Woman Dies From Shaft of Frozen Urine That Fell From Plane?

by Willy Volk on

According to the caption: “This unfortunate woman was found dead on parkland in Yorkshire, England. She’s believed to have been pierced by a shaft of frozen urine which had fallen from a leak in a toilet facility of an overhead plane.”

What do you think? Is the picture real or phony?

1st Class Sleeper Prevents “Head-Bob”

by Willy Volk on

Neil recently mentioned how to sleep better on a plane. Personally, I don’t have a problem with falling asleep; I have a problem staying asleep. That maddening “Head-Bob” just drives me nuts. You know what Head-Bob is: You drift off… and your head slips to the right… You re-position… you drift off again… and your heads slides off to the left. Gravity can be so frustrating. Want to eliminate Head-Bob? Maybe you need a 1st Class Sleeper.

The 1st Class Sleeper is an inflatable pillow that provides back, neck, and head support on only a few breaths of air. More portable than a memory foam — since it’s deflatable and shove-in-your-bag-able — the $45 pillow hugs your buddy and helps prevent Head-Bob.

Sounds great. Now all I need is a seat with as much leg room as the guy in the picture has.

DO’s and DONT’s For Speeding Through Security Checkpoints

by Willy Volk on

Condé Nast Traveler aviation correspondent Barbara S. Peterson got hired as a Transportation Security Administration screener last fall. After working for the TSA for 2 months, she wrote an insider’s piece called “My Life as An Airport Screener.”

Her fascinating expose reveals, among other things, that despite a five-year, $20 billion overhaul, the TSA is overflowing with an overtaxed (but dedicated) workforce coping with equipment shortages, budget cuts, and countless unpleasant passengers. Who knew?

After reading the piece, I was left with the thought that maybe I’ve treated TSA screeners a little unfairly over the years. I felt guilty when I read Peterson’s comment: “I was left to conclude that the screeners have become the scapegoats for failures throughout the system.” How many of us have blamed them, hurled insults at them, mocked them? Plastic bags of what size? Why do I have to remove my shoes? Check out the complete article for what Peterson’s experience was like. It’s depressing, eye-opening, and amusing all at the same time.

The article is lengthy. If you haven’t got time right now to read it, you can do it later. In the meantime, check out Peterson’s list of DO’s and DONT’s for getting through security checkpoints faster:

  • DON’T tell a screener that you are about to miss your flight (it won’t win you any sympathy and could even arouse suspicion).
  • DON’T wear clothing with metallic objects such as buckles.
  • DON’T wear lots of jewelry or hairpins that can’t be easily removed.
  • DON’T say you “forgot” you have liquids in your bag.
  • DON’T try to jam everything into one bin in a misguided effort to be helpful-it’s much harder to screen.
  • DON’T accuse screeners of theft: Once you’re certain an item is missing, speak to a supervisor.
  • DON’T tell screeners “it only comes in this size” or “it’s almost empty” when asked to surrender containers of liquid larger than three ounces.
  • DON’T tell them how much you spent on the toiletries-it won’t make any difference if they’re the wrong size.
  • DON’T block traffic by repacking your belongings on the conveyor belt.
  • DO wear easily removable shoes.
  • DO keep your boarding pass in hand.
  • DO take the plastic bag holding liquids out of your carry-on before putting it through the X-ray machine.
  • DO lay your bag on its side (the upright position is much harder to “read” and may trigger a rescreening).
  • DO put items through the X-ray machine only when you are ready to walk through the metal detector. This minimizes the time you’re separated from your belongings.
  • DO make sure that you have all items before you leave the checkpoint.

[Via World Hum; Photo: Matt McGee]

How Do Airplane Toilets Work?

by Willy Volk on

The typical home toilet is a bowl filled with water… as I imagine you know. When you flush that toilet, gravity pulls pulls the water down the pipes and into the the sewer system. Because gravity is a major player, your home toilet is called a gravity toilet.

However, an airplane can’t use a bowl filled with water — or, at least it can’t do it very conveniently. Every time the pilot hit turbulence, the lavatory would be covered in water.

Instead, modern airplane toilets are vacuum toilets. The flush works in two stages. First, a small quantity of water is is released. Second, a powerful — and often frightening-sounding — vacuum is activated for a few seconds. During that unsettling sucking sound, a valve in the sewer line opens, and the vacuum in the line sucks the contents out of the bowl and into a tank, which is later cleared out by a lavatory service cart.

[Photo: TheMachineStops]

Appropriate Content for Airline Travel

by Dave Luna on

A year ago, I tried to catch up on the first season of Lost during a long flight. I’ll be honest; I felt awkward watching a scene that depicted the violent turbulence of an airplane crash when I knew such a sight could make others nervous. It wasn’t likely, but I didn’t want to be impolite.

I only bring this up because I’ve heard a number of second-hand reports of air travelers watching porn in view of others while in-flight. It has always sounded like an urban legend to me since that behavior is so absurd, but I figure it has to happen now and again.

Good reader, what do you consider as appropriate content for in-cabin viewing? (Do you think it’s OK to watch porn on a plane?) Have you ever run into anything you’ve found questionable from a fellow traveler?