Things about planes

NOTE: THIS POST TALKS ALOT ABOUT PLANE TOILETS! DO NOT READ IF YOU JUST ATE. You have been warned!

I got these facts from a guy I know who works for MAS. Due to privacy resons, I cannot reveal my source. Besides, MAS is already in a pinch. The facts are supplimented by my comments.

Enjoy folks! And Leong, this post is dedicated to you!


1. The main entry door costs RM1 million. There are a few of these doors on an aircraft.

There are 14 doors on a 747-400. Thats RM 14 mil just for the doors of the plane! @_@


2. Did you know that there is a secret compartment at the toilet door so you can open it FROM THE OUTSIDE?

The person didn't tell me how to do it, but this is something to keep in mind when you try and lock yourself in a plane toilet..........


3. Toilet bowls costs US$70k and they are smarter than your average washing machine. They have built in ROM and memory and they are virtually failsafe. You can "talk" to the toilet bowl using Hyperterminal through your computer's serial port.

I think the Japanese were the first to pioner "talking" toilets. But that was on the ground. Its scary: 1 plane toilet bowl costs more than a Lancer Evo in "AP" Malaysia


4. The wiring in the A380 weights 1000kg.

At least it can fly........


5. The aircraft's main power supply rating is 115v @ 400Hz.

Just some uselss information: the normal power supply in Malaysia is 240V @50Hz. No, its not a typo. It really is 400Hz! Eletrical engenering students will understand the meaning of this!


6. Most electronic components on the plane is military grade. No wonder a mic costs RM4k.

A mic costing RM4000?! What is it, gold plated?


7. Aircraft tyres can be "rethreaded" up to 5 times.

I have no idea what this means. Car buffs, any idea?


8. Reverse thrust doesn't exactly reverses the spinning direction of the blades. The thrust is just deflected 40 degrees to the front.

Doesnt matter to me: all I know the reverse thrust of a 747 is the most powerful thing I've ever felt. Both in and outside the plane.


9. Brakes are useless without flaps and ground spoilers.

No, this is not a reason to put spoilers on a car!


10. The pilot can't see the ground directly under him while in the cockpit. He relies 100% on the altimeter.

Well, duh! Everyone seems to know that, except the director of "the terminal". Look at the end of the movie when the indian guy goes and try to stop the plane singlehandedly.


11. A 747 toilet bowl uses just 200ml of water for each flush. Compare that to the 7 liters you use each time you flush your toilet.

I drink more than 200ml of water in 5 mins! Man, its one serious water saving up there!


12. Weight is such an important issue in an aircraft that they will use materials 100 times more expensive to reduce weight.

Understandable.


13. DO NOT FLUSH THE AIRCRAFT TOILET WHILE SITTING ON IT! Babies have been delivered this way.

Does it take a genious to feel this? When I flush the toilet of a plane I can feel the air pressure change dramaticly almost instantly! Toilets in a plane dont use much water to flush, they use air pressure to suck all the waste out. The sudden change in pressure is so strong, it can force babies to come out! Ladies, please keep this in mind.


14. ALL hydraulic pumps contains 9 pistons, regardless its size, make or model.

Me no engineer. Me no understand.


15. Toilet bowls are Teflon coated (non-stick!) for obvious reasons.

Not on the flight I took to NZ! There was this piece of waste PERMANENTLY stuck there.........


16. A metal bottle can actually EXPAND when water is forced into it at high pressure (4000PSI).

Tell me about it. I've seen plastic bottles expand up in the air. Of course, this is usually followed by water leaking out.

BTW, car tires are usually 30 psi. Go figure.


17. The only aircraft that can interchange its landing gear is the Fokker 50. This means you can swap the right landing gear with the left. No other aircraft can do that.

No wonder they still can fly Fokkers 10 years after the company went bankrupt.

Just a side line through: MAS has tons of Fokker 50's. Fokker has been bankrupt for 10 years. So where do the spare parts and maintainence come from?


18. Paint strippers can strip skin and flesh too.

Please do not try this at home.


19. When you flush the toilet in a 737, you are actually using waste water from the sewage tank to flush. This is a recirculating flushing system. Ewww...

Told you that this post talks alot about toilets! I'll never see the 737 the same way again. Besides, the A320 is much cooler than any 737 anyday anywayz!


20. Most toilet failures are caused by people throwing too much tissue into the toilet bowl.

Hmmmmmm....... I wonder who is responsible......

21. There are 2 flight control computers so if one fails, the other will take over.


22. For important flight information, there will be 3 gauges on the cockpit panel: One for the pilot, one for the copilot and the other one as backup if both the above gauges give very different readings.

This sounds too much like a RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks)!


Disclaimer:the facts here may not be 100% accurate, but its coming from someone who works at MAS (maintainence section). ninghua is not responsible for any fear of flying that may arise from reading this post.