Have you ever noticed tiny holes in the airplane window? Or why are we asked to close the window blinds while we are up in the air? Why do we open the window shades during takeoff and landing? I know all these questions must have left you perplexed and there was no way you could find the answers to all these.
Well, most of us never bother as to why these rules have been imposed but, believe me, the answers to them are too significant and scientific. It so happens that we take things for granted and do not try to get deeper into an issue which often leads to us falling short on proper info. This post is to answer you, as to why the airline seats have to be in an upright position during takeoff and landing?
Have a read to know about the interesting intelligence behind it.
The upright position.
If you have been on a flight before, you must remember how exactly the alignment of the seats remain. And in case you don’t remember or you haven’t yet boarded a flight, this is the way a plane takes off, when all the seats are still in the upright position.
The main concern is- Safety.
Takeoff and landing are two potential times when the plane may face technical problems. Thus, to keep the injuries to a minimum extent (if any) the seats have to be in an upright position.
In the case of emergency during takeoff…
…’When the seat is up, it is locked. When the seat is back, it is not locked. In a case of emergency, an unlocked seat has more force during impact and thrusting forward of that seat can cause passenger an injury’, as told by Brian Manning; a flight attendant for Mesa Airlines.
Another reason is…
In a case of an emergency, the upright position clears the maximum amount of space for room to exit so that there is no mess created and the passenger’s exit safely.
These seats are well tested.
All the seats are tested for a very specific set of conditions including seat up and also the seat in the upright position. The seats pass or fail on the basis of how much bodily damage they do. If they are not in the desired upright position, the probability of surviving a crash situation becomes less, automatically.
Have a look at this!
The science is perfectly explained in this picture. When the plane is in an upright position, the weight of the body goes into the lower back as shown on the left-hand side of the image. This is important for the people suffering from sciatic pain and back injuries. Their backs have the best recline when the seat is in the upright position.
…takeoff and landing account for being the ‘prime-times’ of seeing accidents, the seats have to be in upright position because people sitting behind a seat that is unlocked or reclined will not be able to ‘brace’ properly. And bracing is necessary. Thus, there is no assurance of safety when the seat is in some other position. It is best to follow these rules and have a happy and safe journey
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