As someone who's a frequent flyer, I greatly appreciate any and all things pilots and flight attendants do to ensure my safety. But, as someone who's also nosy AF, I also want to know any and all things that are going on while in flight.
2."There's a chance your flight could be a pilot's very first flight in an actual jet. They could be fresh out of training, out of the simulator, and actually flying that jet aircraft. Scary, right? Well, that pilot could probably explain every single system of that aircraft in-depth. Pilots that have been flying the line for years? Maybe not quite as in-depth."
4."As an Air Traffic Controller, we are constantly swearing and yelling at pilots when we’re not on the frequency, and then when we key up we use our nice guy voices."
5."Planes often have broken equipment onboard, it's just the nature of the business and things break. Can't always fix it, so there is an approved list of things that may be broken, and how long they may be broken before they must be fixed. Not stuff that makes the flight unsafe, just maybe more work for the pilots. Also, the Captain can always reject an aircraft if he feels it is unsafe."
6."There's a special frequency called 'Guard' that all aircraft are supposed to monitor. It's for emergencies, or for when an aircraft ends up on a wrong frequency and the controllers need to get contact with them to change them to the right frequency.
It's full of pilots meowing at each other, and people accidentally asking for gate assignments and making other radio calls."
8."Pilot here: pilots only get paid when the doors are closed and the push back has commenced. If we’re delayed or sitting with the plane door open, we’re just as annoyed as you are."
9."Flight attendants don't get paid on the ground. Only flying hours are paid. So, please be kind when you are boarding the plane and getting all pissy about your bags etc. The flight attendant is a volunteer while they help you on the ground, they are essentially doing you a favor."
10."We will not only transport dead bodies, but also live transplants, like hearts and lungs. I particularly like the live transplants because we get to cut to the front of the line for takeoff and we get all the shortcuts to our destination."
11."Both pilots may not eat the same meal — in case a meal causes food poisoning — but they might be eating at the same time while the plane flies itself."
12."Tip for those who get motion sickness: try not to move your head around. Pilots move their eyes instead of their heads to look at the instruments in the flight deck. Also, try to sit in a seat over the wing. This area of the plane doesn't rotate as much during climbs and descents."
14."Most of the time, passengers are not given the full answer on why a flight is delayed or cancelled. Airlines will typically blame cancellations on unrelated events, like weather, instead of mechanical issues so they don’t have to pay for hotel rooms/meals etc."
15."My uncle was a pilot. He says that most people don’t understand how much of the airplane is run by computers. The pilots are necessary, but a lot of the elements of flying are automated nowadays."
16."A smooth landing is not necessarily a good landing. One can make a smooth landing and it will feel good for passengers but it could be a risky landing if the pilot decides to use extra runway. Never shout at your pilot for a bad landing unless he crash lands. And if he crash lands and you can shout at him, understand that you are alive because of him."
