Did you know why passengers board and disembark from the left door on planes? 7 airplane trivia to make your flight more enjoyable

Airplane Trivia File 1 For passenger safety, the captain and co-pilot eat separate meals

In most cases, an aircraft is operated by two people: the captain and the co-pilot. Of course, they eat meals just like the passengers, but have you ever wondered what they eat?

For international flights, only when the aircraft is on autopilot and safety has been confirmed, will you eat the same in-flight meals served to customers. In addition, while working at the airport, such as when the aircraft is parked, you will eat snacks prepared in advance.

However, there are some points to note about meals that are unique to pilots. In principle, the captain and co-pilot who fly on the same aircraft eat different menus. This is to prevent any disruption to operations in the unlikely event of food poisoning. Even when it comes to something as simple as meals, we are always mindful of customer safety and risk.

Airplane Trivia File 2: There's a reason why passengers board and disembark from the left side of the plane

Passengers board and disembark from the door on the left side of the plane as they face the nose. You may wonder why this is the case in the first place.

Airplanes are sometimes called "ships," but this comes from the culture of passenger ships, which has a much older history than airplanes. Passengers board and disembark from the left side of an airplane, a vestige of the time when passenger ships and other ships docked on the left side, called the port side.

By the way, that doesn't mean that there is only a door on the left side. In fact, there is one on the right side as well, which is used to carry in supplies such as in-flight meals while the plane is parked, as well as for emergency evacuation. Also, the relatively small Boeing 767 and Boeing 737 used by JAL are designed with a smaller door on the right side. This is a measure to maintain the strength of the aircraft, as the door becomes relatively larger on smaller aircraft. Please take a look carefully when you board the plane.

Airplane Trivia File 3 Knots, miles, cabins. There are many vestiges of seafaring culture in airplanes.

There are other vestiges of the cruise ship culture. For example, there are cases where aircraft are parked a little away from the terminal building, and passengers are taken to the arrival lobby by bus. Parking an aircraft at a parking lot away from the terminal building is called "okidome." This is a marine term that originally referred to a ship that is anchored outside the port because it cannot enter the port.

The speed of an airplane is measured in knots, and the distance traveled is measured in miles, both of which are units originally used on ships. Furthermore, the inside of an airplane is called the "cabin," a word also taken from a nautical term.

In this way, as both vehicles carry large numbers of passengers at once, we could say that airplanes and ships are like relatives.

Airplane Trivia File 4: The cabin is constantly filled with fresh air by taking in and circulating outside air

Air conditioning and air circulation systems on airplanes replace the air inside the cabin with fresh air every 2 to 3 minutes. At an altitude of 10,000 meters, where airplanes reach, the low air pressure can impede human life activities. That is why high airtightness is required to keep the air pressure inside the cabin close to that on the ground.

Many of the aircraft used by JAL take in outside air from the jet engines and circulate it while adjusting the temperature and pressure. However, using some of the air used for engine combustion reduces the forward movement of the aircraft, lowering fuel efficiency. Therefore, while taking in outside air, the air inside the aircraft is also circulated as is. In order to keep the air clean during circulation, it is passed through a high-performance HEPA filter that removes viruses and other hazards.

By the way, the latest aircraft, the Boeing 787, was designed with the concept of "flying a light plane with high power output," and has its own air intake in the center of the fuselage in order to use the engine's power for thrust without waste. In this way, outside air is constantly taken in and circulated through filters, so the cabin is always filled with clean air.

Airplane Trivia File 5: Air pressure is actually used to make toilets flush forcefully

When you use the lavatory on board, the toilet flushes forcefully with a gurgling noise. This is also due to a mechanism unique to airplanes that is closely related to air pressure.

If a lot of water, which is heavy, is loaded onto the aircraft, the weight of the aircraft will increase accordingly. Therefore, the amount of washing water is kept to a minimum, and the force of air flowing from high pressure to low pressure is utilized. Since the air pressure inside the aircraft is high and the air pressure outside the aircraft is low in the air, the valve is opened for just a moment, generating a small, large air current that sweeps the waste into the tank all at once.

Since there is no pressure difference on the ground, a machine called a vacuum blower is used to create the same system as in the sky. All waste is stored in tanks and removed from the aircraft by a special vehicle when the aircraft is parked.

Airplane Trivia File 6: The areas of the plane where you feel the least amount of turbulence are actually near the wings

It is generally said that people feel less shaking in the front of a vehicle such as a large bus, but the situation is a little different for airplanes. Weight balance is important for an airplane. They always pay attention to the center of gravity, for example by adjusting the placement of the cargo on the lower floor according to the passenger's boarding position. That center of gravity is exactly where the wings are attached. Therefore, the closer you are to the wings, the less shaking you feel.

However, even with large aircraft, there is no noticeable difference in shaking. The reason that an aircraft shakes during flight is due to vortexes in the air above, which are absorbed by the entire aircraft.

It is true that the closer you are to the wing, the less the impact of turbulence, but on the other hand, the engine noise will be louder near the center of the plane where the engines are located. That is why seats in first class and business class are located at the front.

Airplane Trivia File 7: Airplanes on the ground are actually powered by jet engines

Once the plane has returned to the ground, it moves to the terminal building. Before taking off, it drives itself to the runway. This is not done by transmitting engine power to the tires like a car does. The aircraft moves using the thrust of the jet engines on both wings.

Although it is physically possible to back up, an airplane only has three legs with tires called "gears," one in front and two in the back, so backing up would cause the center of gravity to shift to the tail, which could cause the airplane to fall backwards. For this reason, when backing up, a special vehicle called a towing tractor is used to tow the airplane. Airplanes are also not very good at moving on the ground. For this reason, they may need to use a towing tractor to move in bad weather, such as when it is slippery with snow.

By the way, when heading to the runway, the plane can reach a maximum speed of 50 km/h when traveling on the ground using engine thrust. When passengers look out the window at a high altitude, there are few buildings nearby, so they may not feel the speed very much, but the thrust of the jet engine is very powerful.

A comfortable and safe flight is supported by numerous pieces of trivia

I hope you have learned that there are many ingenious ideas and anecdotes about airplanes, from before takeoff to during the flight and after landing. However, this is only a small part of it. Airplanes are equipped with the latest technology, and improvements are being made constantly.

As we make various efforts to ensure that our customers have a safe and comfortable flight, we are sure that the number of surprising trivia will continue to increase in the future. Why not remember some of the trivia you learned today on your next flight? It may make your air travel even more enjoyable than usual.

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