DOs and DON'Ts While Flying

[Ajit Basrur]

Hi,

I have been flying for past many years and blindly following many of the Do's and Dont's like -

1. Fasten seat belt
2. Handphones off during the entire flight
3. Laptops, MP3 players switched ON after take off but OFF during landing.
4. Tray tables to be in place during take off and landing
5. Preferred to keep shoes ON during take off and landing

and may be some more.

I was wondering if some one can give answers as to why we need to follow all these things ?

[Wes Bucey]

Answers I've been told over the past few years by FAA and aerospace guys. Who knows if they were having some fun with a Quality Geek?

Hi,

I have been flying for past many years and blindly following many of the Do's and Dont's like -

1. Fasten seat belt (AIR POCKETS IN FLIGHT CAN BE SCARY! - my personal experience!)
2. Handphones off during the entire flight (Over land, it will disrupt multiple cell towers simultaneously - over sea, with no cell towers within range, it is just wasted battery power. Most avionics guys say cell phones DO NOT disrupt the aircraft's avionics)
3. Laptops, MP3 players switched ON after take off but OFF during landing. (no clue - makes no sense except for safety of being alert oneself and not distracted by laptop.)
4. Tray tables to be in place during take off and landing - (pure safety so you don't get "speared" by a tray table against your chest or abdomen if the seat latch on the seat in front of you gets loosened by accident or purpose during the takeoff or landing.)
5. Preferred to keep shoes ON during take off and landing (So you don't get injured by debris or other people if you need to make emergency exit)

and may be some more.

I was wondering if some one can give answers as to why we need to follow all these things ?

[/quote]

[harry]

Also read this 2 articles.

In-Flight Gadget Do's and Don'ts - washingtonpost.com

Long list of do's, don'ts for air travel gets longer ...

[BradM]

Just a couple of points listed here that can be found in the link below.

1. Always count the number of seats to the exit. Be able to get to that spot very quickly should the plane crash.

2. Read the little cards. Know where the exits are, and how many seats away they are.

http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-a-Plane-Crash

[Ajit Basrur]

Hi all,

Thanks for info and the weblinks; very informative

[Randy]

Always get the exit! (Unless of course you're in 1st Class, then try to get the aisle)

Try to get the aisle regardless of seating (you don't want to get trapped)

Wear cotton clothing (a tad bit more fire resistant and cotton doesn't melt)

Wear full length pants and closed toe shoes (better survivability in fire)

[harry]

Especially for ladies - Nylon stockings/pantyhose are big No, No's. I was told at a seminar that the heat generated while sliding down the emegency chute may be enough to melt it and stick to ones skin.

[Wes Bucey]

Originally Posted by harry

Especially for ladies - Nylon stockings/pantyhose are big No, No's. I was told at a seminar that the heat generated while sliding down the emergency chute may be enough to melt it and stick to ones skin.

They can be a bear to take off while rushing for an exit!

Re: cotton - wool is also pretty fire proof; synthetic fabrics have a nasty habit of melting and/or sustaining flame - ever see the effect of lighting the end of nylon or polyethylene cord or rope?