Why do airplane windows have holes in them?
Have you ever noticed the tiny hole at the bottom of an airplane window?
If you're a nervous flier you probably have. You might have gripped your seat tighter with clammy hands as you wondered, is it meant to be there? Does every other window have one? Or am I about to get sucked into the void?
Well, now you can relax (at least, as much as you can while zooming through the air in a can at 39,000 feet). Because it turns out this innocent little hole is actually an important safety feature.
Robbie Gonzalez at i09 put the question to Marlowe Moncur, director of technology for GKN Aerospace, a company involved in passenger cabin window design development and manufacturing.
Most commercial aircraft windows consist of outer, middle and inner panes, Moncur explained.
The outer pane is the "primary structural window", which means it is designed to bear all the stress of cabin pressurisation.
Then the inner pane is designed to act as a backup, should something happen to the outer pane - which Moncur said was "an extremely rare event".
The hole - known as a "breather hole" - is located in the middle pane, and is used to regulate the amount of pressure that passes between the inner and outer panes.
It makes sure the outer pane is bearing the brunt of the air pressure, so if the window did break, the outer pane would be the one to go - ensuring passengers inside are still able to breathe.
So perhaps on your next flight you can breathe a sigh of relief.
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First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.