Why are airplanes so clean?

The exterior of the plane is either cleaned by soap and a powerful jet of water, or by drywashing. The interior can either undergo a 'clean sweep' or a more rigorous cleaning process, called a 'deep clean'. The cabin floor is shampooed and vacuum cleaned.



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How dirty is the water on a plane? In 2004, the EPA randomly tested the water supply on 158 planes. Twenty tested positive for total coliform bacteria and/or E. coli—both indicators that other disease-causing pathogens could be present.

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Frost changes the wing texture to something like sandpaper. Snow is even worse, it changes the aerodynamic shape of the wing. On a “clean” wing, the air flows smoothly. On a wing “contaminated” with frost or snow, the air has trouble sticking to the wing surface.

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In the event of an emergency requiring a return to the departure airport, the aircraft circles nearby in order to consume fuel to get down to within the maximum structural landing weight limit, or, if the situation demands, simply land overweight without delay.

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They don't use very much water. Instead of using water and gravity, they use a partial vacuum. That accelerates the water and the waste at high speeds ... up to 150 metres per second — or 300 miles per hour — in order to get the waste down to the waste tank.

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Because the TSA considers the nut spread a liquid, plane passengers must limit the amount they bring in their carry-ons. Like all other liquids, passengers are limited to 3.4 oz or less of peanut butter in their carry-on bag, but can also put the snack in their checked baggage.

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The directive was put in place by the Transportation Security Admistration (TSA) in2006. TSA agents and passengers are expected to followthe3-1-1? rule for liquids. The reason for not allowing liquid is that terrorists could bring liquid explosives or components to make explosive through water bottles.

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In this case, the aircraft will try to do it overland (not water) or away from populated areas, as it is the equivalent of dumping thousands of liters of petrol onto an urban area. The FAA mentions explicitly that any dumping can't occur under 2,000 feet.

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Airlines find that fuel dumping can actually be cheaper than not dumping in certain circumstances. But it's not something pilots do on a routine basis. We spoke with Alison Duquette, spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who assured us that it doesn't happen very often.

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Whereas larger airlines often hire dedicated cabin cleaners to tackle the aircraft between guests, “Generally on low-cost carriers, the flight attendants will have to clean the planes themselves,” says Catrina McGrail, a former flight attendant and creator of the 24 Hours Layover travel blog.

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Not very often, but working at a large airport just because of scale it will still be fairly common. I would say you're looking at maybe 0.5% of our flights that are flying without passengers, if even that. The reasons vary, but most commonly it's either re-positioning or tech flights.

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The reason why water is not allowed through airport security is that there are some explosive chemical liquids such as nitroglycerine, that are indistinguishable from water when looked at.

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Airplanes are designed so that a water landing won't cause immediate harm to passengers. Many ditching-related deaths are from drowning, not the impact. But don't let this discourage you from flying. Forced water landings are unlikely to happen, especially on a commercial flight.

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Once an aircraft has landed on water, passengers and staff are then evacuated. There is no single figure which dictates precisely how much time crews have before the aircraft sinks, but the structure of the plane will, in most cases, allow enough time. Most aircraft also have life rafts.

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You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes through the checkpoint. These are limited to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. This is also known as the 3-1-1 liquids rule.

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In short, the 3-1-1 rule is: Each liquid you bring through the TSA checkpoint must be in a 3.4-ounce or smaller container (3), all containers must be placed inside one clear quart-size plastic bag (1) and each passenger is only allowed one plastic bag (1).

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The vacuum toilet used on planes, patented by James Kemper in 1975, sucks the waste into a holding tank where it is stored until the plane lands on the ground. Blue liquid, called Skykem, disinfects the bowl and helps kill odours.

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Your nearby cabin crew most likely will not be talking to passengers on take-off or landing, and you may think they are just thinking about dinner that night. This is what they are actually doing to prepare for the best outcome should there be an emergency evacuation. They are preparing to save lives.

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