When you gotta go, you gotta go–even at 30,000 feet. The alarming noise ensues when you press the “flush” button in an airplane toilet and the bowl’s contents are magically sucked away into oblivion.

Airplanes are marvels of engineering, but have you ever wondered about the science behind their toilets? Unlike the ones we're used to on the ground, airplane toilets are specially designed for the ...

However, toilets do get blocked relatively often. “It’s only a tiny pipe, and people put things like nappies down – I’ve seen cutlery go down, and [soft drink cans] – they’re fascinated to see whether ...