Sure, it can be argued that the scariest part about
flying is being in a giant, metal tube hurtling through the atmosphere
in defiance of God. But for me, the scariest thing is the lack of
control over my destiny should things go awry. When the plane hits
turbulence, the job of the flight attendants is to keep everyone calm.
Landing a plane under dangerous conditions is hard enough; it probably
doesn't help the pilot at all to have 80 people freaking out in the
back. But being calm might not actually help you that much during an
event in the sky.
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Seats should really be faced the other way around. Flight surgeons say
the back can absorb much more shock than the chest. Rear-facing seats
installed in Navy transport planes have saved lives by tenfold.
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Airplane seat belts really should have shoulder straps. During a crash
at a slower speed, shoulder straps can save lives, leaving the victims
only with light bruising on the chest.
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In the Air Force, they take foot
prints because in severe crashes, the feet inside boots are the only
thing left to identify soldiers with.
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Eighty percent of all plane crashes occur either during takeoff or
landing.
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Oxygen masks do little for us during the rapid descent of a plane. They
are meant for when the altitude of the plane exceeds 14,000 feet and the
cabin pressure is lost. They may drop during extreme turbulence, but
that is because the panels have accidentally come loose.
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Each of the parts of the plane is manufactured by the lowest bidder to
reduce cost.
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The life jackets are mainly there to help rescue crews find the bodies
in the event of a crash.
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Between 43 to 54% of pilots admitted to having fallen asleep at the
controls. A third of them have had the experience of waking up only to
find their partner had also fallen asleep.
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In the event of a crash, depending on the speed of impact, it is likely
your body (which is 70 percent water) will explode.
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In the event of a fire, you have approximately 90
seconds to exit the plane before the whole thing is toast. Also, if you
sit more than 5 rows away from an exit, statistically you will more than
likely not survive.
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