Mile high club
The mile high club (or MHC) is a slang term applied collectively to individuals who have engaged in sexual intercourse while on board an aircraft in flight at least 1 mile (5,280 ft/1,609 m AGL) above the Earth. There is no known formally constituted club so named. However, since "membership" of the "club" is really a matter of an individual asserting they have qualified, the qualifications for membership are open to some interpretation.[1]
Some people attribute the allure of the club to the lower atmospheric pressure in the flight cabin, which they claim increases the intensity of orgasms.[citation needed] Another explanation is the vibration of the airplane, which may make arousal easier.[2] Others say they have fantasies about pilots or flight attendants, or a fetish about planes themselves.[3] For many others, perhaps the majority, the appeal of joining the MHC is the thrill of doing something taboo and the thrill of the risk of being discovered.[4]
History
The first members of the mile high club are considered to be the pilot and design engineer Lawrence Sperry[5] and the socialite Mrs. Waldo Polk , who allegedly received their "memberships" when Sperry tested the self-constructed autopilot and had sex with Mrs. Polk during a flight on a Curtiss Flying Boat to New York in in November 1916. [6]
The American transportation authority NTSB reports a documented case in which sexual activity is at least partly responsible for an aviation accident.[7]
In November 2007 the BBC reported a story headlined "Airline Bans A380 Mile-High Club" about a measure taken by Singapore Airlines. The airline asked their first class passengers shortly after the introduction of their new Airbus A380 to respect the law. The 12 first class cabins feature a double bed, but the cabins are not soundproofed.[8]
Noted instances
Some incidents of people attempting sexual activity on planes become popularly known:
- in October 1999 two passengers of an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Manchester were arrested after engaging in "sex acts" in front of other passengers in the business class section of the aircraft.[9][10] Both lost their jobs after the press storm following the incident.[11]
- in late 2006, a couple was arrested in part for refusing to stop overt sexual activity on a flight in a case that received widespread media attention.[12] The couple's lawyer claims that the couple was not engaging in sexual activity, but that the man was sick and resting his head on the woman's lap.
Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways, claimed that he joined the mile high club at age 19 (c. 1969) by engaging in sex with a woman in a lavatory. He found out after that she was married, and they had no relationship beyond the encounter in the plane.[13]
On February 11 2007, Lisa Robertson,[14] a Qantas flight attendant, was dismissed after having sex with actor Ralph Fiennes in a business class lavatory during a flight from Darwin to Mumbai on January 24 2007. Robertson at first denied the allegation, but subsequently admitted the encounter in an interview with the Daily Mail. She also said she had stayed with him at his Mumbai hotel.[15] Fiennes has refused to comment on the matter.[16]
Legality
The BBC ran an article investigating whether sex on a plane was legal. Their conclusion was that it would depend on many factors, such as whether or not the act occurred in sight of others. Also, for international flights the law could vary depending on departure and destination cities, what country(s) was being overflown at the time, and the nation of the carrier airline.[17]
Charter flights
For those seeking a novel way to join the club, several[18] private charter companies offer the opportunity to book a flight for the express purpose of engaging in sexual activity. Some commercial enterprises cash in on people's interest in joining the club by offering special charter flights designed for the purpose[19] or by selling souvenir certificates and other items.[20] Some web sites also provide resources such as historical information about the club.
References
- ^ Hestor, Eliot Neal (September 21 1999). "Welcome to the Mile High Club". Salon. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Rob Woodburn. "Sex at high altitude". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Lovegrove, Keith (2000). Airline: Identity, Design & Culture. New York: Te Neues Publishing Company. ISBN 978-3823854609. OCLC 247769755. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
- ^ "Sex: caught at it". TheSite.org. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
- ^ Sperry Inc. History
- ^ http://www.milehighclub.com/about/founder.html
- ^ NTSB Identification: MIA92FA051
- ^ Airline bans A380 mile-high club) BBC News online, 31 October 2007. Also a secondary level of the Mile High Club exist in accordance to people who live in high elevation areas such as Denver.
- ^ Sex shame at 30,000 ft exec puts Nortel tagline into practice
- ^ Flight attendant report, B767-300, dfw-manchester, england, couple engaged in sex acts would not stop when ordered to by crew. Arrested by manchester police
- ^ Fine for drunken plane couple
- ^ CNN.com, "Mile high club? Indictment alleges sex on a plane", November 14 2006.
- ^ Agence France-Presse, "Branson: I'm no mile-high club virgin", AFP, 29 July 2007.
- ^ Air stewardess: secrets of my five-mile high sex romp with Ralph Fiennes | the Mail on Sunday
- ^
"Exclusive: 'How I led Ralph Fiennes astray at 35,000 feet'". Daily Mail. February 15 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^
Luke McIlveen and Fiona Hudson (February 17 2007). "Sex hostie: 'It was worth it'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Is sex on a plane legal?". BBC News. February 14 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ MileHighClub.com, Mile High Flight Referrals page.
- ^ Kitty Bean Yancy (8 September 2006). "A flight that goes all the way". USAToday. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "MileHighClub.com". Retrieved 2006-10-03.