Interesting phrasing on this one:
8. Pilots can control airflow to keep passengers sedated and save on fuel.
Again, Patrick Smith has the real data: "The idea that we cut back on oxygen is simply ridiculous. Oxygen levels are determined by pressurization."
The pilot can't adjust the oxygen level, but can he adjust the pressurization altitude? I think so.
And its corollary: If you stand in the aisle at Row 1 and jump up, the plane will move beneath you, and your back will slam into the tail section of the plane.
They turn the heat up and the lights down, that socks many into sleep or at least torpor.
Yes, that was worded atrociously.
Cabin altitude is set to the altitude of the destination airport. But, airplane fuselages have a maximum pressure differential (between outside and inside). At a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, that works out to a cabin altitude of about 8,000 feet.
The pressurization system will maintain the altitude at the destination airport in the cabin during climb-out, until it reaches the maximum pressure differential. Then, the cabin altitude will slowly climb. On descent, the reverse happens until the cabin altitude reaches the altitude at the destination airport.
The pilot is trained to throttle up when this happens to get above Mach 1.0001, so then you have to keep the same guy from running back to his seat from the front of the plane and blowing them out again. ;^)