How come if a window is smashed out on an airplane it will cause a disaster but other planes can open doors with no problem.

Question

Was on a flight the other day and remembered as a kid being worried the window would break and everyone would get thrown out of the plane, but went sky diving and half the plane was open with no issue. What’s the difference?

In: Physics

Answer 1

The difference is the height the plane is flying at, I believe. A plane you would skydive from flies much lower and the air is dense enough to breathe. Airline passenger planes fly much higher and are required to have a pressurised atmosphere inside the plane to maintain the required oxygen for the passengers. If a window were to smash then the air would rush out very quickly and you would need the masks to breathe, however the movies showing people getting sucked out of the plane are exaggerating a myth.