飞机的窗户和座位,原来藏着这种心机
There are roughly 102,465 commercial flights each day which, over a year, equates to about four billion air passengers per year. That's over half of the world's population who've sat on a flight, often for hours on end, and had time to think about planes and ask questions about them. If you've ever stared out the window as your plane takes off, you will have seen a tiny hole in your window. At first, it may seem like a weird addition, especially in something that's carrying a lot of people at a great height, but they're there for a very important reason: to stop the cabin from depressuring. As the plane gains altitude, the air pressure outside drops compared to the regulated air pressure inside the cabin. The difference between the two puts physical stress on the windows - made up of three panes of glass. There's a small air gap in between the middle and outer panes and the hole is actually in the middle pane. If you ever wondered what it's called - it's a "breather" or "bleed hole" - and it balances the pressure between the cabin and the air gap. The outer pane takes the pressure, whereas the middle pane acts as a fail-safe just in case that trusty outer pane fails. Perish the thought. So we now know the crucial function of those tiny holes in aeroplane windows which previously might have made you panic mildly. And if you've ever wondered why aeroplane seats aren't always aligned with the windows, then there's an answer for that too. It's nothing to do with safety either. While the entire design and engineering of planes is done to ensure passenger safety, this does not extend to seat alignment. Some don't even have a window view. Airlines are essentially business who want to make money - and they make money by getting as many bums on seats as possible. |