Passengers travelling by plane often feel like they hit the jackpot if they are randomly allocated a window seat, though others with a fear of heights might prefer to stay as far away from this location as possible. With so much to distract them, it’s no surprise air travellers rarely notice this tiny but important symbol etched onto the side of the cabin wall. Though it might not be obvious, a little black triangle sits just above one of the windows on both sides of all aircraft. It turns out, though small, it plays an important role.
While the windows serve as a portal to a stunning view for passengers, for crew onboard the aircraft they are also a necessity if they sense something is wrong with the wings.
Just one peek out of the window allows them a look at the outside of the plane, including both wings, while mid-flight.
On most passenger planes, travellers can spot these black, triangular markings on opposite walls in the centre of the cabin.
The black triangles sit directly above the curved windows there, often at the end of a typical row of seats.
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Meanwhile, pilot and Youtube video creator “Captain Joe” states the triangles help air staff with directing the eye-line to the wings “leading” and “trailing” edge.
“The reason, therefore, is that in case there’s a parable with the slats or flaps a flight attendant or one of the pilots would get the best view onto the slats or flaps looking out of the window marked with the little triangle,” he says.
The spot can also be used to double-check if the landing gear is down.
When it is, a post protrudes from the wing at a certain position.
By using the triangle as a vantage point and having a peek out of the window, the crew can make these checks subtly so as not to worry passengers.
Of course, with the advancement of technology, the need for these manual checks is becoming less and less.
However, for savvy passengers in the know, the black triangle is a great indicator for other things.
For passengers hoping to get a snap in the sky of the surrounding view, the seats adjacent to the black triangle offer the best seat in the house for over the wing shots.
While passengers who find themselves reaching for the sick bag mid-flight may benefit from sitting directly over the wings as this is the plane’s centre of gravity and most stable part of the aircraft when in flight.
Captain Joe also points out another advantage of knowing exactly where the wings are.
He explains: “By balancing Besides the fact it indicates the wings leading and trailing edge it can also be used as a guidance to where to seat the passengers in case there are only a few passengers on board, because the centre of gravity on most planes is on top of the wings, so letting the passengers sit over the wings would cause a better balance of the pane and would reduce fuel consumption.”
He adds this is how budget airline Ryanair seat their passengers to avoid overall fuel consumption.
