One concern among nervous fliers is whether or not a door can be opened in flight. The fact is that they cannot. Ok, what about those planes that skydivers jump from? Those aircraft are unpressurized and are not flying at the altitude of a jetliner (35000-40000 feet). They fly around 10000 feet where there is still sufficient atmospheric pressure to allow humans to breath unassisted. Modern commercial aircraft are pressurized to allow us to remain comfortable inside the cabin at 40000 feet. The pressurized air for the cabin comes from the compressed air in the engines. This air is tapped off the engines with Bleed Valves and used to run different pneumatic systems on the aircraft as well as pressurizing the cabin for passenger comfort. That being said, the doors on commercial aircraft are of the “plug type” meaning that when the door is closed the structure of the door is actually larger than the “hole” it is covering and therefore the pressure inside the cabin, which is about 8 pounds per square inch, is actually pushing the doors against the aircraft structure that surrounds the door (the door frame) which would make it virtually impossible for anyone to open the door in flight. If you consider the surface area of the inside of the door and multiply that by 8 pounds per square inch, we are talking about 500 pounds of pressure keeping that door closed! No person I know can overcome that pressure! In short, you could lift the “OPEN” handle on the door but the pressure inside the cabin will keep it safely closed.
I remember at a very young age marveling at the sight of a jetliner taking off. The thundering sound of a jet engine at takeoff is unlike any other. So much power, so massive, yet so graceful. They seem to lift effortlessly into the air as though that’s where they truly want to be. I have worked in the aviation industry for almost 15 years and the excitement and awe I experience even to this day witnessing one of these wonderous machines lift into the air and disappear into the heavens has not wavered in the least from what it was when I was just a child. I am often saddened when I learn of a friend or acquaintance who suffers from a fear of flying. What a shame to be missing out on such a beautiful experience that up until recently only our winged bird friends have been able to appreciate. Humans of the last hundred years or so are the first ones to actually be able to gaze down at the earth below and take in all the breathtaking views at 40,000 feet while many centuries of humans before could only dream of such a feat. Often a fear of taking to the skies can be as simple as not fully understanding how or why this 300,000 lb craft can do what it does! The fact of the matter is that classical physical properties dictate that it will. An airplane flying through the air is as normal a process as a boat floating on the water!
I am very fortunate that I travel quite frequently with my job. As an aircraft systems instructor for my airline I have to travel to all of the cities we fly to to conduct recurrent training for the aircraft technicians based in those cities. The FAA requires that certified Aircraft Technicians go through annual recurrent training to ensure they are provided the latest most up to date information. The only downside to this frequent travel is the fact that I live out of my suitcase most times and I spend many nights in diferent hotels and let’s face it, some hotels are better than others! I can tell you some stories! The up side to all of it however is that I get to fly often. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of long lines at security, waiting for hotel shuttles that never come (but they say they did when you call them back) and over priced airport cuisine. I am however a huge fan of actually being on the aircraft. I still get goosebumps everytime we start the takeoff roll and accelerate down the runway. It’s incredible to realize that this 300,000lb craft can out accelerate most performance sports cars, that’s some horsepower! Jet engines are capable of about 4000 horsepower but an aircraft’s engine power is rated in terms of pounds of thrust. The feeling of being pushed back into your seat as the engines spool up and the aircraft starts its takeoff is the best stress relief therapy I can think of! When the airplane rotates, or the nose lifts off the ground, and the main wheels finally lift off the ground, the bumpiness of the runway is replaced by the smoothness of flight and the airplane suddenly seems much happier as though this is where it wants to be. This is in fact where it wants to be!
