Expert: Paul Soderman - 1/14/2001

Question
What are pressurized airplane cabins?

Answer
Pressurized airplane cabins are the passenger compartments of aircraft that are sealed and pressurized so that the passengers will feel like they are in a normal atmosphere.  Without the pressure, the cabins would attain the low pressure of the local atmosphere at high altitude, which would be so thin that people would not be able to get enough air in their lungs to stay alive.  Aircraft have been lost when pilots lost air pressure and went unconcious before they could reach a lower altitude.  In actuality, most commercial transport aircraft cabins are typically maintained at a pressure equivalent to that of around 6000 ft altitude (say that of Denver).