Dear Tom,
On a recent jet flight, my ears popped because of air pressure changes after taking off and also when landing. Aren’t jets supposed to be pressurized?
Susan Bosserman, Fairview, NC.
Dear Susan,
Jet aircraft are sealed and pressurized, but not to the air pressure that prevails at ground level.
A spokesperson from American Eagle Airlines tells us that after takeoff, pressure within the aircraft is gradually reduced to the pressure that exists in open air at an elevation of five to seven thousand feet above sea level. Then, just before landing, air pressure inside the aircraft is increased again to the pressure currently measured at the destination airport. It is those pressure adjustments inside the aircraft– after takeoff and again before landing–that your ears are sensing.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
