Unveiling hidden aircraft features: Safety functions explained
Many tourists may wonder about the small elements on airplanes and their functions. These include features like the small window holes and the yellow hooks on airplane wings. Everything has a purpose, often crucial for safety. Here’s an explanation of what it's all about.
Those who frequently fly and sit by the windows may have noticed three details: yellow hooks on airplane wings, black triangles stuck on the walls, and holes in the windows.
The first element serves an important safety function in the event of an emergency landing. Their role is to assist with evacuation via the wing and to secure life rafts. In the case of a water landing, safety ropes threaded through the hooks help passengers safely exit the plane.
Holes in the windows and black triangles on cabin walls
Many tourists are also puzzled by the small holes in airplane windows. This too has a crucial role in passenger safety and comfort. It turns out that these small openings regulate the pressure inside the airplane. They are designed to mitigate pressure differences between the aircraft's interior and the external environment.
The vent holes in the windows have another function. They allow moisture to escape from the cabin, preventing the windows from fogging up.
The most observant travellers might also have noticed tiny black triangles on both sides of commercial airplanes above some windows. In short, the triangular marks indicate the spots with the best view of the airplane wings. The crew inspects the wings, for example, before takeoff to check the position of the flaps.
Ashtrays in the toilets
The ashtray in airplane toilets is also quite a puzzle for some travellers. Why is it installed there when smoking is prohibited on board? Such ashtrays are a legal requirement to provide a safe place to dispose of cigarettes. A place to extinguish a cigarette butt is necessary in case a passenger does not follow the rules.
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