Planes changed the way that people travel. Before the advent of the airliner, getting across the ocean involved catching ships and waiting around. With airplanes people could make it from New York City to London in less than a day. This was unheard of. Tourism actually became a thing. Prior to air travel tourism was nothing like the industry it is today. People would never be able to travel as far as they do today in such a short period of time. Planes really did change the landscape of the world. Many nations’ economies today rely partially or totally on the visitors they get from around the world. The crazy thing about all of this is that today we almost take it entirely for granted. Of course you can get be in Tokyo by tomorrow…as long as you have the money! But leisure isn’t the only thing that benefited from air travel. Planes changed the way that wars are fought. Air battles became a thing. Before the World Wars there was no way that you had to worry about being bombed from above except for maybe an occasional spy balloon. These are 25 Strange Facts About Planes And Flying You Might Not Be Aware Of!
Featured Image: Kuster & Wildhaber Photography via Flickr
Freelandia was a not-for-profit airline that started in 1973. It offered waterbeds and other quirks, but went broke in 1974.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay
In 1994 an Aeroflot (Russian national airline) captain let his son sit at the controls during a flight. The boy turned off autopilot and the plane crashed killing 75 people.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
There is actually a guide for freefalling out of an airplane without a parachute.
Source: greenharbor.com, Image: Vaughan Leiberum via Flickr
In 1955 when Jack Graham blew up a plane to kill his mother he was only charged with one count of murder even though 44 people died. This is because blowing up airplanes was not yet a federal crime.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Your chance of dying in a car crash is 1 in 5,000. Your chance of dying in a plane crash is 1 in 11 million.
Source: curiosity.com, Image: pixabay
Even if a plane does crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board an average of 76% of passengers survive (even among the worst crashes).
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Flight attendants on United Airlines were not allowed to marry until 1968.
Source: myplainview.com, Image: wikipedia
In 1975, when student Stuart Avent jumped out of a small airplane his chute got tangled on fueselage. He deployed his reserve chute and the entire airplane descended to the ground safely beneath the parachute.
Source: greenharbor.com, Image: wikipedia
In nearly half of Britain’s largest airports it is cheaper to park a small plane than to park a car.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 1994 Auburn Calloway, a depressed flight engineer with FedEx hijacked a plane and tried to beat the crew to death with a hammer. In spite of numerous injuries they managed to pull extreme maneuvers such as barrel rolls in order to prevent Auburn from attacking further. Eventually, they got the situation under control and landed (Fedex flight 705).
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 2002 a cargo plane crashed into a passenger plane near the Swiss-German border due to shortcomings in the Swiss air traffic control system. Two years later, Vitaly Kaloyev, a man who lost his family in the crash, killed the Swiss air traffic controller (Peter Nielsen) who was in charge during the accident by stabbing him to death in his home.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Singapore Airlines has a corpse cupboard for people who die during flights.
Source: theguardian.com, Image: wikipedia
Lufthansa researchers found that tomato juice is more popular on airplanes than it is in airports because changes in cabin pressure affect the way we perceive things…including tastes.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabay
In 2001, Captain Robert Piché saved the lives of everyone onboard when both engines failed over the Atlantic and he lost power. How? He glided to the Azores.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
Vessex is a company that recovers stolen planes and ships from anywhere in the world…even warzones.
Source: vesselextractions.com, Image: wikipedia
In 1985 Norway suffered its first hijacking. The hijacker (who was drunk) gave up his weapon in exchange for more beer.
Source: aviation-safety.net, Image: pixabay
American Airlines claims to have saved $40,000 per year by removing one olive from each salad that they serve.
Source: msn.com, Image: pixabay
In 2002, a teenager named Charlie J. Bishop flew a small Cessna plane into a skyscraper in Tampa, Florida. It was only a few months after 9/11. Bishop was the only casualty.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 2001, Rowan Atkinson, better known as Mr Bean, was flying in a small plane with his family over Kenya when the pilot passed out. Rowan took the controls and proceeded to slap the pilot several times after which he woke back up and safely landed the plane.
Source: bbc, Image: wikipedia
Although Saudi women are allowed to fly planes, they have to be driven to the airport because in Saudi Arabia women aren’t allowed to drive.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
During the 1910 International Los Angeles Air Meet, William Boeing asked nearly everyone for a ride on an airplane but everyone turned him down. Disappointed, William went back to Seattle and founded Boeing.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
In 2006, during a flight from Washington to Dallas a woman tried to cover up the smell of her fart by lighting matches. The plane made an emergency landing when passengers smelled smoke.
Source: wikinews, Image: wikipedia
On Southwest Airlines, overweight passengers who take up more than one seat must buy multiple tickets.
Source: southwestcom, Image: wikipedia
Blackboxes on airplanes are designed to withstand insane conditions. In spite of insane water pressure, the box of Air France 447 was recovered from 3 miles underwater after 2 years and the investigators could still recover the data.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
The XF-84H was the loudest plane ever built. It was said that while on the ground it would create visible sonic booms and even knock people over.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia
