What pilots look for and listen out for when they're passengers
Many airline passengers are often so indulged in the inflight entertainment they scarcely pay attention as to whats going on around them.
But when pilots find themselves on the other side of the cockpit door, their eyes, ears and even their noses are on high alert.
A number of pilots have taken to forum website Quora to reveal exactly what catches their attention when sit among paying customers, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Former pilot Tom Farrier said he always listens out for unusual sounds, checks the angle of the sun and stays alert for obscure scents.
"Sounds are always useful, but a passenger cabin is often pretty isolated from any sounds that might be indicative of a problem," he wrote.
"Smells on the other hand travel around quite freely, and some (e.g fuel, hydraulic fluid, superheated bleed air) are pretty distinctive."
He also said a change in the sun's position notifies that a course change is being made.
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Retired pilot John Cheshire revealed a simple but useful trick that could prove vital in an emergency.
"I count the number of seats between me and that exit. It only takes a quick glance," he wrote.
If the plane was to crash, the pilot said he would be able to blindly count the seats to the emergency exit
Former cabin crew member Brent Beacham said a good indicator that turbulence is on its way is if flight attendants appear to prepare for landing early.
"A seasoned crew will know to wrap things up approximately 20 minutes out before the bumps start," he wrote.
"So as a passenger if I saw the cabin crew preparing the cabin early and hear the landing announcement I would know to expect turbulence."
And another former pilot revealed to MailOnline Travel that hearing the lead member of crew being summoned to the cockpit, usually means one of two things.
"Once airborne it's always worth listening out for 'Will the purser report to the flight deck immediately' on the PA - a sure-fire sign that there is a problem... or that the skipper needs another coffee!," he said.
