How Cabin Pressure Works

Planes fly at altitudes where no human could possibly survive on its own. In this video, we are going to find out why it is that you can breathe at a crusing altitude of 40'000ft in an airplane. We are going to find out what the problems are when using air from jet engine compressors, and what you can do in the case of an emergency descent in a plane.
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Why YOU Can Breathe at 40'000ft | Cabin Pressure Explained
Credits
Music:
Epidemic Sounds
Visuals:
MSFS2020
Storyblocks

[@AirspaceVideos]

✈ Support the channel here! ✈ ➡Patreon: www.patreon.com/airspace_yt ➡KZbin Membership: kzbin.info/door/IFp... ☕Or just buy me a coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/airspace ☕

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

Honestly, these videos (plus Mentour and Captain Joe) have made me feel a lot safer flying. Seeing the amount of work being done by aviation safety organizations around the world, and how often pilots' professionalism literally saves the day, is a huge reassurance. You just have to remember that for every one of the incidents in a video where something goes badly wrong-there are thousands of flights that go perfectly.

[@SlavaUkraini85]

It’s still amazing that I can sit in a metal tube, enjoying a gin & tonic while flying to another continent, with outside temperatures of -50 degrees celsius, in 36000 ft and going like 800km an hour… it’s mind blowing

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

Regarding the Aloha convertible top incident. Calling that poor maintenance is a little unfair. The understanding of metal fatigue was still being developed. Most aircraft were being retired with a very conservative estimate of the safe use of the airframe. The incident aircraft was in a special program to test theories to extend the usable life. The accident proved that the whole concept of airframe life expectancy was wrong. It was discovered that the amount of time an aircraft spends in use is irrelevant to the aircraft. What matters is how many times it is pressurized and depressurized. An aircraft spending it's service life conducting island hopping flights all day every day accumulates a lot more cycles while being operated much less total time than most types of operation aircraft are subjected to.

[@RobSchofield]

Wasn't there also a problem with the bond adhesive used on the fuselage panels? IIRC the frequent descents into salt-bearing air between the islands caused it to degrade, leading to an "unzip" event along panel lines. The two combined (salt air and pres/depress cycles) contributed to the failure.

[@PavlosPapageorgiou]

I like the positive specification tone of the entire video! How it is you can survive, rather than the opposite :)

[@trumpssleepparalysisdemon8569]

Wow this explains why the inside of an airplane always has an oily scent.

[@sydyidanton5873]

Brilliant! This was likely the best video regarding cabin pressurisation I have seen. I have seen at least 20 airline-produced videos on the topic throughout my flying career. The animated graphics you use are excellent - clear and simplistic. It would be excellent for crew training as an introduction to the topic prior to discussing the non-normal events and actions to be taken. I am not certain if you have read my response to you following your exceptional TCAS presentation, a little lengthy I apologise, it featured a request including an accident report etc pretty much on this very subject, though more focused on depressurisation events. The professionalism and quality of your content top class. I sincerely admire the profound effort you make with these, particularly with respect to your flying line commitments and need for quality fatigue-preventing rest between trips also. Fantastic!

[@PavlosPapageorgiou]

On my first flight from Europe to Nigeria as a kid in the 70s, we landed and then the cabin of our DC-10 started filling with scary white smoke coming from the air conditioning vents. It was nothing. Not smoke but just moisture as the pilots switched to fresh outside air and the humid, tropical air condensed as it entered the cabin that was set to a European climate.

[@selinalavanya9556]

This is a very interesting video, captain!! Very good information!!

[@JoshCartman]

LOL "flatulent releases from a colleague"

[@kristita_888]

I love your channel so much. I truly enjoy the mixture of explanation and education that you present. Thank you!

[@AirspaceVideos]

No, thank you :)

[@fluffigverbimmelt]

Not to forget the constant tongue in cheek and sarcasm!

[@barrydysert2974]

Thank you Chris !:-) 🙏💜⚡️

[@MoteofVolition]

Great to see you post Airspace :)

[@AirspaceVideos]

thank you so much Alex!

[@subtolotox]

Nice video

[@goldminer1772]

I’m so glad that learned that I could breath on the plan. Like I went from Australia to Germany about 4 months ago and I had to held my breath for almost 3 days worth of travel. So glad that I can just, take a deep breath and relax on my next trip

[@6z0]

I love breath on the plan

[@MonkeyMagic10]

And had to held my breath

[@abstergo454]

Very good explanation..

[@andrewpinner3181]

Thanks Airspace, 'Air' being the operative word here. Didn't know about the potential oil contamination. The flatulence equation rules ! This way you know you're not hypoxic, unless you're sitting there dreamily thinking - oh this smells wonderful ! 😂

[@roderickcampbell2105]

Thanks!

[@patriciaramsey5294]

You very good teacher

[@phileasschulhof3159]

Great one mate! I don't know if you still take suggestions but I'm no pilot and I'm very curious about what "one week in the life of a pilot" is like. I'm thinking what kind of schedule do you have? Do you get to fly with different flight crews every day? How are the security protocols at airports for pilots? Etc etc all the little things that make up the job, not just the flying part :) Anyway, just something that crossed my mind! Take care of yourself (and your passengers) up there :)

[@AirspaceVideos]

great idea, noted

[@kidsaviationmentour]

I learn something great ❤

[@AD-fb6qf]

I'm your 1000th like 👍! I'm here bc of Alaska airlines news today.. i wanted to understand more thank you! Can you explain please why when i was a kid flying my ears popped and i could hardly hear anything and i was asking for help from flight attendent... but i couldnt hear myself and i felt in my voicebox was strained like i was yelling but i guess i was actually not talking loud enough... anyway a nice lady behind me gave me gum and after chewing my hearing came back. Everything had been muffled like ears being underwater. Can you explain why happend to me and no one else? I do have TMJD maybe that was an issue too? Thanks!

[@wayneeligur7586]

yes on boeing older types sometimes oil smells are noticed. I think it's less common in other planes, douglas, airbus. etc... my fecent trips were strange, boucing on landing; many altitude changes on another flight; abrubt deceleration during climbout out of j.f.k......2009....going to zurich [757]

[@roderickcampbell2105]

Brilliant. I tried figuring out bleed air but it was too complex for me. I did watch a report that when your sitting in your seat sipping your wine, you are a metre or two away from what is effectively outer space.

[@geraldh.8047]

Let’s hope it was a report about drinking wine on a spaceship since the roughly 30-40% of atmosphere at flying altitudes is significantly different from 0% atmosphere.

[@isbestlizard]

They should flow the fuel though the hot air from the compressors to exchange heat and warm up the fuel (it's like -50 in those tanks!) and make it more efficient :D

[@jayell8253]

5:11 Flat Earth proof. "flat terrain."😊 But awesome video. Thanks.

[@theyjustwantyourmoney4539]

If we're afraid then we might as well be terrified of any of everything going wrong coz everything has to work correctly

[@carlbeaver7112]

May is the beginning of 'Mud Season' in the Rockies (snow melting) so I'd pass on that part of the country.

[@leomartinez7983]

What happens if the cabin is not depressurized after landing and the door is opened? You get sucked in or out?

[@DouglasCarnall]

Be interesting to hear about cabin air quality from health pov: for example, the air is v dry, no? So risk of transmission of colds and flu increased?

[@sdaiwepm]

Newer designs, e.g. 787 and A350, have more humid cabin air. It's a huge benefit for comfort and health.

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

It has been proven that the air in pressurized aircraft is about the safest indoor environment there is. It shouldn't have needed to be verified yet again for covid but people apparently didn't understand or trust scientific study documents from the past. They results were the same and critical thinking should make it obvious to anyone who thinks about the topic using even the basic information in the video. You have a pressurized aircraft with air continuously being injected in from the engines. At the rear of the aircraft is a release valve that .....releases air at a controlled rate to maintain the desired air pressure. This creates constantly moving air exiting out of the back of the aircraft. The air that doesn't get released is forced through medical grade air filters and cycled through again. The entire volume of air in an aircraft is constantly filtered and changed. It is never more than 10 minutes within the aircraft. Yes, the air is dry, but the air isn't around long enough to transmit anything. It also isn't around long enough to be practical to add moisture. The 787 has humidity control to make it more comfortable because the air is in the cabin longer. Even that is estimated at less than 25 minutes. That being said the airflow is designed to have minimal impact on passengers. The cabin crew are the most exposed to everything, especially fume events. They are performing physical activity and therefore breathing in more of the air and they are higher up to get the worst of the contaminated air. Fume events are no joke.

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

@@sdaiwepm I'm pretty sure the A350 still uses bleed air though. Humidity and the source of the air are different issues. Just want to give Boeing this one point because it was a risky departure from the industry standard and it has proven to be the correct choice.

[@arty7926]

Interesting explanation, thanks! One question: Since the air from the engines is cooled, does that mean that the cabin heating is regulated over this system? Or in other words: Are the engines the heating system of an airplane?

[@AirspaceVideos]

thank you! Yes correct, the heating is done via hot air from the engines - air that bypasses the cooling cycle

[@johnboxxy3432]

I assume just using a scoop at those high speeds wouldn't bring in enough fresh air.

[@pabloelsur1624]

Q: How do you breath at altitude? A: Very very shallow 🤣

[@carlbeaver7112]

Probably the biggest national RV rental is Cruise America.

[@markdavid7013]

Can the APU provide cabin air? or just the main engines?🤔

[@AirspaceVideos]

Yup, it can!

[@loddude5706]

Could a reactive agent not be atomised within the cabin air to colourise a spectrum of flatulent gasses? Not only would a damningly tinted aura then surround the guilty party, but judging by it's shade, we'd all know what they've been eating : )

[@AirspaceVideos]

hahaha, well, that would make for a colourful flight for sure

[@BestIkeaTable]

I felt the most uncomfortable on a plane when it was a 787, it just felt off, it was also like 7000 degrees in the cabin I drank like 10 cups of water in 3 minutes

[@kristita_888]

That is interesting, because I heard that Dreamliners are pressurized to an equivalent “lower” altitude - generally about 6000 feet instead of 8000 feet. It could be the information I read was incorrect, though. I’m sorry that happened, it must have been very uncomfortable.

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

@@kristita_888 the cabin altitude equivalent varies on each route and phase of the flight. The pressurization system uses the planned route to determine the appropriate solution. It has to do everything gradually with several sets of priorities so that it doesn't interfere with the need to use the engines to provide thrust and/or ice prevention. during the initial climb it can't degrade the ability to climb away from the runway but it has to catch up quickly when it is able to start building pressure. It also has to be completely depressurized at landing but not too soon or abruptly. It would suck to need to evacuate but unable because the doors are sealed shut. It used to take another flight crew member a good portion of the flight handling what the programming connected to a switch set to "auto" does today.

[@khurramhanif9747]

How are you sir can you tell me little bit please that oxygen level of airplane on the 8000feet is remain same like ground level

[@AirspaceVideos]

no, it is like if you are on a mountain that is 8000ft high

[@khurramhanif9747]

Ok thanks sir but no problem for breathing there for small children's in hight please explain

[@AirspaceVideos]

Little children - no problems. Newborns - maybe wait a few months

[@khurramhanif9747]

Ok thanks sir

[@blindgt]

I wonder if a plane had to do a emergency decent, and the plane broke apart from over stress, that would suck, it probably has never happened though.

[@hazikaiyan5903]

Biman Bangladesh on the thumbnail. My flag carrier ❤️

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

I couldn't resist commenting before watching. First I wanted to correct the title saying you can't breathe at 40,000 feet. I saw that was the point of the video, great topic. Then you mention that the air comes from the engine bleed air......not in the 787. I don't know if you mention that so I guess I will watch the video now.

[@ikozbari]

How does air get into the plane? Or is it sealed completely? I am asking because I don’t get how a recovery descent can help. I always thought of an airplane as a vacuum tube , pump pressurized air into. So if that pumping process fails, we are doomed (which is obviously not true). I guess what I am asking is: how does the outer atmosphere pressure get into the plane? Looking forward to an answer 😊

[@AirspaceVideos]

If there is a decompression, that decompression usually happens due to a hole in the pressure vessel. Through said hole, air can also enter after a descent. Other than that, the air from the engine usually continues to enter the aircraft, pressure jus't cant be maintained with a hole in the aircraft. If the air supply from the engine fails, there are additional ram air valves that can be opened. These open into the slipstream and scoop air into the plane.

[@ikozbari]

@@AirspaceVideos I see, thank you for the fast reply :)

[@govindagovindaji4662]

If inspections terminate without findings and success in minimizing these evens is limited, how in the heck are they able to continue using the planes~? I wouldn't think passengers would put up with that. After two similar events on the same airline, they would never use that airline again.

[@apparatchitsa]

Urrr, might be a dumb question, but-- What if there is a complete engine failure?

[@AirspaceVideos]

Then cabin pressure will slowly leak. But if all engines fail, the aircraft will have to descend pretty fast anyway, so after a few minutes, an engine will either be restarted or the pilots wil have to do a forced landing

[@apparatchitsa]

@@AirspaceVideos so the only backup system in effect is the ~15min supply of oxygen masks paired with inevitable emergency descent .. - If the masks, hopefully, work:)

[@AirspaceVideos]

correct

[@lb5tr]

Is there anything that pilots can do to alleviate sinus barotrauma for themselves or passengers?

[@AirspaceVideos]

don't fly with a cold, that's about it

[@lb5tr]

@@AirspaceVideos for me descent, even without cold, usually result in massive pain. Tho it doesn't happen always but still most of the time. I always wonder if some airplanes handle pressure management differently, is there anything a pilots can do (like, delay or slow down cabin pressure release while landing or is it all automatic).

[@AirspaceVideos]

Oof, sad to hear that. There is something pilots can do, and that is to adjust the depressurisation schedule. This is just a fancy way of saying how fast the pressure in the cabin is released for landing. If on your next flight you tell your cabin attendant that you suffer from ear problems, maybe they will tell the pilots and maybe they will adjust the schedule a bit. But at the end of the day, the pressure has to go before landing, so you will probably notice some changes in pressure.

[@rustynails68]

I have barotrauma problems. The last time, it took weeks before my ears felt normal. Cabin pressure should be easy to control by now. Eight of the twelve who have walked on the moon have died of old age.

[@jasonwhite1995]

Comment for ya

[@MassAveStriker]

Start at 1:39

[@vincentweatherly9991]

I should’ve watched this a week again when I went on a flight. Held my breath for 1h

[@tomhannockoutlaw972]

Yikes!

[@WEPayne]

Axial compressor not radial. Interesting that original Whittle jet engine was radial compressor. The Nazis realized that axial compression was much more efficient, but the metallurgy of WWII was relatively primitive. The Whittle engine had an Overhaul life of 100 hours, but the Me262 engine had a Scrap life of just 25 hours, and in practice was barely half that. Fortunately modern metals are far superior and more efficient axial compressors now have Overhaul lives in thousands of hours.

[@WannabeMarysue]

RIP to the rest of you, but I just hold my breath for 2 or 3 hours.

[@garytanger965]

🛫 Is the cabin over pressure valve, the reason why a passenger has to keep swallowing ?.. 🛬

[@AirspaceVideos]

yup

[@AirspaceVideos]

well, that is just to adjust to the air pressure.