02/05/2016
20 interesting facts about flying we just had to share...
1. A captain and first officer eat different in-flight meals in case of food poisoning.
2. Your taste buds just aren’t the same at altitude, with the dryness and humidity on board reducing sensitivity to salty and sweet by around 30%.
3. On average there are around 200,000 flights every day worldwide.
4. You lose 1.5 litres of water on an average 3 hour flight, so it’s really important to keep hydrated!
5. An Airbus A330-300 will set you back about $253,700,000 or approximately £178,000,000.
6. Prince Charles and Prince William always fly on separate flights.
7. Can’t wait to get to your holiday destination? Commercial aircraft fly at an impressive average speed of 500 miles (800 kilometres) per hour.
8. The average flight travels at 35,000 feet. That means those views you get during your flight are from a staggering 7 miles high.
9. The outside temperature at cruising altitude is approximately -55ºC.
10. The sharklets on an Airbus A330-200 are 8ft high, the same height as the world’s tallest man.
11. January 1st, 1914 saw the first ever passenger fly on a commercial flight.
12. The Airbus A321 first took to the skies on 11 March 1993.
13. Flying is the 2nd safest form of transport. Only the escalator is safer, though it would take a lot longer to get to the Caribbean on one of those.
14. It’s thought that about 1 in 6 people have a fear of flying, or “aviophobia”. So if you struggle with your nerves, remember that you’re not alone. Experts recommend you try a short fear of flying audio course to see if it helps.
15. Most planes flying internationally have their home country’s flag painted on or around their tails.
16. English is the international language of flight. All Air Traffic Controllers and all commercial pilots who fly on international flights are required to communicate in English.
17. One third of the world’s airports are in the USA.
18. The sensation of your ears popping on a plane is called barotrauma.
19. The minimum height requirement for cabin crew is 5ft 3in.
20. The white contrail a plane leaves in the sky can be used to predict the weather. A thick, long-lasting contrail could signify the early indicators of a storm.
