[ajmurmann]

The point about airplanes not running the ventilation on full throttle till takeoff has always driven me crazy. It's bad enough by itself, but it's also the time that lots of people are walking around. One sick person slowly making their way to the back of the plane while constantly waiting for people in front of them to put their luggage up will spread viruses throughout the entire plane, not just the folks within a few rows of them. This is the time when I most want the airplane to feel like wind tunnel. The economy looses billions every year to flu, cold and now COVID. If we can reduce that via ventilation (and maybe far-range UVC-C lights) in public spaces, we absolutely should. It's gonna pay for itself in no time. But it's a collective action problem where the costs are localized but the benefits help everyone.

[jjtheblunt]

> The point about airplanes not running the ventilation on full throttle till takeoff has always driven me crazy.

sucking in tarmac fumes would probably create more _immediate_ symptoms that could disrupt flights than waiting to ventilate after airborne, meaning your widely shared observation might reveal a business decision.

i.e., it might be just that tarmac fumes are really bad for everyone so they choose infectious coughed air over aromatic hydrocarbons from the tarmac.

[ajmurmann]

I spent a few minutes looking into this and usually it's a mix of outside air and recycle air. However, the key point seems to be that, with the exception of the Dreamliner, the air comes form engine bleed, rather than a dedicated compressor. So that's the issue. Maybe I should just bring a little scuba tank

[jjtheblunt]

a collection of helium-air filled balloons might be more entertaining!