Ever since we started Your Mileage May Vary, we’ve gone over safety features and procedures in planes, such as:
- Can you go to the lavatory/bathroom with the “fasten seat belt” sign is on?
- The plane safety feature most passengers never notice
- The real reason why you have to close your tray table during takeoff and landing
- What flight attendants are really doing when they greet you on the plane
- 12 secret words & phrases flight crews use
Here’s another “safety” thing you may not know about.
Regardless of the livery, you’ve seen this relatively subtle feature on the doors of planes your whole life and possibly never even noticed it. But the door of every commercial plane in the U.S. (and many foreign countries) is outlined in a contrasting color.
In the U.S., it’s a federal regulation to have emergency exits marked from the outside. From Cornell Law School:
14 CFR § 25.811 – Emergency exit marking.
(f) Each emergency exit that is required to be openable from the outside, and its means of opening, must be marked on the outside of the airplane. In addition, the following apply:
(1) The outside marking for each passenger emergency exit in the side of the fuselage must include a 2-inch colored band outlining the exit.
(2) Each outside marking including the band, must have color contrast to be readily distinguishable from the surrounding fuselage surface. The contrast must be such that if the reflectance of the darker color is 15 percent or less, the reflectance of the lighter color must be at least 45 percent. “Reflectance” is the ratio of the luminous flux reflected by a body to the luminous flux it receives. When the reflectance of the darker color is greater than 15 percent, at least a 30-percent difference between its reflectance and the reflectance of the lighter color must be provided.
(3) In the case of exits other than those in the side of the fuselage, such as ventral or tailcone exits, the external means of opening, including instructions if applicable, must be conspicuously marked in red, or bright chrome yellow if the background color is such that red is inconspicuous. When the opening means is located on only one side of the fuselage, a conspicuous marking to that effect must be provided on the other side.
Most non-U.S. countries have similar laws.
And now you know. 🙂
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.