The first one about farts does not seem probable...sky divers today don’t seem to have this problem, and how many paratroopers were dropping from 20k feet anyway?
“The first one about farts does not seem probable...sky divers today don’t seem to have this problem, and how many paratroopers were dropping from 20k feet anyway?”
Read it again... It said ascending not descending.
Number 1 is horse manure. I flew an in pressurized T-37 for 3-yrs and up to 25,000 feet. No problems, and never heard of such a thing fleet-wide or in the history of the aircraft - altitude chamber training mentioned gas expansion and never once mentioned this “problem.”
Sky divers rarely go above about 15,000 feet. An unpressurized airplane cannot carry passengers above that, without providing supplemental oxygen.
But, this most likely applies to bomber crews. They would fly as high as possible, in an attempt to stay out of the range of flak.
I remember being warned about eating flatulent foods before flying at high altitudes as it can expand and cause extreme pain. Never heard of anyone exploding though.
I never had a problem like that at 30,000 feet but I did experience some minor discomfort in an altitude chamber.