fully prepared?
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2006
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From: London
fully prepared?
Hi there.
As someone who is looking to be a flight attendent, I was just wondering the following:
We are all trained to deal with emergency situations, but in the real thing, how prepared do you think you will be?
Of course you would have to remain calm and proffesional, but does training actually prepare you for the words "were going to have to ditch"
I would just be interested to see your responses to see how you would truly react in the situation.
Many thanks
As someone who is looking to be a flight attendent, I was just wondering the following:
We are all trained to deal with emergency situations, but in the real thing, how prepared do you think you will be?
Of course you would have to remain calm and proffesional, but does training actually prepare you for the words "were going to have to ditch"
I would just be interested to see your responses to see how you would truly react in the situation.
Many thanks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 190
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From: The Crew Room
you can only ever train for the real thing and no one ever know until you are in that position,
having been involved in the emergency services i wondered if i could handle it and when i attended a major rta i just did it, you just function on auto pilot so to speak, your training kicks in and you get on with it.
having been involved in the emergency services i wondered if i could handle it and when i attended a major rta i just did it, you just function on auto pilot so to speak, your training kicks in and you get on with it.
Joined: Feb 2000
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From: UK
Nobody Knows...
Part of the problem is - Nobody Knows!!
We all hope that we will behave in the highest tradition of excellence, should it all go pear-shaped. We base this assumption on the intermediate level incidents that happen all the time, and that we deal with - Heart Attacks, Precautionary Landings, Mod/Severe Turb etc. etc. But the truth is that we don't know for sure.
Sometimes people can surprise you: I well remember a Purser renowned for his stringent emergency questions at the briefing, and an overall attitude that was red-hot on emergency procedures and took no prisoners. I always thought he was way over the top. Sure enough, come the day when he had an engine failure and precautionary diversion, he panicked.
It's the quiet ones I like: They tend to get things done with no fuss or feathers, and tend to do so consistently and reliably.
The AF crew in YYZ last got the chance to find out the truth - and can, to a man/woman hold their heads high as a result.
We all hope that we will behave in the highest tradition of excellence, should it all go pear-shaped. We base this assumption on the intermediate level incidents that happen all the time, and that we deal with - Heart Attacks, Precautionary Landings, Mod/Severe Turb etc. etc. But the truth is that we don't know for sure.
Sometimes people can surprise you: I well remember a Purser renowned for his stringent emergency questions at the briefing, and an overall attitude that was red-hot on emergency procedures and took no prisoners. I always thought he was way over the top. Sure enough, come the day when he had an engine failure and precautionary diversion, he panicked.
It's the quiet ones I like: They tend to get things done with no fuss or feathers, and tend to do so consistently and reliably.
The AF crew in YYZ last got the chance to find out the truth - and can, to a man/woman hold their heads high as a result.
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: Hong Kong
Originally Posted by virgin_cc_wannabe
does training actually prepare you for the words "were going to have to ditch"
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,261
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From: Europe
I tend to agree with tightslot on that one. Although I am sure that good training and experience matter.
I have been a CC for a while now, but since AF introduced the new cockpit/cabin simulator, that we get to use together with pilots, the training has become very realistic and gave us a chance to get as close as possible to a real emergency. Just to give an example, after years of talking about decompression, I finally had a chance of experiencing at least the effect it makes to have the masks litterally be ejected from their location. I realised why we are taught to grab any mask available, because of the masks belonging to the row I was sitting, at least one landed on the front row, and the closest to me was one from the other side of the aisle. I had a split second of indecision before automatism set in and I grabbed the nearest available mask. Next time it willl happen (hopefully not for real, but you can never know
) I think I'll be more prepared on what to expect.
Then there's experience. Over the years, you get to know yourself a little better, know your reactions and put this knowledge of yourself and the inputs of training together.
I have been a CC for a while now, but since AF introduced the new cockpit/cabin simulator, that we get to use together with pilots, the training has become very realistic and gave us a chance to get as close as possible to a real emergency. Just to give an example, after years of talking about decompression, I finally had a chance of experiencing at least the effect it makes to have the masks litterally be ejected from their location. I realised why we are taught to grab any mask available, because of the masks belonging to the row I was sitting, at least one landed on the front row, and the closest to me was one from the other side of the aisle. I had a split second of indecision before automatism set in and I grabbed the nearest available mask. Next time it willl happen (hopefully not for real, but you can never know
) I think I'll be more prepared on what to expect.Then there's experience. Over the years, you get to know yourself a little better, know your reactions and put this knowledge of yourself and the inputs of training together.
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Star Trekking Across The Universe
I have been an an Emergency Prepared Landing (Abnormal Landing - suspected main trunk landing gear failure) ... and I can say in absolute honesty - that YES the training I was given FULLY prepared me for what we went through and how well the situation was handled.
I am off to bed now ... but if you'd like the full story let me know and I'll be only too happy to give details when I am next on.
I agree with the above ... unless you have been in the situation (as my crew and myself were) you can not assess how well you are going to act/react. There were four of us on a B737-300 ... 3 of the crew (myself included) worked together brilliantly. The fourth crew member (first week online) panicked and was given a pax seat and left out of the proceedings. So I have seen first hand how a crew member can fall apart and how amazingly well prepared the rest of us were.
I am off to bed now ... but if you'd like the full story let me know and I'll be only too happy to give details when I am next on.
I agree with the above ... unless you have been in the situation (as my crew and myself were) you can not assess how well you are going to act/react. There were four of us on a B737-300 ... 3 of the crew (myself included) worked together brilliantly. The fourth crew member (first week online) panicked and was given a pax seat and left out of the proceedings. So I have seen first hand how a crew member can fall apart and how amazingly well prepared the rest of us were.
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Melbourne
Originally Posted by christep
Since no-one has ever successfully ditched a jet airliner with underwing engines I wouldn't worry too much about what the training says on this one - you're dead... (or at least no training is going to help you - a few people occasionally survive, e.g. the hijacked 767 off the Cormoros)
Cheers RaverFlaver
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 691
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From: About 3000 below Midhurst SID I reckon
I'm unlucky perhaps but have been in 3 emergency landings, including an engine fire, a hydraulic failure and a gear failure, as crew and a passenger. Have fought a toilet fire, been whacked on the shoulder by an unsecured canister, banged my head on the ceiling in turbulence and have dealt with various medical problems. (Today I was performing CPR in the terminal after returning from my holiday). I have had conversations and read reports submitted by cabin crew who have been in emergency and non-emergency situations. It happens, most cope with it at the time.
What you need to remember is that training methods and subjects comes from situations which have happened, and regulations exist or are introduced to avoid reoccurences of parts of the 'chain of events' (the core of all air accidents). If you have an emergency, it doesnt mean it will be catastrophic, or will end in fatality. You do your best on the day.
What you need to remember is that training methods and subjects comes from situations which have happened, and regulations exist or are introduced to avoid reoccurences of parts of the 'chain of events' (the core of all air accidents). If you have an emergency, it doesnt mean it will be catastrophic, or will end in fatality. You do your best on the day.
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 606
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From: Hong Kong
Originally Posted by RaverFlaver
I think the Garuda 737 ditching on 16/01/2002 at Klaten in Indonesia into the Benjawang Solo River was pretty successful. Out of the 60 pax and crew on board only 1 person died. Reference www.airdisaster.com.
Cheers RaverFlaver
Cheers RaverFlaver
http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/ga421/photo.shtml
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 350
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From: London
All the training in the world will never prepare you for the actual event if god forbid it ever happens to you.
I found from the crash landing I was involved in I went into automatic mode almost robotic, and it was all very very surreal. Every year when I do SEP and we do the mock up drills I find myself taking it less and less serious because no matter how the airlines try and simulate a cabin after a crash landing its just not going to be convincing enough to get the point across.
Short of crashing a packed aircraft into the ground you can only ever be taught procedures and drills in the event something does happen on a flight your operating on.
Until the day I day I will never forget the Captain saying over the P/A "Brace for crash landing Brace Brace Brace" The feeling of sheer terror and numbness - I cannot put into words.
What is the point of this posting? The bottom line is you will never know how your going to react, no matter how many years flying experience you have or how professional you think you are.
xx
I found from the crash landing I was involved in I went into automatic mode almost robotic, and it was all very very surreal. Every year when I do SEP and we do the mock up drills I find myself taking it less and less serious because no matter how the airlines try and simulate a cabin after a crash landing its just not going to be convincing enough to get the point across.
Short of crashing a packed aircraft into the ground you can only ever be taught procedures and drills in the event something does happen on a flight your operating on.
Until the day I day I will never forget the Captain saying over the P/A "Brace for crash landing Brace Brace Brace" The feeling of sheer terror and numbness - I cannot put into words.
What is the point of this posting? The bottom line is you will never know how your going to react, no matter how many years flying experience you have or how professional you think you are.
xx
