Is there a celebration in a plane when crossing the Equator line?
I recently read that in the old days (early 60s) the planes that crossed the Equator line would do some celebration when this happened. Cabin crew would give some pastries, and even liquors, to the passengers.
Is this still common in commercial flights?
While researching I found information about the Line-crossing ceremony, but this is an initiation rite (...) that commemorate a sailor's first crossing of the Equator.
Best Answer
On a KLM flight from Buenos Aires to Amsterdam in January 2015 they performed an "equatorial baptism" - this is when a crew member is crossing the equator for the first time and a ceremony is performed.
I can't remember exactly what they did (it was a large plane so I couldn't see what was going on for most of it) but the captain dressed up as Neptune (with a wig and plastic trident) and marched down to the rear of the plane with the crew member being "baptised" and some other members of the crew.
After doing the ceremony near the back of the plane they returned back to the cabin.
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What happens when you fly across the equator?
This means that the Sun effectively zooms across the face of the Earth at the equator at around 1,700km/h. So you'd have to travel at least this fast to stay in daylight. But that's around 1.5 times the speed of sound \u2013 and twice as fast as a conventional passenger plane.What is equator crossing ceremony?
Equator crossing or the line crossing ceremony is a centuries-old ritual to inaugurate seafarers who have never crossed the Equator, the imaginary line on the Earth's surface. Began with the Navy over 400 years ago, the tradition is aimed to let Equator-crossing virgins to prove they are worthy to make the transition.Why is crossing the equator a big deal?
It was a way for sailors to be tested for their seaworthiness. When a ship crosses the equator, King Neptune comes aboard to exercise authority over his domain and to judge charges brought against Pollywogs that they are only posing as sailors and haven't paid proper homage to the god of the sea.Why do planes not fly over the international date line?
Answer: It is shorter to fly the Great Circle route than a straight line due to the circumference of the earth being so much greater at the equator than near the poles. Q: Captain, I often follow trans-Atlantic flights between Europe and the USA.CROSSING THE EQUATOR on a cruise ship.
More answers regarding is there a celebration in a plane when crossing the Equator line?
Answer 2
Indeed, I received a certificate from KLM when I crossed the equator in 1965.
It is in Dutch and it reads:
Bij deze verklaren wij, dat Jacobus Bernardus Augustinus Korten, per vliegtuig PH-DCE Thomas Alva Edison van de Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij op 9 April 1965 de evenaar heeft gepasseerd.
Translation:
We hereby state that Jacobus Bernardus Augustinus Korten, by plane PH-DCE Thomas Alva Edison of the Dutch Royal Airline, has passed the equator on 9 April 1965.
Answer 3
Definitely, no. Source: lots of own trips crossing it.
That might be the case of ships though. But how many people is still crossing the Equator line in a ship? Not many.
Answer 4
Going from Ecuador to Panama on 1972, KLM gave me a button that said " I crossed the Equator with KLM Royal Dutch airline."
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