep the window shades up during landing and take off, the most critical times in aviation. They want us to be prepared for the worst in case anything goes wrong. More eyes looking out means an issue will be reported as soon as it's spotted because in times of an emergency every second counts. They also turn the lights in the cabin off so spotting a fire outside becomes easier. The cabin crew only have 90 seconds to evacuate every passenger, regardless of the size of the plane. Additionally, it also helps the ground staff to look inside the cabin. So, in one line, this is to make us aware and prepared for any situation.
4. Why do all airplanes have bad food?
Why is the food always so pathetic on a flight? No matter what you're travelling on, it is just as bad as the other. Wonder if the first class guys get the same food? Their food must be tasting better than this garbage.
Okay firstly, yes, first class has a different, classier menu. What else do you expect, peasants? Rest assured, their food tastes as bad as ours. Why? Science b*tch!
At 30,00 feet in the air, the first thing that goes for a toss is our sense of taste. You can blame the quality of the food all you want, but it's really the experience. In a cabin that is pressurised at 8,000 ft, along with the air quality, our taste buds go numb. Like it does when we get a cold. Try out this experiment - take your favourite aloo ka parantha + nimbu ka achaar wrapped in an aluminium foil and a poly bag (just for safety), true desi style. See if it tastes the same as it did at home. Most probably not.
But in defense of our taste buds, the food isn't of top quality either. When it's warmed up to room temperature or above, it starts deteriorating, making it dry and tough to eat. One can't really help this. Aloo parantha might actually, you never know.
5. Why do they ask us to switch off our electronic devices when I've seen people in business/first class use theirs?
I have seen this happening myself. So I researched on the number of crashes that happened because of an electronic device being on. Zero! Surely the economic disparity doesn't give them the right to play with lives of passengers travelling in the economy class?
It is because some devices might hamper the avionics equipment in the cockpit. Most of these devices work on radio waves, so if those waves match with the airplane equipment, it could alter the way they work. Having said that, chances of this happening in airplanes nowadays is negligible. This rule was put into practice years ago. Planes are a lot more advanced now. Some aircrafts even provide on-board Wi-Fi nowadays! So it's only a matter of time before this rule gets questioned by the authorities.
6. Why does the flight time to and from a destination vary from time to time?
So let's say the flight from Delhi to Mumbai takes about 2 hours 10 minutes, but the same flight from Mumbai to Delhi might take 2 hours 30 minutes. Why? It's not like it takes a different route on the way back.
So this is because of something called headwind and tailwind. Due to strong headwinds going against the plane, it takes more time to reach a place. It's like swimming against the current, it'll require more effort and time. When you have the benefit of the tailwind, you are going with the current, making you reach your destination sooner than expected.
7. Why do some planes have their wings bent upwards?
What's the point of having your wings bent upwards? Is it trying to stand out among others? All planes look the same anyway. Is it trying to act cool? Does it have swag?
It's not about looking cool, although the Concorde did look pretty slick. The wings are bent upwards to reduce drag, especially during take-off, landing, and turbulence. Reduction in drag makes the aircraft more fuel efficient. To put it simply, a bent wing (known as a winglet) makes the plane more aerodynamic.
8. Why is air distance measured in nautical miles instead of kilometres?
Aren't nautical miles associated with the ocean? Then why do airplanes measure in the same unit? Why can't they measure in kilometres or miles?
This one is a little obvious but interesting to know nonetheless. Flying is more or less similar to sailing in the ocean, there are no fixed routes. Therefore, you make your way around based on the latitude and the longitude. One nautical mile is one minute of the latitude, making calculating long distances simpler.
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Posted by: Fereshteh Jamshidi <fayjay81@yahoo.com>
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