Overheard a passenger call a plane 'just a fancy bus with wings'

I was grabbing lunch near the gate at DFW last week and this guy next to me told his friend that planes are basically Greyhound buses with wings and jet fuel. It got me thinking about how much we take for granted all the systems underneath the floor panels and inside the nacelles that make these things actually fly. For 20 bucks and a sandwich you can ride a bus across Texas, but that 737 costs 90 million dollars and takes a team of us to keep it in the air. Has anyone else ever tried explaining what we actually do to a passenger without getting a blank stare?

3 comments

3 Comments

wells.evan1d ago

Honestly, I tried explaining the hydraulic system to my buddy's kid once and he just asked if the plane pooped. Ngl, I had to stop and actually think about whether that was a terrible analogy or not. Tbh, the blank stare is better than the guy who told me he used to fly RC planes so he basically gets it. Like bro, my 737's autopilot is smarter than your entire hobby shop.

abbyhall1d ago

Switched to comparing it to something way simpler with my nephew. Told him hydraulics are like squeezing a toothpaste tube to push the paste out, but with oil and metal pipes instead. That actually clicked for him. Sometimes you gotta meet people where they're at, even if it means sounding a little silly. The RC plane guy would probably still argue his toy taught him everything though, some folks just can't be helped.

iris_barnes871d ago

Did you catch that YouTube video where a pilot explains hydraulics using ketchup packets?