Eight aeroplane myths you need to stop believing
Planes don't dump toilet waste, airlines do fly over the Bermuda Triangle and the air conditioning doesn't spread viruses
GETTING on a plane is still a terrifying and fascinating way to travel for many, but a large chunk of the facts we hear about flying are actually completely false.
So, in the interests of keeping travellers informed, here are some of the most common misconceptions about flying debunked.
You can get sucked out of a plane toilet seat
While the sound of a toilet plane flushing is loud and disconcerting, you won’t disappear down the tube if you push the button while sitting down.
Dutch airline KLM explains in its blog that “the vacuum only works near the mouth of the disposal pipe.”
Still, the airline recommends you stand up while flushing: “If the toilet bowl and seat had an airtight seal, this might have nasty consequences for toilet users who flush when seated.
"But the toilets and the vacuum system are designed in such a way that you cannot be sucked into the toilet.”
Planes dump toilet waste during flights
In December 2016, an Indian court ruled that airlines would be fined 50,000 rupees (£620) for dumping human waste midair after a complaint from a retired army officer.
However, it was never proven that this was even possible.
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Planes use a closed waste system, which works like a normal toilet with waste flushing into a sewage tank, or a vacuum waste system that sucks the waste into the sewage tank.
Whichever system they use, the waste is emptied from the tank when the plane arrives at the airport.
You get drunk more quickly on a plane
While you may feel like you’re getting drunk faster, it’s the effect of drier air and less oxygen at higher altitude.
Aircraft doors can be opened during a flight
You’ve seen it happen in movies, but aircraft doors are actually designed to prevent such a thing.
The difference in air pressure inside and outside the aircraft is so great, even the strongest of passengers will not be able to get the door open during a flight, according to KLM.
The said: “If you look closely at aircraft doors, you’ll see that they fit into the aircraft almost like a cork. So you cannot just open the door at cruising altitude.
"Once the plane has landed, the pressure difference is minimised and the doors can be opened.”
Oxygen masks are just there to keep passengers calm
In the movie Fight Club, Brad Pitt’s character asserts that the oxygen is only there to get keep passengers “calm as Hindu cows” in the event of an emergency landing.
The oxygen masks are actually there in the event of loss of cabin pressure.
Since there is less oxygen at higher altitudes, the masks are there to prevent Hypoxia for as long as possible.
Airlines don’t fly over the Bermuda Triangle
The triangular area between the tip of Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico in the Atlantic Ocean is infamous for unexplained ship disappearances.
There are various weather and underwater topographical features in this region that might make it more challenging for ships and planes, but airlines do not avoid flying in the Bermuda Triangle.
There are regular flights in this area travelling to the Bahamas.
You are more likely to die in a brace position
This myth is based on the morbid reasoning that airlines would prefer passengers died in a crash rather than injured and able to sue.
It ignores the fact that airlines also make huge payouts to the families of victims who died in an air disaster.
The brace position is designed to stop your body from hitting the seat in front of you, so pay attention to those safety videos.
Air conditioning on a plane spreads viruses
The air circulated in an aircraft cabin is probably cleaner than that in your regular office building, as fresh air is drawn from outside of the aircraft via the jet’s engines and passed through hospital-grade filters before entering the cabin.
The plane’s cabin air is refreshed about 20 times every hour.
This article originally appeared on .