I found this information interesting... and reassuring! And I'm looking forward to explaining away the roars and thumps to my ever curious 4 year old next time we fly. It's taken from the
Boeing website.
In the early days of aviation it was common for people to refer to airplanes as "flying machines" -- and that's exactly what they are. When you're flying, you're inside a large, complex machine, so it's common to hear a lot of strange sounds. Here are some of them:
A drilling sound prior to takeoff and on approach to landing That's the sound of the flaps and slats being extended on the wings. These panels, which increase the area and curvature of the wing when extended to facilitate low-speed flying, are driven by a screw mechanism that causes the noise you hear.
A high-pitched whine prior to take-off That's the sound of the engines spooling up for take-off. Once airborne, the pilot will throttle the engines back, and during cruise the sound of the engines becomes more of a hum than a whine.
Rattling during takeoff or turbulence That's the sounds of things being jostled in overhead bins and other parts of the cabin due to engine vibrations on takeoff or turbulence during flight. It's not the sound of the airplane breaking apart!
A thump beneath the floor following takeoff That's the landing gear going up into the
belly of the plane and the doors to the landing gear bay being shut.A loud roar following touchdown That's the sound of the thrust reversers, which help slow the plane once it's on the runway. They literally reverse the flow of the air through the engines which is why they are so loud. Airplanes are designed to stop using breaks alone, but flight crews typically deploy the thrust reversers to help save wear and tear on the braking system.
I was shocked and more than a little terrified when I saw this fire safety video on YouTube today. Take a look at how few seconds it takes for a Christmas tree to become engulfed in flames and how quickly the fire spreads around the room: Christmas Tree Fire Safety video
I remember the confusion and exhaustion I felt when shopping for a car seat for our first born a few years ago. I was heavily pregnant and my husband and I drove around Calgary checking out a number of different brands in several stores (that doesn't happen any more with two kids in tow: I research online then head straight to a store, make the purchase, and am out again within 10 minutes!) When we eventually decided on a car seat and a colour we both liked, we found it wouldn't fit in our Subaru. Let's just say that I wasn't very happy as we headed right back into the store to return it. Needless to say, we tried out a couple of options in the car before we bought a replacement.
At a National Safety Highway Conference last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced a new recommendation on the use of rear-facing car seats. Their research shows that toddlers are five times safer in rear-facing seats until they turn two. (Previously, the recommendation was to switch to a forward-facing seat when a child is a year old and at least 20 lbs in weight.) So, while most children will have outgrown their infant seat by 12 months, the AAP recommend that you rear-face your convertible car seat to keep your toddler safe for a further 12 months. Almost all convertible car seats have rear-facing upper weight restrictions of 35 lbs.
