Cockpit Confidential, written by airline pilot Patrick Smith is a new book about flying. The most frequently asked questions are answered in the form of anecdotes and rants.
The book features chapters on terrorism, fares, delays and common myths. The author also gives an exclusive insight into how planes fly and what can cause them to crash.
The Daily Mail have covered this for a reason.
'There has been much debate about whether the energy emitted from mobile phones can cause electronic systems on planes, and even in hospitals, to crash or malfunction.
On this subject Smith says in his book: 'Few rules are more confounding to airline passengers than those regarding the use of cell phones and portable electronic devices.
'Passengers should know that the restrictions pertaining to computers, iPods, and certain other devices aren’t about electronic interference.
'The main reasons laptops need to be put away is to prevent them from becoming high-speed projectiles in the event of an impact or sudden deceleration.
Your computer is a piece of luggage, and luggage needs to be stowed so it doesn’t kill somebody or get in the way.'
On the subject of turbulence. Smith explained: 'Conditions might be annoying and uncomfortable, but the plane is not going to crash. Turbulence is an aggravating nuisance for everybody, including the crew, but it’s also, for lack of a better term, normal.'
With GPS tracking in mobile phones and 'windows' having camera ability, it is likely that airplanes are fitted with monitoring/recording devices too 'in the interest of safetyl
On turbulance - 'Planes are engineered to handle turbulent conditions and the level of turbulence required to dislodge an engine or bend a wing spar is something even the most frequent flyer won’t experience in a lifetime of traveling.'
On waste disposal, from toilets 'During the 1980s, toilets on planes used a blue liquid that pushed waster from the bowl into a storage tank.
This liquid added weight to the aircraft, which consumed more fuel, and if it leaked, frozen blocks of waste could end up falling over town and cities.
On modern-day planes, such as the ones Smith flies, this toilet system has been replaced by a vacuum. When the toilet is flushed a valve opens to a sewer pipe and the waste is sucked into a tank.
The waste is then stored in the tank until the plane lands and ground crew vacuum it out and dispose of it.
Finally on opening doors mid-flight, Smith stresses the point that: 'You cannot – repeat, cannot – open the doors or emergency hatches of an airplane in flight. You can’t open them for the simple reason that cabin pressure won’t allow it. Think of an aircraft door as a drain plug, fixed in place by the interior pressure.'
One commenter wrote If I remember correctly there was a plane crash just after take off from Orly airport in France around 1972 which was caused by the aircraft door not being closed properly and opening in flight. So it can happen! - Mark.S , Bangkok, 13/9/2013 22:33
One time when flying, the plane was delayed for 40 minutes and then more than two hours. People were complaining and out of exasperation I said 'better late than dead'. That day I learned about the slots and queuing system. There are delays with security checks too.
As a young woman I was approached in Greece to work for an airlines, but declined the offers. Then later, back in England, with loving traveling, thinking it would be a good idea to see the world in this way. My doctor refused to sign to say 'I was physically fit enough for this job' - Little did I realise, then that this decision might have been a blessing in disguise.
My health was not perfect then and I had the freak car crash. Today there are more 'freak crashes' happening with planes, trains and cars now and it took experiencing an invisible force take over my vehicle to know it happens. We trust when we fly and travel by public transport.
Flying has been said to be the safest way to travel.
Autopilot is an additional research point. 'Commercial jet airliners already fly this way. Totally "fly-by-wire" and computer controlled. Landings, flight paths and so on are computer guided, but with the ability for the pilots to override with their controls, should they need to.'
So when we hear about computer hackers, there is an entire structure that operates via computer, not just access to Facebook and banking. In the right hands - people have reliable system and yet if the system fails....chaos can takes place and abuses too. The beast system.
As technology advances, global decisions take place and people rally around just at the press of a few buttons. It is eye opening to grasp a network like Serco. See below.
Peace, love and best wishes
Pauline Maria
No Copyright Infringement intended
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2419928/Cockpit-Confidential-Pilot-Patrick-Smiths-book-reveals-happens-toilet-flushes-mid-flight.html#ixzz2eoQfzgr8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serco_Group
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