David's World

July 28, 2005

Little Apocalypse / Sudden Pressure Loss Wanted.

In the even of pressure loss
... All our lines are busy now ...
I will be laughing out loud anyhow
(David Byrne)

Over the last days, I have spent countless hours, Euros and Sterling on busses to airports. I've run miles to faraway gates and had fun switching from super-friendly to confrontational ("So the inflight-magazine can stay here while my little Powerbook needs to be stowed away?"). I'm still hoping for the event of sudden pressure loss to provide some real in-flight excitement slash entertainment.

Are you still so sure about that after the Helios crash?

Well, pressure loss does not necessarily represent a problem to a pressurized airliner. What happens in these situations is that oxygen masks drop down for everyone to use, maybe the cabin fills with fog, and the plane is brought down to about 10.000 feet altitude rather quickly. The oxygen lasts for 10 minutes or so - that should be plenty!