Seats in Full Upright Position
Q: Why is it required to have the seatbacks in their “full upright position” for takeoff and landing?
For one thing, it allows easier access to the aisles in the event of an evacuation. Also, it keeps your body in the safest position during an impact: it reduces the distance your head would travel backward, thus lessening whiplash-style injuries, and prevents you from “submarining” under the seatbelt in a crash.
This article is part of a collection that originally appeared on Salon.com. Patrick Smith, 38, is an erstwhile airline pilot, retired punk rocker and air travel columnist. His book, Ask the Pilot (Riverhead) was voted “Best Travel Book of 2004″ by Amazon.com. Patrick has traveled to more than 55 countries and always asks for a window seat. He lives near Boston.
Some pages you might find helpful:
- Air Rage Part 1
- Air Rage Part 2
- Airbus Issues
- Airplane Safety Cards in Seat Pockets
- Bird Hitting a Plane
- Cell Phone Calls In-Flight
- Closed Off Cockpits
- Drunk Pilots
- Electronic Devices in Flight
- False Flight Plans
- Flaws in Airline Safety
- Flight Attack Dry Runs
- Flying with a Disabled Engine
- Jet Smarter – Smith Responds
- Jettison Fuel
- Lasers and Lunacy
- Pilot Inspection
- Restricted Airspace
- Russian Crash Flights
- Safety Myths and Facts
- Seats in Full Upright Position
- Take-Off Room
- The Safest Airlines
- Volvo of the skies
- Weight and Airplane Calculations
- Weight Restrictions on Flights
