US theme parks not associated with any Covid-19 outbreaks

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

There have been no reports of COVID-19 outbreaks at the 20 largest amusement parks in the United States as California theme parks continue to await reopening guidelines from the state after six months of coronavirus closures.

Read more from The Orange County Register.

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According to an email I got from Southwest today, their cabin air is completely recirculated with fresh, outdoor air every 2-3 minutes. So the chances of a lingering virus is relatively low, I'd think.

When you're on the ground, sure, but what about at 35,000 feet? The air is less dense there (that's why they fly at that altitude), and why you need an oxygen mask if they lose pressurization.

Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog

You really want to know? I suppose I should do something airplane related since I'm not working for 2 months.

As strange as it may sound, the air you breath on a jet plane comes from deep inside the jet engines compressor. As the air is compressed before ignition, some of it is "bled" out of the compressor (this is called "Bleed Air") and sent to the Pneumatic systems, which control the Air Packs, the Anti-icing systems, and in some planes even the vacuum that flushes the toilets.

Bleed air is highly compressed, which is how you can have enough volume of air to ventilate and pressurize a large airplane cabin. About half of the air in the cabin gets vented out the back through a computer controlled Pressurization Valve, the other half gets recirculated and mixed with the air coming in fresh from the PACKs (Pneumatic Air Conditioning Kit.) This is where the 2-3 minute estimate comes in.

Deep inside? I figured it would mostly be from the bypass air...

—Dave Althoff, Jr.

    /X\        _      *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
   /XXX\      /X\     /X\_      _     /X\__      _     _        _____
  /XXXXX\    /XXX\   /XXXX\_   /X\   /XXXXX\    /X\   /X\      /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX

Yup. On an Airbus A320, bleed air is taken from the 9th and 14th stage N2, (you're a technical guy, Shirley you know what N2 is) and on an Embraer 145 it's taken from the 8th and 13th stages. Those are the only jet engines I know much about.

Bypass air isn't nearly compressed enough. Or hot enough to also anti-ice.

Last edited by Tommytheduck,

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