Mile high club

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The mile high club (or MHC) is a slang term collectively applied to individuals who have engaged in sexual activity while on board an aircraft. 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. 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 chance that they might be discovered.^[4]

The first and founding member of the MHC is generally considered to be Lawrence Sperry, inventor of the autopilot. In November of 1916 he reportedly was engaged in sexual activity with a woman while he was flying in his Curtiss flying boat over Babylon, New York, when they crashed (non-fatally) into the water. His status as founder of the club is a retrospective honor derived from the fact that he is the first person reported to have engaged in aerial sexual activity, and from his association with the development of the autopilot at Sperry Corporation. It is not a literal honor since they crashed from an altitude of only 500 feet, and also because the term "Mile High Club" was not in use at the time. Conversely, sexual activity on the ground at elevations of 5,280 feet or greater, does not qualify one for the club, under most interpretations of the rules.^{[citation needed]}

The NTSB has ruled that at least one accident was caused by a pilot engaging in sexual activity while piloting a small plane.^[5]

For those seeking a novel way to join the club, several^[6] 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^[7] or by selling souvenir certificates and other items.^[8] Some web sites also provide resources such as historical information about the club.^[8]

Some incidents of people attempting sexual activity on planes become popularly known: 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.^[9] 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.

On February 11, 2007, Lisa Robertson, a Qantas flight attendant, was dismissed after having sex with actor Ralph Fiennes in a business class toilet 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."^[10] Fiennes has refused to comment on the matter.^[11]

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.^[12]