What would you do if you smell exhaust fumes in the cockpit?

Report the fumes to the pilots. Describe the WHAT (smell, intensity), WHERE (coming from air supply vents or something in the cabin, and forward, mid, aft, or combination), WHEN (phase of flight when noticeable), and WHY (whether anyone is sick/needs first aid, including oxygen).

What is the smoke coming out of planes?

Those white streaks planes leave behind are actually artificial clouds. They’re called contrails, which is a shortened version of the phrase “condensation trail.” Airplane engines produce exhaust, just like car engines do. As hot exhaust gases escape from a plane, the water vapor in the fumes hits the air.

What do they smell in the air on the plane?

Jet Fuel. The distinct smell inside commercial airplanes is often attributed to jet fuel. During flight, commercial airplanes burn a mixture of jet fuel and oxygen in their engines to produce propulsion. When jet fuel burns, it creates odorous vapors that may enter the cabin.

Why do planes leave a smoke trail?

Jets leave white trails, or contrails, in their wakes for the same reason you can sometimes see your breath. The hot, humid exhaust from jet engines mixes with the atmosphere, which at high altitude is of much lower vapor pressure and temperature than the exhaust gas.

Is it normal to smell jet fuel on a plane?

The smell of jet fuel is fairly common in the passenger cabin when your plane is preparing to taxi. These smells are usually found in jet engine “bleed air,” which is outside air that’s been shunted from the engines into an air conditioning system and then to the cabin.

What does a hydraulic leak smell like?

When oil or hydraulic fluid contaminates the air supply system, you will notice an unpleasant and unusual smell (“fumes”). Oil fumes are often described as smelling like “dirty socks,” or as being musty, moldy, or foul. Hydraulic fluid fumes often have a distinctive acrid odor.

What is the vapor in airplane cabin?

Planes taking off from hot and humid climates often experience this unique “indoor weather.” That’s because the steamy air outside is being rapidly cooled and condensed by the plane’s onboard air conditioning unit. This creates waves of water vapor that can appear eerily like smoke.

How toxic fumes seep into the air you breathe on planes?

The air you breathe on airplanes comes directly from the jet engines. Known as bleed air, it is safe, unless there is a mechanical issue — a faulty seal, for instance. When that happens, heated jet engine oil can leak into the air supply, potentially releasing toxic gases into the plane.

Is airplane air toxic?

Breathing in toxic cabin air on an aeroplane can cause a number of health issues. Exposure to toxic cabin air (sometimes known as ‘aerotoxic syndrome’) is most commonly associated with cabin crew staff but it can affect anyone travelling on an aeroplane.

How would you describe the smell of jet fuel?

Jet-A smells like kerosene (not quite “like diesel”, but definitely not like gasoline). If you are familiar with how both smell you can tell them apart by odor, and a significant contamination of Avgas with Jet-A could be detected by smell.

Why do airplanes smell bad?

According to industry insiders, the source of that foul stench comes from how airplanes are designed. The air in an airplane comes from “bleed air”; fresh air goes into the jet engine and some bleeds off, mixes with recycled cabin air and gets pumped back inside.

What does the exhaust of a jet smell like?

This exhaust does have a strong smell of jet fuel. Once it enters your jet’s engine it will be distributed throughout the cabin via the pressurization and air conditioning systems.

Can aircraft malfunctions cause fume events?

Over the years, a resounding number of experts have warned that aircraft malfunctions can cause so-called “fume events” when the bleed air is contaminated with toxic chemicals. A faulty seal, for instance, could allow hydraulic fluid, engine oil, or other toxic compounds to enter the bleed air.

What does coffee smell like on a plane?

Since you often pass the galley, you probably sniff that brewing coffee right away when boarding a plane. Coffee tends to be a pretty stinky, lingering smell, so you’re probably whiffing it to some degree for the entire flight. Another duh.