how does flying work?

[neuro]

stupid question, but whatever.

right so i'm moving to italy this sunday, by plane, and i've never really flown before (once, but someone took care of everything for me)

what i'm asking here, is how does the whole 'get on a plane' thing work?
i got told that i can check in online and shit but what the fuck does that even mean?

could someone who's done this more than i have maybe outline the whole procedure of getting on a plane from 'arrive at airport' to 'airplane flies'?

because i've got no idea what i'm supposed to DO when i get there with my bag :downs:

[=sw=warlord]

void statements not relevant to you.

* book tickets online from your friendly air service

*pay for tickets

* got to air port

* get groped/molested by air port security in case you might have a stick of dynamite up your ass/vagina

* sit on plane

*imagine every worst case scenario possible including a faulty bolt in the wings which dramatically ends with both wings falling off

*land/crash at your terminal

* walk out of station/attend your own funeral.

[neuro]

unfortunately, not the most helpful post i've seen today :V

[Tnnaas]

But in reality, Warlord is pretty spot-on.

Luckily, the internet makes tutorials for everything.
First-time Flyer Tips (http://www.ifly.com/airport-tips)

[samnwck]

Well with the airline I fly with here in the US, when you check in online (after you have purchased the tickets) it means you have a spot reserved in a specific group the earlier you check in.

For instance when you sign up early enough you get in the "A" group, they board the plane first.

The later you sign up they'll put you in the "B/C" grouping. Basically you just won't get the best seat.

But basically you go to the airport, go to the provider of your flight to check in your bags. At this point they will check you in(if you haven't already) and give you your ticket (if you haven't printed it yet, you can also skip this step if you're just doing carry-on and have already printed your ticket). After you have your bags checked in you will usually go through a security checkpoint to get to the airport terminal where your flight will be leaving. At that point, you will find the correct terminal and usually wait forever to board the plane. Usually they will have you stand in line according to your boarding class "A, B, or C" and board the plane, fly to destination.

Hopefully this helps, I have never flown in Europe so I don't know how different the stuff might be, but I can't be too far off.

[StankBacon]

void statements not relevant to you.
* book tickets online from your friendly air service
*pay for tickets
* got to air port
* get groped/molested by air port security in case you might have a stick of dynamite up your ass/vagina
* sit on plane
*imagine every worst case scenario possible including a faulty bolt in the wings which dramatically ends with both wings falling off
*land/crash at your terminal
* walk out of station/attend your own funeral.

lol'd

[JackalStomper]

Yeah a good rule of thumb is to arrive early, no matter how much you hate waiting doing nothing. They change around flights a lot, so always keep an ear out for announcements.
As for the flight itself, bring something to read, or an mp3 player with a lot of music, or both. There is literally nothing to do on planes, the view isn't interesting, you can't see the ground with the FOV provided by the windows once you reach cruising altitude.

[Limited]

Flight time will be short (Paris to Rome) so you're unlikely to get any good (perhaps a snack idk) so make sure your not thirsty or hungry - turn up to the airport early and grab a drink and some food if you feel you need to.

I recommend not mentioning the words bomb or guns whilst loitering the airport.

[=sw=warlord]

unfortunately, not the most helpful post i've seen today :V
It's pretty spot on though.
Unfortunately air travel is alot more arduous than rail travel, i had to take rail last week end and all that was needed to be done was show up get tickets and get on the train.
air travel though you need all sorts of ID and what not.

[Cortexian]

Purchase ticket.
Check-in bags/Select carry-on.
If International: Wait in line to get through customs.
Proceed through security check point where you will walk through a metal detector/get wanded/possibly be selected for random full-body scan/get groped and cavity searched if you set off to many "flags".
Wait (potentially uncomfortably if you set off enough "flags") at your flight terminal for your plane to unload passengers/cargo, refuel, load cargo, undergo preflight checks.
Proceed onto your plane and wait another 30 minutes for MORE preflight checks.
Get told that the fire suppression system isn't working and then wait another 6 hours in the airport for a new plane to arrive.
Take-off, land, depart aircraft.
Acquire bags.
Exit airport.


guns whilst loitering the airport.
Surprisingly, talking about guns isn't a big deal. I went through the airport WITH my airsoft guns and appropriate documentation to send them as baggage and such. The group I was going to play airsoft with all sat around talking airsoft/simulations/military stuff and no one hassled us.

[Amit]

I went through US airport security screening 5 times last week alone. The TSA doesn't harass people the way they have been portrayed based on the actions of a few people.

[TVTyrant]

I went through US airport security screening 5 times last week alone. The TSA doesn't harass people the way they have been portrayed based on the actions of a few people.
Unless you are hot/an asshole they usually don't give a fuck.

[Warsaw]

Or if you're Middle Eastern!

:eng101:

[TVTyrant]

Or if you're Middle Eastern!

:eng101:
My arab buddies at OSU never had any problems. Then again they were both fabulously wealthy Sunnis so yeah.

[n00b1n8R]

Flight works thanks to the development of the aerofoil, a design first pioneered by the Wright brothers. The shape of the aerofoil causes air to move faster along the upper edge, decreasing the pressure while the air passes underneath in a relatively straight line remaining at atmospheric pressure. The pressure differential acting across the surface of the wings causes a net upward force (termed "lift") to act on the wing, providing the flight.
http://www.diracdelta.co.uk/science/source/a/e/aerofoil/image002.jpg

I assume you'll be flying in a fixed wing aircraft (a plane, as opposed to say a helicopter), typically consisting of the fuselage, two wings and the tail.
The orientation of the plane is determined by the pilot manipulating the control surfaces, which alter the shape of the plane and impart localized drag forces. The pitch of the plane is altered using the elevators, the yaw by the rudder (typically) and the roll the by the ailerons.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/ControlSurfaces.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Flight_dynamics_with_text.png

The forward thrust of most modern long-distance planes is provided by a jet engine, but I don't know much about them so have a diagram (air goes in, combusts, pressurized air goes out with drives the fan and provides thrust).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Turbofan_operation_lbp.svg

HTH!

[Amit]

Does he get warned for that or something?

[TVTyrant]

Does he get warned for that or something?
No, but he should be.

[DarkHalo003]

From my experiences, screaming "I've got a bomb!" is a great way of making new friends at an airport, especially intimate ones.

[TeeKup]

technobabble

Smart ass.

[nuttyyayap]

Dammit Noob, you beat me to it :saddowns:

[EX12693]

Smart ass.
Better than being a dumb ass since 1984!

[JackalStomper]

Flight works thanks to the development of the aerofoil, a design first pioneered by the Wright brothers. The shape of the aerofoil causes air to move faster along the upper edge, decreasing the pressure while the air passes underneath in a relatively straight line remaining at atmospheric pressure. The pressure differential acting across the surface of the wings causes a net upward force (termed "lift") to act on the wing, providing the flight.
http://www.diracdelta.co.uk/science/source/a/e/aerofoil/image002.jpg


Then how come planes can fly upside down?

Because the AOA provides lift via deflection.

[thehoodedsmack]

Angle. Nose up, tail down. Terribly inefficient, and a reason why usually only stunt planes do it.

[Cortexian]

Also why fighters will go inverted if they have the chance and need to get down low fast.

Then again fighters have so much thrust that you don't need wings.