Cabin Doors Caffeine Wake Turbulence Cars vs Flying Takeoff Cabin Doors Some people worry that if a passenger were to lose their self control during flight that they might be able to open a cabin door. The doors cannot be opened in flight. The doors act as a plug when the cabin is pressurized. The pressure holds the door tightly against its door jam seal. You would only be able to get a door open if the plane was depressurized. On the ground there is a safety switch which makes sure the plane is depressurized to allow you to open the doors in an emergency. When a door is opened in an emergency, a slide automatically inflates allowing everyone to escape rapidly. (Close window) Caffeine Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, chocolate and soft drinks. When it comes to flying caffeine doesn’t help matters; it lowers your stress threshold. Caffeine triggers a classic fight-or-flight reaction. Did you know your body considers caffeine and the other chemicals in coffee something of a poison? Your body fights this poison with the release of adrenaline. Caffeine raises adrenaline levels and heavy coffee consumption can lead to a state of adrenal gland exhaustion which in turn can lead to panic attacks. Consider this next time you plan to fly. Limit your caffeine intake and give your body a chance to remain relaxed. (Close window) Wake Turbulence Like a boat that leaves a wake behind it on the water, wake turbulence is formed behind aircraft in flight. The wake behind an aircraft lasts for a couple of minutes and tends to slowly sink below the aircrafts flight path. All pilots are taught to be aware of wake turbulence. A wake encounter is not necessarily hazardous. When crossing the wake of an aircraft you may experience one or more quick jolts or you may experience some wing rocking. Government and industry groups are making concerted efforts to minimize or eliminate the hazards of wake turbulence. How do we avoid wake turbulence? We establish a safe interval behind other aircraft. Air traffic controllers provide at least a 2 to 3 minute time separation behind aircraft landing or departing. Also, we remain at or above the flight path of the preceding aircraft and we fly slightly upwind. Wake encounters are very rare because wake turbulence affects such a small area and exists for only a brief period of time, but we always strive to avoid it to provide you with a safe and smooth flight. (Close window) Cars vs Flying I have been asked if I would recommend that parents take separate flights to protect children from losing both parents. My answer is – Do the parents take separate cars when driving somewhere? Over the last three years over 1.5 BILLION people flew in the United States without any fatalities! None. Zero. Compare that to almost 150,000 automobile fatalities during the last three years! (2002-2004) (Close window) Takeoff Take off is a phase of flight that scares a lot of people. Some of the sensations you may notice is your ears may feel funny because of an air pressure change in the cabin. This happens because the plane’s pressurization system begins to activate during take off. The pressurization system actually makes the climb more comfortable on your ears by gently adjusting the cabin pressure. Once at cruise altitude, the cabin pressure is similar to the air pressure you would experience if you drove to the mountains – about 6 or 7,000 feet. From a pilot’s prospective, take offs aren't really a big deal. We apply power, steer the plane straight down the runway, and once we reach the proper speed, we tilt the nose of the plane up so the wings can begin generating lift and away we go. Remember that airplanes are meant to fly and actually handle better in the air than on the ground. The plane is happiest in the air, that's where it's meant to be, experiencing the beauty of flight! (Close window)