Think About These Facts The Next Time You're Flying On An Airplane!

Having just returned from a trip to Africa, whereby I spent about 25 hours in transit, here's some crazy facts about flying that will give you cause for thought. 

Only 5% of the world's population has ever flown, though it has been difficult to confirm this fact with an internet search since few countries actually chart these statistics. However, if you consider that approx 47% of people in the U.S have flown and they account for 4.4% of the world's populatuion, we could surmise this fact to be true.

Food on a plane isn't terribly appetizing because altitude, pressure, and lack of humidity affect your sense of taste. Also, the cabin air affects your smell, which is the predominant factor in taste. Apparently, even jet engine noise has an impact on your tongue and will affect your taste.

That air quality and lack of humidity is quantifiable, being about 20% and similar to that of  the Sahara Desert.

Like being in the desert, you lose about 250 ml of water for every hour of flying, so drinking a lot of water may mean extra trips to the toilet but will ensure you're properly hydrated..

And, speaking of the toilet, it is impossible to be accidentally locked in the washroom of an airplane. For safety reasons, flight attendants have ways of opening those doors!

An empty Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" weighs close to 117,617 kilograms., the equivalent of about 29 elephants! 

The above mentioned passenger plane travels at an average speed of 1045 kmph.

That 747 also burns up about 13,600 litres of fuel per hour during flying, which sound like a lot but considering that the plane holds about 500 people, that works out to approximately 27.2 litres per hour per person, with the plane flying at a speed of 800 kmph. That's about 3 litres per 100 km., somewhat better than the approx. 4 litres per 100 km you'd get in a Toyota Prius!

Pilots and co-pilots are given different meals during flights, just in case of accidental food poisoning.