# The Mile High Club -- what's the thrill? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 10, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489 "2005-10-10T02:40:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/21 "2005-10-10T13:49:38Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > Cabins are not pressurized to sea level pressure. The actual cabin pressure may be about the same as the air pressure at about 5,000 feet. Therefore, for many people there is a slight oxygen deprivation that can cause drinks to hit you harder. The figure I’ve heard is closer to 10000 feet, so I’d think there could be significantly less oxygen. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/22 "2005-10-10T13:51:59Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > The figure I’ve heard is closer to 10000 feet, so I’d think there could be significantly less oxygen. Enough less to have an impact on one’s orgasm? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/23 "2005-10-10T13:53:41Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > (Logged out about thirty seconds before you posted this.) > > Yeah, this was exactly what I said. He said, well, then, how come drinks hit you so much harder on a plane than they do on the ground? Since even in my drinking days I didn’t drink on planes, I had no evidence on that point one way or the other. Aircraft are normally pressurised to 8000 feet. That is high enough for it to affect you a little, particularly if you are overweight, unfit, a smoker, unhealthy etc. You may notice that alcohol makes you sleepy more quickly than at sea level. If you are not drinking though, and are of average fitness you are unlikely to notice any effects from being at 8000’. IMO the thrill of joining the Mile High Club is partly because it’s a club! The mere fact that people have given it a nickname makes it desireable. Also, undoubtedly for some it is the thrill of maybe getting caught, for others, who knows? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/24 "2005-10-10T13:56:59Z")
After 9/11, I would be very surprised if the airlines would allow multiple people in the bathrooms. In any event, I’m sure the thrill is the challange of it. You are even more of a super stud if you can join the MHC with someone you meet during the flight. ---
**Author:** ![Squee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@Squee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/25 "2005-10-10T16:05:34Z")
Any yahoo can screw on a plane. Meh, I’d rather be part of the Space Shuttle Club… its a bit more exclusive. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/26 "2005-10-10T16:15:51Z")
> [@Squee](#): > > Any yahoo can screw on a plane. Meh, I’d rather be part of the Space Shuttle Club… its a bit more exclusive. That would be the Zero Gee Club. On pressurisation: Almost all light aircraft are capable of flying 5,280 ft MSL, and very few of them are pressurised. ---
**Author:** ![bradministrator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a698b9/32.png) [@bradministrator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bradministrator)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/27 "2005-10-10T16:16:49Z")
> [@Squee](#): > > Any yahoo can screw on a plane. Meh, I’d rather be part of the Space Shuttle Club… its a bit more exclusive. The Sally Ride jokes write themselves! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/28 "2005-10-10T16:30:34Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > That would be the Zero Gee Club. > > On pressurisation: Almost all light aircraft are capable of flying 5,280 ft MSL, and very few of them are pressurised. Yeah, but I’d guess relatively few members of the MHC did their, ah, initiations in small, unpressurized planes – so that can’t be the usual point of the experience, if, in fact, the low pressure makes a difference in the experience of the orgasm. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/29 "2005-10-10T16:41:24Z")
I think **Hail Ants** nailed it first. It’s not the sex itself that’s the thrill, it’s the bragging rights. Oxygen deprivation or no, I can’t imagine sex in an airplane bathroom being all that comfortable, let alone good. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/30 "2005-10-10T17:25:05Z")
FWIW, Amtrak’s Acela trains have fold-down baby changing tables in the bathrooms. Apparently they’ve had a rash of problems with the tables breaking off. Think of the “Mile Long Club”. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/31 "2005-10-10T17:29:12Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > I can’t imagine sex in an airplane bathroom being all that comfortable, let alone good. Bingo! I can’t even _stand up_ in the bathrooms of most mid-sized or commuter planes anymore. There’s barely room for one person to turn around. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/32 "2005-10-10T17:32:34Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > On pressurisation: Almost all light aircraft are capable of flying 5,280 ft MSL, and very few of them are pressurised. :smack: In order to join the Mile High Club, you have to be 5,280 feet **AGL**. (Just being in Denver doesn’t count.) [Mile High Club Pin](http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl.cfm?DID=19&Product_ID=1469). [Bush Pilot wings](http://cgi.ebay.com/BUSH-PILOT-wings-patch-pin-harley-HOG-USAF-Alaska-NOS_W0QQitemZ6567536099QQcategoryZ135QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). (Naughty.) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/33 "2005-10-10T17:32:45Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Yeah, this was exactly what I said. He said, well, then, how come drinks hit you so much harder on a plane than they do on the ground? Since even in my drinking days I didn’t drink on planes, I had no evidence on that point one way or the other. Others have theoized about air pressure, but I’m going with dehydration/empty stomach. The air on a plane is very dry and after even a relatively short flight you are usually dehydrated. Most flights offer small snacks, or food that is not wholly appetizing. Anytime you drink on an empty stomach or while dehydrated, it hits you hard. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/34 "2005-10-10T17:36:51Z")
Cecil on the [Zero-G Club](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_214.html). Apparently, the questioner was right about there being a married couple on [STS 47](http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/shuttle/missions/sts-47/mission-sts-47.html), but I must say I’m disappointed in mission specialist Jan Davis and payload commander Mark Lee if they didn’t do any tests. The “crowded and no privacy” argument doesn’t even hold here, since that was a Spacelab mission, and most of the cargo bay would therefore have been converted to habitable space. ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/35 "2005-10-10T19:01:59Z")
“I had a wank on a train once. Does that count?” _ **Ardal O’Hanlon** _ ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/36 "2005-10-10T19:12:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Apparently, the questioner was right about there being a married couple on [STS 47](http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/shuttle/missions/sts-47/mission-sts-47.html), but I must say I’m disappointed in mission specialist Jan Davis and payload commander Mark Lee if they didn’t do any tests. Well, the graphic in the background shows a male astronaut stripped for action and in a flex pose to impress the obviously female companion, so you have to wonder exactly what the mission objectives are. You can practically hear the chigga-chigga-boom soundtrack. “Just what do you think you’re doing, Mark?” “I’m just on my way up to Clavius. I’ve got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. Why don’t you open up your pod bay doors for me, baby?” It’s just too bad the Italians aren’t running the space program. They wouldn’t be coy about sending up a few porn stars and raking in the dough. “Never mind Velcro and Tang; we’ve got the world’s first microgravity shag movie!” Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/37 "2005-10-10T19:49:23Z")
What do you mean, never mind 'tang? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/38 "2005-10-11T00:19:14Z")
I thought you could only join the MHC if you did it with a stranger you met on the plane. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/39 "2005-10-11T00:30:57Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > I thought you could only join the MHC if you did it with a stranger you met on the plane. I’ve never heard of that rule. Makes it quite a challenge. If that were the case, a website like Flash Mob would be helpful. “M/24, will be in Economy class on United 487 tonight, looking for F/18-43 for MHC membership” ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489/40 "2005-10-11T00:52:51Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > :smack: In order to join the Mile High Club, you have to be 5,280 feet **AGL**. (Just being in Denver doesn’t count.) Personally I’d be going for 6080’ AGL that way you’ve got the nautical mile covered as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mile-high-club-whats-the-thrill/325489.md?page=3)