Name: Why Airplanes Make Hard Landings on Purpose
Uploaded: 2020-03-07T01:51:55.000Z
Duration: 9 min 21 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Billions of people board a plane each year.

Adverbs of degree

Most passengers are completely unaware of a few things every pilot knows.

(Like if you should really panic when the plane starts rocking, the landing isn’t

exactly as smooth as butter, or everyone in the cockpit fell asleep!)

1) Many delays are caused by overscheduling.

If you fly often, chances are you’ve had to sit through at least one delayed flight.

One common type is what airlines call ATC delays.

But they have more to do with the airlines themselves than the air traffic controllers.

Every airport has a limited number of planes that can land or take off each hour.

It’s usually around 60 landings or takeoffs per runway.

In bad weather, it can drop to 30 or less.

Most airlines will schedule the maximum number of flights per runway, regardless of the weather

This leads to delays as planes are forced to wait their turn, and the schedule backs

2) Pilots will lie about mechanical delays.

Mechanical problems are another common source of hold-ups on the runway.

Anything from a minor issue with the air conditioner to severe damage to the engine fan blades

can leave the plane stranded on the tarmac until the problem gets fixed.

The pilots don't always know how long repairs are going to take, but that kind of answer

When asked, pilots will usually give an amount of time that's longer than they think it’ll

take, but not so long that people will get upset.

One popular answer is “45 minutes” since it sounds better than an hour while still

giving the ground crew plenty of time to solve the issue.

Have you ever been driving down the highway when your engine suddenly sputtered to a stop?

Now imagine that happening 30,000 feet in the air!

It’s a lot more common than most people realize.

Instead of saying “engine failure” or “stopped working,” pilots will hide it

with euphemisms like "improper functionality."

Losing a single engine isn't as big a deal as it sounds because modern airliners can

Even if a plane loses all its engines at once, it won't instantly fall out of the sky.

In 1982, an airliner managed to land safely despite losing all 4 of its engines after

4) Flatulence isn’t as scary as it sounds either.

Feeling the cabin rock and shake is arguably the least fun part of air travel, but that

Turbulence is usually caused by weather conditions that make it easy to predict.

And while the shaking can get pretty rough, modern planes aren’t going to fall to pieces

That, and the pilots are well trained on how to deal with it.

The only danger comes from passengers ignoring safety instructions.

Even severe turbulence isn't going to knock your plane out of the sky, but it can still

So when the seatbelt light comes on and the cabin starts shaking, ya better buckle up!

5) Lightning strikes are also mostly harmless.

Soaring through storm clouds in a metal tube might sound like a recipe for disaster.

But lightning is so harmless that most passengers won't even notice their plane was struck!

The material in a plane’s fusilage is designed to direct electricity away.

The charge is then released back into the air by little antennae known as static wicks.

Worst case, the plane might come away with some minor burns on the wings and tail.

If you’re sitting near where the lightning makes contact, you might be treated to a loud

boom and bright flash from just outside your window!

6) Most hard landings are done on purpose.

When your plane makes a hard landing, sending your heart right up into your throat, it's

That’s rarely the case because a bumpy landing is often exactly what the pilot had in mind.

A plane’s wings produce more lift when they’re closer to the ground, pushing it back into

The best way to prevent this is with a firm landing that puts the wheels on the runway

Harder landings also allow planes to stop quickly without the pilots needing to slam

on the breaks or risk overshooting the terminal.

Or if the runway is wet or icy, a firm landing gives the wheels more traction.

Imagine your cab driver falling asleep at the wheel!

Good thing planes aren’t taxies because pilots do it all the time, and it's not as

Part of the reason for having two pilots is so there's always someone at the controls.

It's perfectly okay for a pilot to catch some Z’s while the co-pilot is at the controls.

Of course, it’s not that unusual for a pilot to wake up from their nap and realize that

This is less okay when it comes to regulations, but still isn't as dangerous as it sounds

thanks to things like autopilot and other safety features.

Cramming hundreds of people into a metal tube is a great way to spread germs.

Even if no one in your row is coughing or sneezing, you might not be in the clear.

Surfaces like tray tables, call buttons, and bathroom doors don’t always get wiped down

Case in point: bring some hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes with you when you fly!

You also might want to think twice before accepting pillows and blankets.

While airlines usually try to keep them clean, there isn’t always time to wash them between

Consider bringing your own pillow and blanket… unless you like resting your head in someone

We’ve covered pretty much everything I fear about flying, but what about you?

If you’re afraid of turbulence, you’ll like this next point…

Any pilot will tell you that early morning flights are your best bet if you want to avoid