34 things your airline pilot won’t tell you

We asked pilots from around the world to give us straight answers about maddening safety rules, inexplicable delays, the air and attitudes up there, and what really happens behind the cockpit door. What they told us will change the way you fly.

Most pilots have. Airplanes are built to take it. You hear a big boom and see a big flash and that’s it. You’re not going to fall out of the sky. – Airplane pilot for a regional US carrier

You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, pull up to its desk at the kerb and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time you’re really on a regional airline. The regionals aren’t held to the same safety standards as the majors: their pilots aren’t required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn’t know that. – Captain at a major US airline.

The heating of the ground later causes bumpier air, and it’s much more likely to thunderstorm in the afternoon. – Jerry Johnson, LA pilot. Don’t miss these 5 ways to make long-haul flights more bearable.

The bumpiest place to sit is in the back. A plane is like a seesaw. If you’re in the middle, you don’t move as much. – Patrick Smith, airplane pilot and author of Cockpit Confidential. Learn more about how seat comfort will evolve in the future of flight.

The general flow of air in any airplane is from front to back. So if you’re really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too hot, sit as close to the front as you can. Planes are generally warmest in the back. – Tech pilot at a regional US airline.

Well, what can happen is 12 people will decide to call someone just before landing, and I can get a false reading on my instruments saying that we are higher than we really are. – Jim Tilmon, retired American Airlines pilot. Here are 10 more things you should never do on an airplane.

We don’t make you stow your laptop because we’re worried about electronic interference. It’s about having a projectile on your lap. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get hit in the head by a MacBook going 200 miles per hour. And we’re not trying to ruin your fun by making you take off your headphones. We just want you to be able to hear us if there’s an emergency. – Patrick Smith. Here are 7 useful tips for keeping your personal items safe while travelling.

Pilots find it perplexing that so many people are afraid of turbulence. It’s all but impossible for turbulence to cause a crash. We avoid turbulence not because we’re afraid the wing is going to fall off but because it’s annoying. – Patrick Smith.

A plane flies into a massive updraft, which you can’t see on the radar at night, and it’s like hitting a giant speed bump at 500 miles an hour. It throws everything up in the air and then down very violently. That’s not the same as turbulence, which bounces everyone around for a while. – John Nance, aviation safety analyst and retired airline captain. If the worst were to occur, however, here’s how to survive a plane crash.