"Please make sure your tray tables are stowed and your arm rests are down" is a phrase you've probably heard a hundred times, but never actually properly considered.
Why do we have to put our arm rests down when an aeroplane is landing?
According to Sebastien Bouevier, who worked as a Safety and Emergency Procedures instructor at a major airline, it's to do with the speed of the plane meaning the arm rest could do great damage if it slammed downwards. He told Quora,
"Newtons first law of motion states: 'An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.'
"In this case, the armrest is that object. It is attached to the aircraft which is typically travelling at 135-155 knots for take off and landing. If the aircraft was to come to a sudden halt, the armrest would swivel forward at the same speed as the aircraft was at prior to halting. I.e, the armrest could slam into your side with a force as if it was travelling at more than 135 knots."
Essentially, while you might assume your armrest isn't particularly heavy, it's the speed of the plane, the sudden halt and the motion of the armrest slamming down that would cause huge force.
Speaking of general safety on the plane, Sebastien continued, "Great care is taken to even the smallest of details as far as aviation safety is concerned. By all means, raise the armrests to get in and out of your seat, but make sure it is down for taxi, take off and landing."
The more you know.
[h/t Indy100]
Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
