Jenny Medlicott
An airline pilot has revealed the 'most important' advice passengers should follow in the event of an emergency situation on a flight.
Anyone who has ever stepped foot on a plane will be all too familiar with the classic safety demo flight attendants have to give before take off.
Pull down the oxygen mask, the lifejacket is under the seat in front of you, the emergency exit can be found in this row, it all sounds vaguely recognizable.
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But while we might be familiar with the preamble that comes before the journey, most of us are probably a little guilty of totally zoning out during it - no matter how convincingly we might pretend to pay attention.
However, an airline pilot has now revealed that we might actually be overlooking one of the most simple, yet crucial directions given during the demo.
Sharing a video on his TikTok account @PerchPoint, the pilot explained one of the most important things any passenger can do in an emergency situation is the act of ‘pulling down’ the oxygen mask.
This is because the act of pulling on the mask is what triggers generates the oxygen for passengers, as the supply is created by a chemical reaction rather than just some ready-to-use supply of oxygen tanks.
He explained: “The reality is, oxygen bottles inside aircraft, 99 percent of them are actually a solid chemical reaction.”
Walking viewers through the chemical reaction, he added: “Essentially, it’s a Sodium Chlorate type of mixture, where when you pull down on the oxygen mask you release a firing pin that creates a small explosion that ignites the candle that burns and the byproduct is oxygen.
“So above your seat is a much more complex mechanism of you pull down, you fire this off and then it starts burning to give you oxygen.”
Essentially, these masks are actually connected to what’s sometimes known as an ‘oxygen candle’.
And not only should we make a point of pulling on the mask, he also re-emphasized the importance of putting your own mask on first.
Masks drop down when a plane has reached a high altitude, affecting the oxygen supply on board. This means it’s vital that passengers secure their own oxygen masks asap because there’s only a small window of time before you begin to lose consciousness.
After that, you can help anyone else you need to because you're in the clear yourself.
The pilot added that while the burn from the chemical reaction ‘doesn’t last very long’, this doesn’t actually matter too much because once the masks are triggered, the pilots will immediately begin descending to a lower altitude, meaning the oxygen should be restored on board within minutes.
It’s safe to say the pilot's revelation left people in the comments totally shook, and also feeling kind of bad for neglecting the safety briefing.
One commenter wrote: “Wait lol, why does this feel like the most important part but we’re never told this.”
Another added: “I’m telling this to everyone that sits next to me on every flight, forever…”