Flight Attendants Reveal Their Best Kept Flight Secrets

9. Oxygen Masks Are Only Good For A Short Time

Regular visitors could have even committed the whole safety lecture on oxygen masks to memory. Although passengers rarely find themselves actually wearing a drop-down mask in flight, many have questioned how these vital safety precautions really function. Unbelievably, the drop-down oxygen mask is meant to last for roughly 15 minutes. 15 minutes of oxygen might not seem like much at first look, particularly if you are picturing a lengthy voyage over an ocean. Still, if passengers follow directions and inhale deeply, this little time is really enough for its intended use. The secret is realising the part these masks perform in an emergency. The pilot is reacting quickly to handle the matter while you are breathing oxygen from the mask. Descent fast to an altitude where the cabin pressure can be equalised and passengers can breathe normally free from additional oxygen is the main objective. Usually depending on the surrounding topography, this altitude is either roughly 10,000 feet or less. Contemporary aeroplanes are built to rapidly and safely make this emergency drop. In just a few minutes, a competent pilot can lower a jet from cruise level—usually approximately 35,000 feet—down to a safe breathing altitude. The 15-minute oxygen supply gives more than enough time to finish this manoeuvre. Notably, the oxygen in these masks isn't derived from pressurised tanks. Rather, it is produced chemically by a reaction starting with the masks' deployment. This technology is dependable, light-weight, and does not call for storing perhaps dangerous pressurised oxygen tanks all around the aeroplane. Knowing this helps one overcome worries about using an oxygen mask. Although nobody likes to go through, passengers can relax knowing that these mechanisms are cleverly built to keep them safe during the crucial minutes of an emergency descent.