The rumors are not true about flying

Here are the share of Patrick Smith, a pilot with many years of experience, about the false, annoying rumors of flying.

1. It is very expensive to fly

In fact, after adjusting to curb inflation, air ticket prices have generally decreased by about 50% in the past 3 decades. Although the fee has increased slightly in 2013, it is still much lower than 30 years ago. Many Americans, especially the younger generation, do not know that a few years ago, only a small number of Americans had enough money to fly. At the time of my parents, they had to spend several thousand dollars (in the current money) to fly to Europe. Even flights from one coast to another are expensive.

2. Going on an airplane is increasingly dangerous

The events of the past few months, especially the disappearance and accident of two flights of Malaysian airlines with numbers MH370 and MH17 have led many people to believe that getting on the plane is getting less and less secure. However, the fact that air travel is much safer than before. The number of aircraft operating in the world is more than twice that of 25 years ago, while the rate of fatal accidents dropped sharply. According to the statistics of the International Civil Aviation Organization, averaging over one million flights, the rate of aircraft in distress is only one sixth of that of the 1980s.

Globally, 2013 is considered to be the safest year in modern commercial aviation history. In 1985, there were 27 aircraft accidents that killed 2,500 people. Two of the 10 aviation disasters in history that year, occurred only 2 months apart. The 60s, 70s and 80s were the period of the most horrific accidents, from bombing to hijacking . However, the number of such large-scale disasters is now more limited. so many, so much.

3. Modern commercial airplanes are so sophisticated that they don't need drivers

This is a rumor we often hear but it is completely false. If comparing flying with medicine, modern technology helps pilots to fly airplanes just like it helps surgeons perform surgeries. An aircraft cannot drive itself, similar to the operating room itself does not perform operations to remove the tumor or organ transplantation. Automatic operation in the cockpit does not mean the aircraft can fly by itself. We still need the pilot to perform the operation, 'order' the system 'what to do, when and how' . For example, I have at least 6 ways to control the Boeing up or down. Remember: More than 99% of landing and 100% take-off cases are done in the traditional way, which is by the hands of the pilot pilots in the cockpit.

4. Air on the plane is full of germs and germs

Research shows that the air in the cabin on the aircraft is the least germicidal compared to the crowded space of others. Passengers and crew always breathe in the 'fresh' air and the 'spinning' air. The use of these two types of combinations allows for better temperature control and moisture retention. The rotating air part is guided through a high-quality filter, capable of retaining up to 95% of the bacteria. Thanks to that filtering system, air exchange occurs every 2-3 minutes, much more frequently than in crowded buildings. People who are sick or tired when flying are not due to the air but because of the things they touch like holding the bathroom door. Therefore, carrying hand sanitizer is very effective compared to wearing a mask when flying.

However, air passengers have a fairly reasonable complaint about the dry matter. The reality is that the air on the plane is extremely dry, with a moisture content of only about 12%, even more dry than the desert. That is when flying at absolute height, where the humidity is very low, even by 0. In front of this situation, dampening the cabin is a pretty simple and wise solution. But this is rarely done for a few reasons. For example, it will consume a lot of water, but carrying water on the plane is very expensive, while the amount of moisture is not much improved. The air on the Boeing 787 is considered to be the cleanest of all current models thanks to the 99.97% effective filtration system and the humidity is also significantly higher than other types.

5. Pilot to reduce air currents and adjust oxygen

The ratio and air volume on the plane are almost completely automatic. Everything is installed in automatic mode before the flight and so on. Only when a new crew problem has to be adjusted. During 7 years of driving Boeing 757, 767 lines, I only witnessed this 1-2 times. The same is true for Airbus aircraft. The airflow panel usually has 3 positions marked Hi (High), Norm (Medium) and Lo (Low). Norm is standard. Hi button is only used when there is an immediate temperature change. Although it saves some fuel, the Lo button is rarely turned on, only in the case of too few passengers. Head of the crew on an Airbus plane said: 'There's no big change, though, sitting in the cabin, you almost don't see any difference'.

The rumor that we cut down on oxygen is ridiculous. Oxygen content is determined by the pressurization process. Which pressurized system is pre-installed by the crew before departure, during the flight it operates automatically. We only touch it when something goes wrong. Remember, pilots also breathe the same atmosphere with every passenger. Note for those who do not know, pressurized system allows you to breathe as usual when flying at a certain height compared to the sea, from about 1,700 - 2,600m.

6. Pilots are just apprentices

It is very obvious that when there is any news about the plane, the pilot is the one we think of first. The problem is, in the cockpit there are always two pilots, the captain and the vice. Both are well-trained, fully capable of operating aircraft. The vice is often regarded as a copilot. But the copilot does not mean an apprentice, because they share responsibility almost equal to the captain. Although the new captain is the official responsible person and gets a higher salary, both are capable of controlling the aircraft. The deputy must also perform operations such as taking off and landing, requiring the right decision, like a captain.

7. Additional habits, fabrications of passengers

This is how I call the passengers' exaggerated habits about their feelings on the plane. The height, or the speed they feel is not true. At times when the aircraft seems chaotic, passengers often guess that the plane dropped suddenly a few dozen meters but in fact only about 6m. Or when talking about an airplane's takeoff angle, it is usually only about 15 degrees, but it is up to 45-60 degrees through the words of the passenger. I wish I could take them into the cockpit and show them that if the tilt angle is really 45 degrees, how green will their faces be, not 60 degrees.