Can pilots chat? How much do they earn per ticket? 9 curious aviation questions

▲Airplane (Photo / Darzhi / Illustration)

By Rita

The profession of "aviation" often feels distant and mysterious. Not only frequent travelers who shuttle between countries, but even ordinary people can't help but wonder how each flight actually operates. Addressing common aviation questions,the British Daily Mail interviewed several experts, and their answers may overturn travelers' past misconceptions.

1. How does an airplane start?
Starting a plane isn’t as simple as pressing a single button—it’s more complex than starting a car. Before the fuel begins to burn, an air starter motor begins to turn the engine. At this point, the pilot will start moving some levers and buttons, though modern planes are mostly automated, pilots can still choose to do it manually.

2. Do pilots and passengers eat the same food?
Crew members generally eat different food from passengers. Why? To avoid food poisoning.

3. Where do crew members sleep and use the restroom?
On long-haul flights with more than two pilots, they usually have private bunk beds to rest in. On non-long-haul flights, pilots take turns resting in their designated crew seats or sometimes in the passenger cabin. Flight attendants also rest in shifts, with some having private spaces and others using specific seats. They use the same restrooms as passengers, but the original Boeing 747 had a dedicated restroom for pilots.

4. What happens if the toilet waste tank is full?
In the air, waste from the toilet is collected and emptied by ground crew after landing, so before any long-haul flight, the crew ensures the toilets are empty. It’s extremely rare for the waste tank to overflow, but if it does, the toilet will be taken out of service, and in the worst case, the plane may divert and make an emergency landing.

5. Can commercial pilots talk to other pilots during a flight?
Pilots usually monitor multiple frequencies at once and occasionally chat with other pilots in the air. Air traffic control has set frequencies,and pilots also tune into specific frequencies to listen for any emergencies. There is also a chat frequency where pilots share information,such as turbulence.

6. How much fuel do jet planes need?
Each jet plane generally needs about 1,100 liters of fuel per hour, so flights usually carry extra fuel. Fuel consumption varies depending on aircraft type, altitude, flight route, and weather. For example, a Boeing 767 flying from London to New York requires 34,020 liters, while a Boeing 747 or Airbus A380 may use up to twice that amount.

7. Why do white trails appear in the sky when a plane flies by?
This is because the moist exhaust gases expelled from the engines at high altitudes rapidly cool in the cold, dry upper atmosphere—similar to how your breath forms a visible mist in winter.

8. What would happen if a cabin door suddenly opened at high altitude?
This is one of the most common questions. But experts say it's virtually impossible because the cabin pressure is much higher than the outside pressure. Most cabin doors require being pushed inward before they can open outward, unless mechanical intervention occurs. If a door were to accidentally open, rapid decompression would cause catastrophic consequences.

9. How much profit does an airline make on each ticket?
According to research by Travelzoo, on a British Airways flight from London to New York,a ticket priced at 33,000 Taiwanese dollars yields only 200 Taiwanese dollars in profit, a margin of just 0.61%. Nearly all costs go toward taxes, surcharges, and operational expenses. Budget airlines have even thinner profit margins, while long-haul flights yield slightly higher profits.

★Image is a copyrighted photo provided exclusively to ETtoday Eastday News Cloud by Darzhi Images. No partial or full reproduction is permitted by any website, newspaper, or TV station without permission from Darzhi Images.