Flying the friendly skies

Coming home from work, after a fun day of learning all about rain and ice protection systems and fire detection/suppresion systems (things are staying in my head again, after the big download last night!) I jump over to Fark and one of the first articles is about some freaked out dude trying to open the door of a Boeing 747 at cruise altitude. (Read article here) Now, opening an aircraft door at an altitude over 10,000 feet is pretty much impossible. The differential pressure between the inside and the outside is way too much for anyone short of Superman to acclomplish. I have even tried this on the ground, when we are pressurizing the aircraft to check for leaks. (yes, there are some leaks, but they are accounted for when the aircraft was designed, and they need to be there) At a couple of psi difference, there wasn't a chance that the door will open.

Which leads me to this. These articles that are written by the general media, about the people that get freaked out on airplanes, are just there to sensationalize things and scare those that are already scared of flying just to sell their product. This article at least had the decency of stating, after making a big deal out of a non-issue, that in fact the plane was never in danger. But, unfortunately, the scared public won't see that. They just want to see that they are in danger, and that will be good enough to have this guy drawn and quartered.

In the end, be sure to read everything, check the facts and be sure before moving on.

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."
-Buddha

PS. It is a federal offence, in most countries, to tamper with an aircraft. This brings long jail sentences, even for trying to make a lavatory smoke detector inoperative so you can fix your nic fit.