Learn all you can
Hi, I am an 8 year flight attendant . As most things in life, knowledge is power. Try at least to learn the basics of flight so you understand how an airplane flies and why it does what it does.
Tell the flight attendant greeting you that you are a first time flyer or skittish flyer and ask to see the pilots and say hi. Usually just putting a face to who's flying the plane is all you need. Just don't chitchat forever, they have preflight work to do, a flight plan to review and checklists to complete.
If I get questions, I tell them what I have picked up through the years, in as plain and simple language as I can, with a few smiles and jokes thrown in, if I can get away with it. You have to be able to read people. I get a piece of scratch paper, I tell them about the concept of lift, I draw a "side view" of a wing , and show the shape of the wing and how lift works. I draw a picture of an aircraft, I again tell them about drag, lift, and thrust, and how thrust pretty much gets the whole thing going, and how there is nothing like it when the aircraft is powering up on takeoff and lets loose. I pretty much avoid gravity, because, duh, people already know about that and that's what they fear anyway.
I tell them about flaps required for takeoff and landing (like how a bird flares before landing) and the spoilers that come up on landing. If I have time, I tell them about the ailerons, rudder and elevator.
As for turbulence, I ask them what they see when they run their hand through the water in the sink or the bathtub--it moves ! Or if they've watched the eddys or rapids in a river. Then I tell them that that is what air is like, it's always moving and that the plane has to fly through that.
As for emergencies, well, the most emergencies that I have had are medical in nature, and thankfully, I have always had medical personnel on board to help with the more serious stuff. I have had two engine shutdowns, precautionary, one for temp and one due to a faulty warning switch in the cockpit. 2 very short emerg briefings as a result, no big deal (in eight years of flying.)
I feel much more comfortable flying than driving to work -- at least I know that the person flying the plane isn't high on drugs, reckless, or listening to their cellphone instead of paying attention to what they're doing. Commercial pilots aren't hired for being daredevils , they're hired for their knowledge of systems, flying, common sense and coolheadedness.
Aircraft these days are highly maintained, the systems have multiple levels of redundancy, and they go through rigorous checks periodically--the whole jet gets almost dismantled in a "heavy maintenance" check. Anytime something is mechanically wrong with the plane, the Captain writes it up in the logbook--his professional responsibility--and the mechanic checks it, fixes it, signs the book that it is fixed --again, his responsibility--and the Captain has to sign off on that. It is a system of checks and balances. This all happens before the aircraft even leaves the gate.
As for weather, well, modern technology is now used to keep airlines away from storms. And even if rough air is involved, the frame is built to flex to accommodate the "bumps"--think of a Popsicle stick vs. a firm plastic tube, what is more likely to break under bending ?
Finally--you can worry, worry, worry, about anything and where does that get you ? A ruined day and fatigue and that's all. I made a pact with God a long time ago, it's all in his hands anyway, and if it's time for him to take me home, well, that's that, I can't do much about it.
So "sit back , relax, and enjoy the flight" -- hopefully that's what flying will bring you next time !
Last edited by MNBluestater; 20th Nov 2008 at 06:37.