“If Cabin Pressure Drops” — Some Real Talk About Airplanes and Altitude
Anyone who has flown is familiar with the safety refrain “In the event of a drop in cabin air pressure.”
But I had a conversation yesterday which reminded me that a lot of people don’t understand about cabin pressurization, why it is done, when it is done and what the limitations are.
“I’ve Never Been On a Plane Too Small to Have Oxygen Masks”
This is the line that started me down the track. See, I have. In fact, my first flight on a fixed-wing airplane (I have the likely unusual distinction of my first flight having been in a commercial passenger helicopter; that route no longer operates, although it was recently replaced with a company that runs smaller helicopters. The one I flew on had two rotors) was in such a plane.
No, it wasn’t even a jet.
So, when does a commercial plane not have oxygen masks? The answer is “When it doesn’t have a pressurized cabin.”
And the answer to that is when the plane has an expected cruising altitude of 15,000 feet or less (in general, these planes run routes that only require them to go up to 10,000 or less).
To give some idea, I have been at a bit over 12,000 feet…on the ground.