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Old 01-11-2004, 10:20 PM
AlphaSigOU AlphaSigOU is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Huntsville, Alabama - ahem - Kwaj East!
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There are special rounds called 'Glaser Safety Slugs' that are only effective at very close (i.e. point-blank range). A single bullet strike would not cause the immediate loss of an airplane; even if one window was blown out it would not be fatal to the structural integrity of the aircraft. However, at 35,000 feet it's -60 degrees Fahrenheit and hardly any oxygen to sustain life; thus it is imperative that a plane suffering from a loss of cabin pressure must drop down to less than 14,000 feet quickly, lest people become incapacitated or die from lack of oxygen.

Selling liquor on board is a moneymaker for the airlines, it's unlikely they will ever stop serving it on board. FAA regulations restrict the consumption of liquor aboard an aircraft to that supplied by the airline, though it's not unusual for passengers to sneak aboard a flask of their private stock. (Get caught, and the least of your worries is the flight crew confiscating the hooch.) Likewise, the flight crew can cut off anyone who appears to be trashed; if they're trashed before they board, they can be denied boarding.

Smoking has been banned on all domestic flights and all international flights flying into or departing the United States; smoke detectors have been installed in lavatories and any attempt to disarm them will send an alert to the cockpit.
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