Safety during turbulance
 

Hi,
Slf here,and hoping you don't mind me asking CC a question in this section.
Flew home from Bgi on thursday,& had just returned from the washroom,via the galley where i'd asked for another round of drinks.
I opened the overhead bin,to remove a small bag...luckily i closed the bin,& as i stood and talked to my partner we went into turbulence.
I've never experienced anything like this before,not just the usual creaking & bumpiness of the cabin,we seemed to drop so fast,like we fell in a hole...then got the bumpiing afterwards.
My instant reaction was to squat,and cover my head with my arms a bit like the brace position,as i felt my feet lift off the floor...( i admit i was scared)...only to see crew in the aisle a few feet away,flung against a seat,before she adopted the same squat position,but she grabbed the armrests....did i do the right thing...? or should i have grabbed the armrests for my safety....?...I'm asking in case i'm ever in this situation again.
I was just thinking to protect my skull.
I know that there have been serious injuries in the cabin,when you are caught unawares.
I think the poor chappie in 3B got a kick in the shins as i practicaly threw myself over him to get in my seat :ouch:.
We did share a laugh later when the seatbelt signs had been switched off again,and she offered to get us those drinks,but firstly asked me if i was okay....:ok:


Thank you.

the best thing to do is to grab the armrest since you dont want to go flying around the aircraft. doing the brace position is only effective if you have your seatbelts fastened.

As you observe turbulence can strike without warning and be extremely violent.

I would say that if your in the aisle grab on to an armrest to steady yourself and try and get into a seat (any one!) and strap in. If its a full cabin and its getting really choppy then I would say, get down on your knees and hold onto that armrest with both hands - make sure you keep an eye out for anything falling from the overhead bins and/or loose trolleys. You might in extreme circumstances consider sitting down on the lap of another pax and asking them to hold on to you - Not ideal for the other passenger :eek: (don't choose the UM or frail old grandmother) but then neither is concussion. :)

On some planes you'll find a very handy grab-rail, running just under the overhead lockers. If I have to traverse the cabin during turbulence, I've always got one hand on this. (The other hand is of course holding the pot of HOT coffee as I head for that rude passenger). ;)

Your example also shows why we say you should keep your seatbelt comfortably fastened while seated...

Thanks very much for your replies.:ok:

You did well.. grabbing the arm rest though would be even better or finding and empty seat/strapping in.. my biggest applause goes to you in shutting the overhead locker when you got your bag out.. The amount of times people get something out of their bag and leave the locker open.. even for 10 seconds you need to close it even if the bag is going back in their... as you found out turbulance happens very quickly and very unexpectedley! The over head locker to me is like the farm gate.. leave it the way you found it!

Your natural reaction was to cover your head thats quite a good reaction as things can go flying about the cabin in bad turbulence.
Next time go for an armrest or if it's bad and you're walking from the washroom to your seat, lift your arm up and place pressure on the overhead lockers with your hand to steady your balance. In future you will notice a lot of flight attendants do this when it's a bit lumpy in the cabin.