Cabin crew brace positions

[EAAFA]

I'm doing a bit of research on crew brace positions.

Specifically, are you required to sit on your hands to prevent arms from flailing?

[sebby]

Yes we are, alternatively i place my palms securely on my knees with my feet flat on the ground. And chin to my chest is expected i think.

[SkySista]

Yes. But if for some reason you can't do that, or it is really uncomfortable, then you may have your hands on your lap as Sebby says...

I found out the hard way, do not wear a ring with a big(ish) rock on it as you will have to (sort of) sit on it, or forever be turning it every time you sit down!!! :}

[sebby]

LOL SS, you just want to show off that you have a big ring :p

Whose the lucky guy?? :oh:

[capt.cynical]

Any position where you an KISS your A@# goodbye will do.

:p :) ;) :O :E

[FLYING_HOSTIE]

What is better palms up or down under your thighs on the SemiBrace position? Ive worked for 2 airlines and they have both been different... does it make much difference?

[bcf&gloves]

When I first started flying we got told palms up under the thigh, as this would offer the most protect?!

[sebby]

Yer palms up for sure!

[SkySista]

Ouch..! I dunno, seems to me if you are sitting with your palms down then your elbows will be in an awkward/'locked' position... sounds like a (not) nice way to break an elbow if you ask me... well, I find it uncomfortable, anyway, would need to sit with my elbows bent and out a bit... which kind of defeats the purpose...

But, as you say, different airline, different procedure!!!

(Now if they were going to be REALLY pedantic about it, everyone would be facing backwards!!)

[glider12000]

Palms should be up, so if your jump seat collapses you don`t break your wrists.

[FLYING_HOSTIE]

at my old airline the Emergency Brace was the same as the Semibrace but you'd put your head forward or back depending what way you were facing.. however at my new airline we have the semi brace and in an Emergency Landing you bring your arms up to protect your head the same as the passengers.

I know that different airlines have different procedures, but wouldnt it make more sence for the CAA to investigate the safest and have the same accross the board? I know that they tend to unfortunatley learn from mistakes, such as Kegworth and the Passenger Brace position, but if the Passengers all have to do the same brace at all UK airlines then why not us?

I suppose if the worst happens your survival instintcs would take over and you'd do what you think is best for yourself.

[Always_broken_in_wilts]

You should really address this question to the Quantas CC's..........is'nt "bracing" themselves part of their culture:E

all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced

[BecauseCIDSsays_so!]

Hi ya, just to add my ten penneth!

In both airlines I've worked for I've never had to sit on my hands, palm up or palm down...not as part of SOP anyway! Hehe! ;)

It was:

Airline 1: T/O and LDG: Arms folded against chest
Fwd facing feet slightly fwd and chin to chest
Rear facing feet slightly back and head to headrest
Pre-planned emergency: feet same as T/O or LDG but with head up and hands on back of head and elbows kind of in line with forehead, does that make sense? So you could still scream and holler at the SLF but would protect your head and face.

We were told to remember it as (which I hated but it works) 'bow to the captain' lol

Airline 2: T/O and LDG: Hands in lap (no rude comments please! lol) and head/feet the same as above

Emergency the same as above too.

Well theres my little piece of it, hope it helps!

Hoping you all only ever need the T/O and LDG ones...happy flying!

Xx

[flitegirl]

Research has indicated that bracing with hands secured under thighs can cause injury to hands and arms due to their awkward position.

In Australia most airlines instruct crew to brace with hands on knees.

[sebby]

When I was flying in Australia the hands on knees was only an alternative to palms up under thighs and heads to the cockpit in any normal operation.

[Barkly1992]

On Qantas flights (domestic) the announcement says something along the lines of 'if you can't reach the seat in front of you bend forward and grab your ankles...' in ECONOMY - you are so packed in you would have to be a very small person or deformed not to be able to reach the seat in front.

This is for a passenger of course.

:p

[BlueQ]

At BA the crew brace position is with both hands behind your head, fingers NOT interlocked. Elbows together in front of your face. Your head and hands are against your seatback (you are sitting upright). Knees and feet together.

The above applies if you're in a crew seat with full harness. If you're in a passenger seat then you have your head touching your knees (if possible) and hands on top of your head, fingers NOT interlocked. Elbows to the side of your legs.

[sebby]

Yes im sure we are aware of what the pax should do, but crew are required to be in their brace position for regualr take off and landing aswell, one of the main reasons is that we dont have ergonomic seats or armrests to keep us in and in the event of an emergency we need to be in a position to be safe and act quickly if necessary.

I, myself am not able to reach the seat infront of me as a passenger so the latter option definitey applies to me. Its not uncommon...

[EAAFA]

Thank you for all of your replies! The variety of positions is very interesting...

[BlueQ]

crew are required to be in their brace position for regualr take off and landing


What? Oh, ok. I've never heard of such a thing. At BA we don't do that.

[flitegirl]

On Qantas flights (domestic) the announcement says something along the lines of 'if you can't reach the seat in front of you bend forward and grab your ankles...' in ECONOMY - you are so packed in you would have to be a very small person or deformed not to be able to reach the seat in front.

This is for a passenger of course.

:p
Next time you're on any Qantas mainline flight check the exit rows in Y class. It would be very difficult to reach the seat in front - especially on 767RR, A330 and 747 types. That's what the safety demo refers to.:hmm:

Hi BlueQ, just for your info... at Qantas crew are trained to addopt a "relaxed" brace position for take of and landing in case of emergency.

[sebby]

Great points there flitegirl, the 734/8 also have a big gap at the 2 exit rows.

And yer considering at the ace door there is no seat infront of you i guess your only option is to hold your ankles!!

[Markhkg]

Strangely, it would seem, there is no agreement among the world authorities which the "best" brace position is.

Here's a rather comprehensive document from Transport Canada.

http://www.tc.gc.ca/CivilAviation/commerce/circulars/AC0155_att.htm

What's interesting to note is what they say about hands being placed behind the head on aft facing seats.

"Hands should not be clasped behind head or neck because this may increase stress on the neck due to the mass of the arms and hands as they react during impact." (Again, this refers only to aft facing seats.)

When it comes to flight attendant seats, the document notes,

"Hands can be positioned on the lap, front edge of the seat can be held (do not lock elbows or wrists), or occupant can sit on palms of their hands (palms must be "up" to avoid breaking wrists). Do not hold on to restraint system with hands; this can introduce slack into the restraint system."

Hoping you all fly safe...
-M

[banewboi]

at British Airways the sep's say toes towards the tail, hands behind the head fingers not interlocked and head against headrest, comparing procedures etc i think that the bowing to that capt is a good idea as on impact your head is going to be jolted forward so this could prevent breaking your neck, for landing or take off in uk airlines cc are normally not required to resume the brace position but are normally required to do toes towrds the tail and sitting on hands palms up.

[MNBluestater]

Thank you for all of your replies! The variety of positions is very interesting...


First two airlines I worked for, forward facing jumpseat (crappy F-27s where the seat would have collapsed anyway) head tucked, palms up under the thigh.

Third airline, DC9, 737 jets....fwd facing, head tucked, arms crossed over chest, palms hugging ribcage near armpits... rear facing, head against headrest, arms crossed over chest, palms hugging ribcage under armpits.

To be honest, I never thought that tucking head on forward facing jumpseats would do much good, your head would go flying back onto the headrest anyway, after first impact, causing concussion and possible brain matter spewed all over the galley floor....better than head and neck snapping forward I guess.

Either way, IMHO crashes not really survivable unless a/c lands upright and rolls or slides to a stop in a fairly controlled way. UAL Sioux City was an exception for some lucky f/as , as one exception to the rule; another, the Air Florida flight attendant in a rear 737 jumpseat that made it out of the Potomac in 1981. God was with them .

Water landing or ditching? Can you say hitting a brick wall at 500 mph...

[BestonBoard]

Hi There,
For my current airline you should adopt the crew brace position for all landings and take offs, feet placed firmly on the floor, shoulder width apart, hands tucked under legs, palm uppermost (between the jump seat & your legs) to prevent movemenet in the event of impact, back pressed into the jump seat, forward facing you bow to the Captain, aft facing you look down your nose at pax... I gess it's old news but it's another persepctive at least! :o)

[qfdash8]

I think the best brace position is to hold her by the waiste and then.......... oh sorry were you guys talking about emergency brace positions on an aircraft.....i must be in the wrong forum....:rolleyes:

[britanniaboy]

Have worked for a couple of different airlines and crew brace position varied greatly.

Currently, for normal t/o/landing it's hands under things, palms up (so that elbows are not locked) head back against the jump seat, feet and knees together flat on the floor and tucked slightly behind the knee, regardless of direction of travel. In a full emergency brace, hands are placed behind the head, fingers not interlocked, and elbows together to protect the face, making sure that ears are clear to hear commands.

At my last airline, it was arms folded across chest to both prevent flailing and to make it easier to bring them up into the full brace position. Feet were firmly on the floor and toes to the tail (to prevent swing back under the jumpseat) or heels to tail when forward facing. Head back for aft facing and tucked down for forward.

With regards to research saying that hands behind head can cause great stresses on the neck, try it out. To get them behind your head in such a way that your ears are clear and elbows together, if you actually place them just below the crown, so that your head is still in contact with the jumpseat but your hands are still behind your head and imobilised.

Personally, i prefer the latter position as i feel it offers me the greatest protection and still follow it.

Dscussed it with company and they agree that the CAA really should research crew brace positions, certainly after spending so much on the PAX position after kegworth!

[flybywire]

In BA we always have our hands behind our head, with fingers strictly NOT interlocked (to prevent them for breaking) arms above the ears (so we can hear clearly), elbows as close as possible to the face to protect it. Then we have two options:

- Head pushed on to the headrest and feet close together and slightly forward for a rear-facing seat

or

- Chin resting on chest and feet close together slightly behing the body (either totally flat or resting only the tips) for a forward-facing seat.

Sitting correctly during normal TO and Landing is essential as it can save your back (ever experienced a bit of an "arrival"?). I tend to rest my hands palms up on my legs, my right on top of my left, as in case of an unforseen circumstance I am able to adopt the brace position quickly without even thinking about it.
I do it every day as a habit, and I've had a few occasions when, while sitting in the back galley and approaching the RW with strong cross-winds, I felt the need to brace myself at the last second to preserve my poor back!!! :E I can think of one episode when we had to go back to base one light as one of the crew at the back was in so much pain afterwards he could barely move!:(

FBW