Editing 2525: Air Travel Packing List
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This comic is | + | {{incomplete|Created by an TRUMPETBORNE PARACHUTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | This comic is about a proposed air-travel packing list, and the humor is that many people who have not been flying during Covid might have forgotten what to pack. Most of the items are already found on the plane, SOUND like they would be useful on a plane, or could be useful in (the unlikely event of) a plane crash. Here is a quick summary of each: | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
! Item | ! Item | ||
Line 26: | Line 16: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Seat cushion | |Seat cushion | ||
− | |This | + | |This can be used as a flotation device in a crash and is provided by the airline. Some people may also bring their own cushions for comfort. |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Parachute}} | |{{w|Parachute}} | ||
− | |Parachutes are normally used to slow down your falling out of the sky to a relatively safe speed in case of a severe problem with your aircraft, and are routinely used as a safety device by (para)glider pilots, test pilots, military aircraft crew and in similar situations when being unable to land safely is a significant concern. A parachute won't be very useful in a typical passenger airplane (even a small one) as there is no | + | |Parachutes are normally used to slow down your falling out of the sky to a relatively safe speed in case of a severe problem with your aircraft, and are routinely used as a safety device by (para)glider pilots, test pilots, military aircraft crew and in similar situations when being unable to land safely is a significant concern. A parachute won't be very useful in a typical passenger airplane (even a small one) as there is no way to safely exit such a plane in-flight. Even the airplanes used to voluntarily exit from while they're perfectly good (as some crazy people do) need to be specifically designed or modified for the purpose such as having wide sliding doors that are unaffected by airflow. However, there were single cases of people being ejected or sucked out of a passenger airplane; in such case a parachute could by arguably useful. Famously, [[:Category:Comics featuring D. B. Cooper|D.B. Cooper]] jumped from an airplane in-flight with a parachute. |
|- | |- | ||
|Wing glue | |Wing glue | ||
− | |Probably to repair wings in the event of damage, potentially in a crash. | + | |Probably to repair wings in the event of damage, potentially in a crash. Would be tricky (but not necessarily impossible) to apply mid-flight. This the first of several items that are potentially useful to the flight crew or maintenance teams, but would not be useful or appropriate for passengers to bring aboard. |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Air horn}} | |{{w|Air horn}} | ||
− | |An air horn uses compressed air to make a very loud noise | + | |An air horn uses compressed air to make a very loud noise very easily. This may be important for drawing attention to yourself in the event of a crash. Typically, emergency lifejackets on a plane are provided with a light and whistle for this purpose. The noise of an air horn might prove more effective for this purpose than a whistle, but it would become useless as soon as the compressed air ran out. Its inclusion is probably meant to suggest that the word 'air' in its name indicates that it's designed for use in an aircraft. Using one in a non-emergency situation would infuriate everyone else on the plane. |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Sextant}} | |{{w|Sextant}} | ||
− | |In combination with star charts, a sextant can be used to determine your position based on the location of stars in the night sky. Alternately, in combination with an accurate clock, a sextant can be used to | + | |In combination with star charts, a sextant can be used to determine your position based on the location of stars in the night sky. Alternately, in combination with an accurate clock, a sextant can be used to determine the position of the sun relative to the aircraft to determine the vehicle's position. In a crash, you could use this to find your way to a safe place, but sextants are rarely used, and most people not trained on how to operate one. GPS will also allow you to find your position, is built into many phones, and is faster and easier to use than a sextant. If you've got a homing beacon, it probably makes more sense to just activate that and wait for help to arrive. Until the early 1980s, long-range airplanes had a {{w|Air_navigation#Flight_navigator|flight navigator}} that used sextants and {{w|celestial navigation}} to determine the position of the airplane. |
− | |||
− | Until the early 1980s, long-range airplanes had a {{w|Air_navigation#Flight_navigator|flight navigator}} | ||
− | + | Until the early 1980s, long-range airplanes had a {{w|Air_navigation#Flight_navigator|flight navigator}} that used sextants and {{w|celestial navigation}} to determine the position of the airplane. Interestingly, it was much more accurate than early {{w|inertial navigation systems}}, and the accuracy of celestial navigation is still useful today. What made the sextant redundant was the INS' lower workload - the error accumulated by the INS during a long oceanic flight could always and easily be mitigated by other means, for example with {{w|VHF omnidirectional range|VOR}}/{{w|Non-directional beacon|NDB}} radio beacons. | |
|- | |- | ||
|Nose plugs and goggles for pressure | |Nose plugs and goggles for pressure | ||
|Nose plugs and goggles are commonly used in swimming but would be useless for dealing with cabin pressurization or depressurization. Since your mouth and nose are interconnected, nose plugs would be useless on their own. Trying to hold your breath in a sudden depressurization event will cause lung damage, so nose plugs wouldn't be a good thing, even if you could also seal off your mouth. Goggles would also not be useful. During depressurization, the air would just seep out. During pressurization, they would just become uncomfortable and difficult to remove. | |Nose plugs and goggles are commonly used in swimming but would be useless for dealing with cabin pressurization or depressurization. Since your mouth and nose are interconnected, nose plugs would be useless on their own. Trying to hold your breath in a sudden depressurization event will cause lung damage, so nose plugs wouldn't be a good thing, even if you could also seal off your mouth. Goggles would also not be useful. During depressurization, the air would just seep out. During pressurization, they would just become uncomfortable and difficult to remove. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
|Airplane shoes | |Airplane shoes | ||
− | |Airlines typically don't require | + | |Airlines typically don't require use of special footwear for passengers, nor do they provide special shoes. Before emergency egress, certain shoes (like high heels) must be discarded, though. Air crew are also prohibited from wearing such shoes. |
|- | |- | ||
|Navigation crystal | |Navigation crystal | ||
− | |Mystical form of navigation, presumably either | + | |Mystical form of navigation, presumably either to help with navigating airplane or to help you get home after a crash. |
− | Crystals that polarize light can be used | + | Crystals that polarize light can be used as a compass [http://www.polarization.com/viking/viking.html]. |
|- | |- | ||
|Spare batteries in case the plane runs out | |Spare batteries in case the plane runs out | ||
− | |Airplanes will generally use more power than any battery small enough to be easily packed in a bag | + | |Airplanes will generally use more power than any battery small enough to be easily packed in a bag can provide. They will generally use either 115V AC at 400Hz or 28V DC, both of which are very uncommon outside of aviation. The plane will almost never use its own batteries in-flight anyway, getting its electric power from the main engines, the APU, or, in emergencies, the ram air turbine or similar generating device. The batteries are generally only used on the ground when the engines are not running. |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Birdseed}} | |{{w|Birdseed}} | ||
− | |So one can attract birds. In practice, this wouldn't work for multiple reasons (high speed, altitude | + | |So one can attract birds. In practice, this wouldn't work for multiple reasons (high speed, altitude and windows being sealed being among most obvious ones) and would pose a significant hazard of birds getting stuck in an engine if it did. On the other hand, spreading birdseed before boarding would be seen as misconduct by airport authorities, as it may pose a danger to aircraft by attracting birds. Alternatively, birdseed can be used to attract birds after surviving a crash, e.g. to catch them for food. |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Homing beacon}} | |{{w|Homing beacon}} | ||
Line 69: | Line 52: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Meteorite antidote | |Meteorite antidote | ||
− | |Meteorites are pieces of space rocks that make it all the way to the ground. They can cause injury but they aren't | + | |Meteorites are pieces of space rocks that make it all the way to the ground. They can cause injury but they aren't poisonous{{Citation needed}}, so an antidote would not help. |
|- | |- | ||
|USB wing connector | |USB wing connector | ||
− | | | + | |this is a just a wire connector, but because it has wing in the name is on the list. alternatively, the plane wings connect by USB, and this can be used to reattach wings. Airplanes rather use the {{W|ARINC 429}} protocol instead of USB protocols to facilitate electronic communication between flight computers and the engines, for example. |
|- | |- | ||
|Emergency siren | |Emergency siren | ||
− | | | + | |USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY |
|- | |- | ||
− | |Spare | + | |Spare flaps |
− | |Flaps can be moved to adjust the lift/drag ratio of a wing, | + | |Flaps can be moved to adjust the lift/drag ratio of a wing, generally during takeoff and landing. Flaps are very large and mounted on the wing, outside the passenger compartment, so bringing spares would be very difficult and completely useless. Flaps failing to come down can also usually be remedied by just landing at a longer runway. |
|- | |- | ||
|{{w|Mouthpiece (brass)|Mouthpiece}} (pandemic restriction; airlines still provide the trumpet) | |{{w|Mouthpiece (brass)|Mouthpiece}} (pandemic restriction; airlines still provide the trumpet) | ||
− | |A part of a brass instrument like a trumpet. Randall jokes that trumpets are provided on airplanes (which would be very obnoxious to other passengers), but due to the pandemic you cannot use a shared mouthpiece. | + | |A part of a brass instrument like a trumpet. Randall jokes that trumpets are provided on airplanes (which would be very obnoxious to other passengers), but due to the pandemic you cannot use a shared mouthpiece. |
|- | |- | ||
− | |Luggage | + | |Luggage ballast |
− | |Likely to make plane more balanced. While balancing weight in a plane is indeed a real problem, it | + | |Likely to make plane more balanced. While balancing weight in a plane is indeed a real problem, it's solved by rearranging luggage and adjusting engine power slightly. Introducing ballast would mean additional weight for no real reason. |
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
|Flag (international flights) | |Flag (international flights) | ||
Line 91: | Line 73: | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Decoy tickets | |Decoy tickets | ||
− | |Maybe these would used as a distraction so you can sneak onto the plane without paying | + | |Maybe these would used as a distraction so you can sneak onto the plane without paying. |
− | |||
|- | |- | ||
|Keys to the plane | |Keys to the plane | ||
− | | | + | |Though some pushed for it after a plane was stolen in the {{w|2018 Horizon Air Q400 incident}}, planes do not require keys to activate like a car does. Likewise, plane doors are not locked with a key. Instead, they are rather sealed - if a seal is broken, the plane is thoroughly checked for any wrongdoing. |
|} | |} | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | + | ||
− | + | <big>Air Travel Packing List</big> | |
− | + | If you haven't flown in a while, you might not remember what you need to bring. Use this handy checklist to pack! | |
− | + | ||
− | + | [Two columns of lists of items. Each item is preceded by a checkbox.] | |
− | + | *Seat cushion | |
− | + | *Parachute | |
− | + | *Wing glue | |
− | + | *Air horn | |
− | + | *Sextant | |
− | + | *Nose plugs and goggles for pressure | |
− | + | *Airplane shoes | |
− | + | *Navigation crystal | |
+ | *Spare batteries in case the plane runs out | ||
+ | *Birdseed | ||
+ | *Homing beacon | ||
+ | *Meteorite antidote | ||
+ | *USB wing connector | ||
+ | *Emergency siren | ||
+ | *Spare flaps | ||
+ | *Mouthpiece (pandemic restriction; airlines still provide the trumpet) | ||
+ | *Luggage ballast | ||
+ | *Flag (international flights) | ||
+ | *Decoy tickets | ||
+ | *Keys to the plane | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− |