Airplanes are the safest means of transportation in the world. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have setbacks or that catastrophes happen from time to time. The safety measures when flying are extreme, especially because at the height that an airplane flies, conditions are very different from those we have on land.
One of those most curious security measures are the windows of airplanes. We are used to the fact that we can see the entire landscape that we fly over from the windows, but none of them can ever be opened for security reasons.
Windows closed
It must be borne in mind that a commercial airplane usually flies at an altitude of 11 thousand meters on a regular basis. Air pressure loses a quarter if we compare it when flying over the sea. Therefore, this pressure is also reflected in the outside temperature, which is less than 51 degrees Celsius.
The atmosphere in this case thins with height , the air molecules are concentrated near the ground, so if we could open the airplane windows we would only be condemned to one thing: death.
This is why it is very dangerous for the windows of an airplane to open, consequently this possibility does not exist in any commercial flight in the world. Aircraft cabins must be pressurized, thanks to this, people can breathe at these heights and not run out of oxygen once we climb over 11 thousand meters.
When we wanted to open a window, if that possibility existed, the air from outside would cause the pressurization to be lost, and therefore, the oxygen would be lost inside the plane.
This pressurization is achieved thanks to the pumping of compressed air that the transport means itself injects into the aircraft cabin. This compressed air, sucked in, is heated by the aircraft’s turbine engines and works thanks to the hermetic fuselage that these air vehicles have.
If this fuselage were to open it would wreak havoc on the general breathing of the passengers, including the pilots, and the plane would be in danger during flight. It is a basic safety measure that all commercial aircraft have since the lives of many passengers depend on it.
We can only look out the window and enjoy the landscape from the air, but without taking our heads out to breathe outside.
