Aviation 102 - Flight-Attendant

Flight­Attendant­Careers.com
Aviation 102
The MAGIC of Aviation
Tom Reincke
www.Flight­Attendant­Careers.com
1
Welcome to Aviation 102
Your answers to all those aviation questions that you wish you
knew and even some you didn’t!
Being a former Ansett Australia Flight Attendant of many years I
have operated in the position of both Cabin Manager and Fight
Attendant and operated both Domestically and Internationally. I
have been fortunate to spend time with thousands of
passengers, many of whom like me are fascinated with the
aviation industry.
Their subsequent questions have sometimes been challenging to
answer; however your Aviation 102 bonus booklet now makes
this easy for you. (As front-line staff you will be asked the
dandiest of things).
Hi, I’m Tom Reincke
(Author with nearly 20
years experience in the
Aviation game)
The information contain herein will give you an insight as to what a Flight Attendant should
be familiar with, could be asked, has committed to memory, has a working knowledge of or
is at least able to give creditable justification off. It touches on dealing with people, your
working environment, some of the aircraft that you fly in, and just about any related issue
that you would and even would not expect when it comes to flying.
It is meant to be informative, useful, sometimes silly and at the minimum light hearted.
However, never take for granted the rules, safety procedures, work place practice, and
duties and responsibilities that you operate under when it comes to the serious stuff.
Because Flight Attendants will be faced with a heavy work load in training school with the
requirement to meet competences and pass grades and the need to satisfy a probationary
period, preparation and application will be your mother of success.
Knowing, learning or making second nature some of the serious information in this booklet
will see you using it regularly in your job. It will certainly raise your awareness and give you
a greater appreciation of the Flight Attendant Role and the Aviation Industry.
Flying will see you continue to learn and if you love it, you will learn without effort. Your
experiences will pay great tribute to you in future years if you open your mind and utilize
what the job and the people you meet can teach you daily.
Regards
Tom
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Published by
Travel Quest Australia Pty Ltd
PO Box 1051 Toombul
Brisbane, Queensland 4012
Text, edit, and cover design by: Tom Reincke
References:
Being dedicated and loving my job as a Cabin Manager with Ansett Australia as well as completing
my commercial Pilots license, much of the enclosed is from my working history, personal working
notes of our Flight Attendant manuals supplied by Ansett Australia and recreational pursuits. Note:
Ansett Australia, a once premier Airline of the Australian sky no longer operates.
http://www.airbus.com/prehome.asp
http://www.airbus.com/pdf/media/GMF2004_traffic_forecast.pdf
http://www.airbus.com/pdf/media/GMF2004_demend_passenger.pdf
http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/corporate/history/jubilee/blackbox .html
http://www.l-3ar.com/html/history.html
http://www.airbus.com/prehome.asp
http://www.whitehat.com.au/Australia/Inventions/InventionsA.html in
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/black_box_recorder.html
And Boeing aircraft (Seattle)
3
Contents
St Elmo’s is a naturally occurring phenomena due weather
Introducing the Boeing 747 (and some of her sisters…)
747-400 series
Did you know
Statistical operating facts for the Boeing 747-400ER
Introducing the Boeing 737
737 series
Did you know?
Statistical operating facts for the Boeing 737-800
Introducing the Boeing 767
767 series
Did you know?
Statistical operating facts for the Boeing 767-400ER
Introducing the Boeing 777-200
Boeing 777 series
Did you know?
Statistical operating facts for the Boeing 777-300
Excuse me Steward / Stewardess
Did you know?
Take off
Climbing
Cruising
Navigation and communication
Controlling Altitude and direction
Descending
Landing
Warning systems
4
St Elmo’s Fire spidering its way over the aircraft’s windscreen
Photo Courtesy Stefan De SUTTER
St. Elmo's fire is not actually fire but rather an electrical weather phenomenon in
which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge and it occurs when there
is a significant imbalance in electrical charge, causing molecules to tear apart,
sometimes resulting in a slight hissing sound. Harmless to aircraft and humans, it
looks spectacular and can give off a variety of colors from purple to violet to blue
and even reds and oranges.
5
Introducing the Boeing 747 (and some of her sisters…)
This first airplane of this type was first brought into service as the 747-100/SR/B
and had its first flight on the 09/02/1969.
The first customer, Pan Am took delivery of this magnificent aircraft on the
13/12/1969.
The last delivery of the 747-100/SR/B was to Japan Air lines in 1986.
747-400 series
Did you know?
This aircraft stands as high as a six story building at the top of its tail plane. (Over
19 metres). It has 18 landing gear tyres two of which are on the nose gear.
The aircraft has in the vicinity of 6 million parts, with enough wiring to circle 685
laps of a 400 metre sports oval.
It uses the equivalent weight of 60 to 70 average sized cars/automobiles in high
strength aluminum for its construction.
The wing area is large enough to park 180 motor cycles with more than 524m
squared and weighs the equivalent of more than 550 people.
An average person could stand in the engine cowling with their arms above their
head and still not touch the top of the cowling.
According to Boeing the total 747 aircraft fleet has traveled the equivalent distance
of 74,000 return trips to the moon and has carried more the half of the world’s
population on a flight to somewhere in the world!
Statistical operating facts for the Boeing 747-400ER
�
Seat capacity 416 to 524
�
Fuel max 241,241lts
�
MTOW 412,775kg
�
Max range 14,205Km
�
Typical cruise speed 912km
�
Wing span 64.4mts
�
Length 70.7 mts
�
Crew number: 16-20 depending on operation and configuration
6
Introducing the Boeing 737
This airplane of this type was first brought into service as the 737-100 and had its
first flight on the 09/04/1967.
The first customer, Lufthansa took delivery of this short haul workhorse aircraft on
the 28/12/1967.
The last delivery of the 737-100 was to NASA in 1973.
737 series
Did you know?
This aircraft takes off from an airport somewhere in the world every 5.3 seconds
and to date the 737 fleet has carried more than 7 billion passengers or some 35
times the population of Australia.
The combined 737 Next-Generation fleet has the enviable aviation bragging rights
to having recorded more that 10 million flight hours in the first 5 year period in
which it entered service. That’s the equivalent of two aircraft flying for over 550
years non-stop!
Since it first entered commercial operation the 737 fleet total distances flown is the
equivalent to more than 300 return trips from the earth to the sun.
The 737 fleet is the best selling commercial jet liner in aviation history winning
5,300 orders for this absolutely marvelous work horse.
Most 737 aircraft are painted in the livery of the operator which takes some 225
litres of paint weighing a dry weight of approximately 115kg.
The Next-Generation 737-600/-700/-800/-900 models have nearly 6.5 kms less
wiring in their construction than previous models. Even so, it is still enough to run
the lengths of approximately 2760 cricket pitches.
On average, the Next-Generation 737 airplanes have approximately 367,000 parts
in its construction.
Statistical operating facts for the Boeing 737-800
�
Seat capacity 162-189
�
Fuel max 26,035
�
MTOW 79,010 kg
�
Max range 5,425km
7
�
Typical cruise speed 530 MPH (xx km)
�
Wing span 33.3mts
�
Length 39.5mts
�
Crew number: 4-5 depending on operation and configuration
Introducing the Boeing 767
This first airplane of this type was first brought into service as the 767-200 and had
its first flight on the 26/09/1981.
The first customer, United Airlines took delivery of this magnificent aircraft on the
19/08/1982.
The last delivery of the 767-200 was in 1994.
767 series
Did you know?
The 767 has flown more than 7.5 million flights, and carried more than two billion
passengers since first entering service in September 1982.
The latest 767-400ER is approximately 7 meters longer than the original 767-200.
There are over 3 million parts in the construction of a 767.
There are approximately 201kms of electrical wiring in a 767-400ER
While most commercial jet operations operate below 40,000 feet the Boeing 767 is
capable of cruising at altitudes up to 43,000 feet (13,106 m)
The 767-400ER holds (90,770 lts) of fuel which would fill the fuel tank on the
average family car/automobile more than 200 times.
According to Boeing, it takes about 227 liters of fuel per passenger to get from New
York to London on board a 767-400ER. The same volume of fuel would propel an
economy car about half of that distance.
Boeing also say that if its GE CF6-80C2B8F engines were attached to a typical
automobile, at takeoff power the car would accelerate from zero to 60 mph (96.5
kph) in less than half a second.
8
Boeing also say that the noise level of a 767 taking off from a 3,000 m runway is
about the same as the average street corner traffic noise.
Statistical operating facts for the Boeing 767-400ER
�
Seat capacity 245-375
�
Fuel max 90,770lts
�
MTOW 204,120kg
�
Max range 10,454km
�
Typical cruise speed 851km/h (530 mph)
�
Wing span 51.9mts
�
Length 61.4mts
�
Crew number: 6-10 depending on operation and configuration
Introducing the Boeing 777-200
The first order for this aircraft was on 15/10/1990 and was delivered to United
Airlines on the 17/05/1995. It was bought into service on the 07/06/1995. Since
then 777s have flown more than 1.25 million flights.
Because of the technological advancement in the age of the airplane and the
modern sophistication of this aircraft, it is very safe to say that the last delivery of
the Boeing 777 type aircraft will definitively be a long way into the future.
Boeing 777
Did you know?
There are 3 million parts in a 777.
The 777 is capable of cruising at altitudes up to 43,100 feet.
The 777's landing gear is a technological marvel. The aircraft boasts the largest
under carriage under a commercial jetliner. It has six wheels on each main landing
gear and two steering bogies up front. Not only does it look good but it continues to
impress any aviation buff in shear ingenuity.
According to Boeing, the Boeing twin-aisle 777 is the first jetliner to be 100 percent
digitally designed using three-dimensional computer graphics. The airplane design
offers features, innovations and approaches to airplane development that set the
standard for delivering value to airlines.
9
Boeing state that “the data shared and transferred on the network during the
design phase of the 777 program totaled 1,847,930,000,000 bytes of production
data. If you collected the equivalent of all this data on 3.5-inch diskettes the stack
of these diskettes would be 13,368 feet (4,074.5 meters), which is taller than Mt.
Fuji in Japan, which stands 12,338 feet (3760.6 meters)”.
The airplane is larger than all other twinjet or tri-jet airplanes and smaller than the
747. It brings the twin-engine economic advantage to medium and long-range
markets.
Boeing say that the 777 has a new design wing, more efficient engine, and a lighter
structure which make the 777 very fuel efficient. This means lower emissions per
passenger seat and fewer pounds of carbon dioxide are generated per passenger
seat mile.
The 777 became the first airplane to earn U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) approval to fly extended-range twin-engine operations (ETOPS) at entry into
service. On May 30, 1995, the FAA awarded the Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing
777, 180-minute ETOPS.
The 777 is currently available in five models: 777-200, 777-200ER (extended
range), 777-200LR (longer-range), 777-300 and the 777-300ER.
The 777 can accelerate from zero to 100km in approximately six seconds if lightly
loaded.
The flight control system for the 777 airplane is different from those on many other
Boeing airplane designs. The 777 is what they call fly-by-wire technology. Instead
of cables wire connecting the control columns to the control actions of the pilot,
electrical wires via computer connect to the control surfaces which results in great
weight savings and greater productivity and efficiency of the aircraft.
Statistical operating facts for the Boeing 777-300
�
Seat capacity 368-550
�
Fuel max 171,160lts
�
MTOW 297,560kg
�
Max range 11,029km
�
Typical cruise speed .84mach 851km/h (530 mph)
�
Wing span 60.9mts
�
Length 73.9mts
�
Crew number: 14-20 depending on operation and configuration
10
Excuse me Steward / Stewardess
You know flying is another world to many people and sometimes even seasoned
flyers. A typical flight can see many things happen and many questions asked.
Sometimes you’ll get some real doozies that manage to shock, intrigue or even
make you laugh but in the end, rightly or wrongly, you are the one asked and you
are the one perceived to be the ‘expert’ who should know.
Your passengers’ questions are asked with obvious intent, as much as they may
seem irrelevant or common place to you or perhaps common place after you have
been flying for some years.
You can be submissive in your answer which is obviously poor customer service
and not how things should be done, or you can be dutiful and provide or attempt to
provide an educated and expected answer.
The dialog will start something like:
Excuse me Steward,…. err excuse me Stewardess…. (or name or derivative), but
can you tell me please…..
� What
� When
� Where
� Who
� How
� Why
YOUR ANSWER!!!
Now the answer you give will very much depend on your experience and working
knowledge.
Having flown for 16 years I think I have been asked just about the gamut of
questions. My natural interest in flying meant that if I didn’t know an answer to a
question then I wanted to! There are always of course the silly questions, but hey
not to the person asking.
In the end unless you know you won’t be able to fully answer them which is what
this Aviation 102 book is all about.
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So here is some back ground information at random for you about your intended
industry that may interest and hopefully help you answer some of those questions.
Did you know that more than three million people around the world fly on
commercial aircraft every day?
Did you know a Boeing airplane takes off or lands somewhere in the world every
two seconds 24hrs/7days a week/365 days of the
year.
Boeing state that, “In the
United States,
it's 22 times safer
flying
in
a
commercial
jet
than traveling by car,
according to a 199395 study by the U.S.
National Safety Council.
The study compares accident
fatalities per million passenger-miles traveled. The number of U.S. highway deaths
in a typical six-month period of about 21,000 roughly equals all commercial jet
fatalities worldwide since the dawn of jet aviation four decades ago. In fact, fewer
people have died in commercial airplane accidents in America over the past 60
years than are killed in U.S. auto accidents in a typical three-month period”.
Did you know that Industry and government officials expect air travel and air traffic
to continue to increase in the coming years! In fact, they estimate that air traffic will
double in the next 20 years.
World air travel currently consists of:
� 16,000 airplanes
� 800 airlines
According to Airbus Industries who are a major manufacturer of commercial aero
planes say that more than 16,000 aircraft will be delivered to the worlds
commercial airline operators in the next 20 years.
Did you know that aircraft have brakes on their wings?
Aircraft have what they call lift dumpers on their wings that spring up into the air
upon landing. This does two things. One it creates resistance to the oncoming
airflow and the disturbance that it causes and two, coincidently and gradually
nullifies the lift component the further into the air steam that they are raised. This
will transfer the aircraft weight from the wings directly to the ground enabling
maximum braking effectiveness from the wheel brakes.
12
These lift dumpers have three protective security safety deployment requirements
before they will fully engage to avoid inadvertent full deployment in the air. (If they
did fully deploy in mid air the aircraft would be in a serious flight situation. The
result would be down)!
Did you know that Aircraft are frequently hit by lightning?
In fact aircraft are designed around
the fact that they will be hit by
lightning and have special electrical
discharge wicks to dissipate the
electrical energy from the aircraft when this
does happen. These discharge wicks are on the
trailing edge of the
ailerons, rudder and elevator control surfaces.
They
are
approximately 12 to 20cms long. Without the
discharge wicks to
disperse the electrical current there would be a
substantial risk that the
control surface linkages could be welded together resulting in nil response to pilot
maneuver commands resulting in a possible catastrophic situation.
Did you know that warm air from the engine is used to heat up the wings?
When outside air temperatures fall below zero and there are atmospheric
conditions conducive to icing then heated air from the engines is drawn from them
and routed along the leading edges of the wings. This is to keep the wing above
zero degrees so as to prevent the build up of ice on the wings.
Ice formulation on a wing severely disrupts the flow of air over it affecting the
capacity of the wing to produce lift. If this was allowed to go to the extreme the lift
component of the wing would fall below the point required for the aircraft to fly and
the aircraft would literally fall out of the sky. The ice also dangerously adds to the
weight of the aircraft which could develop to a catastrophic state itself.
Did you know that Pilots must pass a medical examination
every 12 months?
Failure to meet the requirements of a pilot medical
would see a pilot have his license to fly suspended
and could possibly bring an end to the pilot’s career.
A pilot’s aviation medical examination includes
checks to test the health of their heart, blood, blood
pressure, eyesight, ears, balance, drug abuse,
reflexes among many other checks. Note many of
13
these examinations require a fat percentage test. The
Body Mass Index (BMI) required is determined by the relative airline. Effectively
this means that if a pilot fails to record a BMI equal to or less than that required,
then they would be stood down until they lost the required weight!
Did you know that pilots are assessed regularly for continuity of their license?
Pilots have an on line check every 6 months and a simulator check every other 3
months which makes 4 checks or more every year to maintain their currency. While
the ‘line check’ is to prove operational competency, simulator checks enable the
testing of a gamut of operating configurations. This means that they simulate
emergencies and practice operational drills all without leaving the ground. The
ingenuity of computers allows this to be done at any airport around the world with
as real live graphics and corresponding emergencies.
Did you know that a pilot can sit for a full endorsement on an aircraft with our ever
having left the ground?
Computer and aircraft simulators have progressed to such an advanced state that
full endorsements on aircraft type are commonplace. This is totally independent of
a pilot ever having to physically step foot inside a real aircraft.
Did you know that in the early years of flight attendants, it was a women only job?
The first of the male flight attendants didn’t appear until the early 1980’s. (Note:
This is the earliest known time frame where males were employed in any
significant number commercially).
Did you know flight attendants in the women only
era were until the late 1970’s not allowed to be
engaged or married?
In fact if they became engaged whilst in the job
they were to submit their resignation.
Did you know that flight attendants are formally revalidated every 12 months?
Flight attendants are required to meet competency levels in aviation first aid and
emergency procedures annually. This is normally referred to as revalidation. Flight
attendants also have regular online operational or service delivery checks over
numerous sectors or flight times.
14
Flight attendants are also required to state or answer questions in relation to safety
on every flight they crew and are required to be 100% correct. Failure to know
safety procedures can see you stood down. Failure to remedy could see the end of
your flight attendant career.
Did you know that directional control of an aircraft is provided by three types of
means?
When the airflow over the wings is sufficient which is dependant on speed, the
directional control is employed via the rudder. When aircraft speed drops to a
speed where the rudder looses the effectiveness as in a landing situation,
directional control comes from the greater application of the left or right wheel
brakes and also steering from the front wheel/s. Steering is controlled by the pilots
equivalent to the steering column of a car. In modern aircraft this can be either a
control yolk or a computer like control stick normally situated to one side of the
pilot.
Did you know that commercial jet aircraft carry fire fighting extinguishers on
board?
By law every aircraft must carry fire fighting equipment including extinguishers,
dangerous goods kits, fire retardant gloves and
suitable breathing apparatus.
A dangerous goods kit typically contains:
� A protective face shield
� Rubber protective gloves
� Plastic sealable bags
� Bag ties and instructions
Did you know that commercial jet aircraft are designed with enough exits to
evacuate all passengers on board within a set time limit?
Aircraft designers need to meet the standard of being able to completely evacuate
a random selection of people without prior notice from an aircraft within 90
seconds! That could mean evacuating more that 400 or 500 people on the big jets!
15
Did you know that the standard outside air temperature at cruise altitude is below
zero degrees Celsius?
Typical cruise altitudes see temperatures of minus 50 degrees Celsius and more!
Did you know drop down oxygen must be available to all passengers in all
commercial aircraft that are designed to fly above 10,000 feet?
Older type aircraft used to carry oxygen bottles in the belly of the aircraft that in the
event of a decompression would supply piped oxygen to passengers. This would
be supplied via masks that would drop down to passengers from the underside of
the over head lockers. When a passenger pulled it down to their face a stop-pin
would be released and the oxygen would begin to flow.
Newer design aircraft have self generating oxygen canisters. The oxygen flow in
either system is designed to last long enough to descend the aircraft to a safe level
for passengers. Approximately 10 to 12 minutes.
This safe level for passengers is 14000 feet or below mean sea level (MSL). Pilot
oxygen incidentally is a separate system to passengers for obvious safety reasons
and the aircraft would have to obtain a flight level of 10,000 or below before they
are allowed to take their mask off.
Did you know that aircraft have a continual series of maintenance checks to
ensure airworthiness?
During the working lifetime of an aircraft it can be stripped back to its almost bare
fuselage for a complete over-haul. Aircraft maintenance is strictly regulated and is
monitored in time or in-hours of service limitations.
This means that each and every aircraft component is given a service life which is
a quantifiable measurement. Some are measured by the number of repetitions of
service like take off’s and landings performed while others are measured in hours
of service like the total number of hours an engine has been
running.
Did you know that commercial jet aircraft carry portable
oxygen bottles on board?
By law every aircraft must carry portable oxygen bottles
on ratio with the seating capacity of the aircraft. For
example a Boeing 767-300 aircraft would carry up to 15 x
310 litre oxygen bottles on board.
16
Did you know that commercial jet aircraft flying more than a set regulated distance
off shore measured in time or distance, (depending whether the aircraft is a 2 or 4
engined aircraft) must carry Emergency Locator Radio Beacons (ELB’s) on board?
By law every aircraft must carry (ELB’s) that transmit on a frequency of 121.5 MHz
and 243 MHz. The beacon is equipped with a self-erecting antenna that pops up
when immersed in water. When water enters the battery the radio beacon
automatically turns on and has an operating life of approximately 24hours.
Did you know that commercial jet
than a set regulated distance off
measured in time or distance,
on if the aircraft is a 2 or 4
aircraft)
must
carry
Life Rafts on board?
These are typically carried in
vestibule
of
the
doors.
these life rafts are self inflating,
an emergency slide for ground
and can hold upwards of between 40
each!
aircraft flying more
shore
(depending
engined
Emergency
to
the
Typically
double as
evacuations
70 people
Did you know that in an emergency each flight attendant is responsible for a predetermined section of the aircraft?
This ensures that procedures can be followed and maximum safety can be
maintained. The section from a flight attendants perspective is allocated at the time
of pre-flight briefing for the flight.
Did you know that sink and galley water is dispersed into the atmosphere?
Did you know that toilet water is not dispersed to the atmosphere?
Toilet water is held in a storage tank in the belly of the aircraft and is not emptied
until arrival at the destination airport by a slug truck. (Commonly referred to as the
perfume truck)!
17
18
Did you know that there are several phases to flying and that each has its own
peculiarities? Let’s have a look at a few…
Take off
Did you know that if an aircraft engine were
to fail on take off it will still climb into the air
safely?
Two engine aircraft are in fact 100 percent
overpowered which means they will climb
out on take off, all be it a lot slower than
normal even if one engine quits entirely.
Did you know that the hotter the atmosphere on take off the longer the runway
needed to take off?
This is because the air is less dense and therefore provides lest lift at a given
speed. Also, the hotter (warmer) the air going into the engines the less effective
amount of oxygen (pressure) to provide combustion for power at any instant.
Climbing
Did you know that on take off engines operate at maximum takeoff thrust during
climb until a safe altitude is reached and then after reaching a safe altitude the
pilots reduce power to climb power?
This is done because maximum power is not designed to be used for long time
periods safely but it also reduces environmental pollution and fuel burn and it
increases mechanical longevity. This is an extremely important consideration
when the purchase cost of an aircraft engine is measured in the millions of dollars
each.
19
Cruising
Did you know that Jet aircraft fly most economically at higher altitudes?
Air is ‘thinner’ and colder at altitude creating less resistance and more efficient fuel
burn.
Did you know that as an aircraft climbs it pumps air into the aircraft under
pressure to maintain an altitude that people can travel and comfortably breathe at?
Generally this is a pressure altitude of between 5000 to 8,000 ft pressure height.
This is done so that the human body can still consciously ‘operate’ in a normal
fashion by diffusing enough oxygen through the lungs and into your blood stream
to prevent hypoxia.
Hpoxia is a condition where the supply of O2 to the body is inadequate to provide
normal respiration and body function. Respiration is what happens when you
breathe. Oxygen (O2) is drawn into the lungs by the negative pressure caused
when the rib cage is raised and the diaphragm lowered.
This air, now in your lungs, comes into contact with approximately 300 million air
sacs. The O2 is diffused through the air sac wall and into the blood stream.
The effectiveness of this process is dependent upon the PRESSURE of oxygen in
the air. A notable decrease in human performance can be detected above 10,000
ft.
Thus all aircraft that fly above 10,000ft need to be pressurised to prevent Hypoxia.
(‘Hypo’ means under, and ‘oxia’ means oxygenation) Hypoxia is not generally
experienced by healthy individuals at commercial flight altitudes unless
decompression occurs.
Did you know that in the event of a rapid aircraft decompression at normal cruise
altitudes you only have 1 to 2 minutes of effective performance time before you
would slip into unconsciousness?
This is why flight attendants always demonstrate the use
oxygen masks before every take off!
20
Your Effective Performance Times
(Without Oxygen) at the various altitudes
Cabin Altitude (ft)
22,000
25,000
28,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
Above 40,000
Effective Performance Times
10 minutes
3-5 minutes
2-3 minutes
1-2 minutes
30-60 seconds
15-20 seconds
Less than 12 seconds
Did you know that at cruising altitude it is impossible to open a pressurised aircraft
door?
An aircraft door is pressure sealed and actually locks into the fuselage. This means
that in the act of opening the door it must at first come inwards to the cabin to
unlock before it then travels outwards to open.
Did you know even that even if you had everybody on board trying to open an
aircraft door in a pressurized state at cruise they would still not get it open?
Here is the mathematics of the force exerted on an aircraft
door under normal pressurization at cruise altitude.
The aircraft when pressurised exerts a
pressure on the door of approximately 8.5
pounds per square inch. If we accept for
the purpose of this example that the door
measures 76 inches x 48 inches it would
total 3700 square inches of surface area.
Times 3700 Sq inches x 8.5 pounds =
3145 (and divide by 2.2 to convert to
tons). This equals in excess of 14 tons of
pressure
acting
upon
the
door.
21
Remember this is an inwards opening door which means that in order to open it the
hinge mechanism at first brings the door into the cabin before then opening it
outwards. Just how good are these aircraft designers?
Ultimately this means an army of men or all the passengers on board could not
even open a door whilst in cruise. Simply do not believe those movies!
Did you know safety factors of approximately 150% are built into the structure of
an aircrafts greatest expected load?
Airframes are pressurized many times over to simulate several lifetimes of normal
operation, to validate the design and set the standard of safety we now see in our
modern aircraft.
Navigation and Communication
Did you know that modern jet Airliners use many
systems both old and new for navigating, or as a
back up safety method of doing so?
There are “old fashioned” electronic gyro
compasses and mechanical compasses for
navigation through to dual flight management
computers that make the pilots aware of all
aspects of the flight path. Flight computers
make the working world of a pilot much more
relaxed, however should computer failure happen,
then pilots can revert to the less sophisticated and
cumbersome ways of days gone by to maintain
navigation and flight safety.
Did you know that the navigation systems in modern aircraft can plot the exact
position of an aircraft to within just a few metres anywhere in the world?
This is achieved courtesy of the Global Navigational Positioning Systems that
navigate via satellite.
It makes for extremely safe and efficient means of travel because an aircraft can fly
extremely accurately. Efficiency is enhanced by flying at wind assisted levels.
Did you know that hurricane force winds of more than 200 km/hr are common at
cruise altitude?
Great if it is a tail wind, not so good if it is a head wind!
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Did you know that auto pilot is normally engaged just after take off and normally
disengaged about midway through descent?
Incidentally, Did you know that provided an aircraft is so equipped and the
destination airport has instrument landing facilities, a commercial jetliner aircraft
can be programmed to auto land?
This would be programmed by the pilot at the departure aerodrome. It could be
such that after take off the aircraft would climb, cruise, descend, land and come to
a complete stop on the centre of the destination runway without any physical
interference from the pilot. (Such are the marvels of modern technology) Of coarse
Pilots will never be done away with. (Just in case anything was to go wrong they
are there to rectify it)!
Controlling Altitude and Direction
Did you know that an aircraft can move about its axis in 3 ways?
These movements are known as yaw which is around the vertical axis, pitch which
is around the horizontal axis and roll which is around its longitudinal axis.
The rudder on the tail of the aircraft controls the yaw movement, the elevators on
the rear tail plane control the pitch movement and the ailerons on the wing control
the roll movement.
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Descending
Did you know modern commercial aircraft use a system called ground-proximity
warning system (GPWS) to help keep pilots from inadvertently hitting the ground at
night or in bad weather?
As you read this, an even newer version of GPWS is being phased in. The terrain
avoidance warning system utilises the precise GPS navigation system and digital
three-dimensional terrain data to create an even better warning device.
Landing
Did you know that the heavier an aircraft is on landing the faster it
must approach and land on the runway?
The heavier the aircraft is the greater amount of lift required by
the wings for it to fly. In order to generate this lift, the aircraft has
to fly faster!
The aircraft landing gear therefore has to be able to withstand
unbelievable forces when the plane touches down due in part to
possible pilot error on landing or the natural phenomenon called
wind shear.
Remember, a pilot of a 747 for instance would still be
seated about 3 stories high or about 15 to 20 metres up in
the air when the aircraft wheels are touching the ground and
traveling at possibly 3 times the maximum speed allowed for
car/automobiles on most freeways around the western world. This takes great skill
and judgment to land such a huge piece of machinery with precision and
smoothness!
Did you know that the stresses or safety margins that an aircraft under carriage is
designed upon is its maximum take of weight?
An aircraft must be able to take off and due perhaps an engine failure, return to
land carrying the same weight. A Boeing 747 for example, an unbelievable
engineering master piece would require a landing speed of approximately 300
km/hr at its maximum take off weight. (MTOW).
When approaching to land, the aircraft ideally maintains an 3% glide slope or
approach angle relative to the horizon which the pilot must level out just prior to
touch down. At 300km/hr this can be a challenge for any pilot so the under carriage
is built to withstand a forgiving descent rate of 600 feet per minute at this MTOW!
How good is that!
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Did you know that an aircraft, even a very heavy aircraft can float on water or
more appropriately, aquaplane on the runway when landing at a predetermined
speed?
Hard to believe but here is the equation to finding the speed at which an aircraft big
or small, light or heavy will aquaplane on water.
Obtain the tyre pressure and times the square root of it by 8.6.
Did you know the tyre pressure in a landing tire of a commercial airliner is almost
6 times greater than the car you drive?
Normal tyre pressures for commercial airliner
aircraft are approximately 190 pounds per square
inch (PSI).
Therefore the computed aquaplaning speed of a
typical commercial airliner aircraft is 8.6 x the
square root of 190 = 163.4 km/hr.
However, the fact that runways now have excellent
drainage to combat problems of water on the
runway have reduced many situations of possible
aquaplaning of aircraft in landing situations right around the world. Drainage is
enhance by a very smart addition to the construction of runways in the fact that
they are now grooved crossways to the runway to assist with water runoff.
Warning systems
Did you know that modern commercial aircraft also use collision avoidance
systems to warn them if other aircraft
get to close?
This is known as ‘the traffic alert
(TCAS).
TCAS takes advantage of the
aircraft are equipped with
sends a message to the
control
radar.
The
heading,
altitude,
flight information that
their computer radar
‘blip’.
They also have
procedures to
avoid
and collision avoidance system’
fact that all commercial
radar transponders. This
ground-based air traffic
message will read the
speed and other
controllers see on
screens
as
a
systems and
help them
collisions
25
and wind shear.
Wind shear is a sudden change in wind direction or speed and thereby causing a
reduced lift component for the aircraft.
Wind shear often occurs in conjunction with a thunderstorm or other bad weather.
Obviously it can have potentially disastrous consequences if encountered too close
to the ground.
Pilots now have specialized training in the avoidance and capabilities of how to fly
safely out of wind shear, and they practice these skills in simulators regularly.
Did you know that the Black Box is not in fact Black?
One of the greatest safety inventions or derivative of, for the airline industry has, is
and always will be for the foreseeable future is the crash protected flight recorder
or more commonly called the “Black Box.”
Although they are called "black boxes," aviation recorders are diametrically
opposite in colour to their name. They are in fact bright orange. It is believed that
black boxes are so named because they were originally painted black.
Being orange offers crash scene investigators the greatest opportunity to locate the
black boxes following an accident.
Did you know that the Black box was an Australian invention?
This famous device was invented in 1958 by Dr David Warren at the Aeronautical
Research Laboratories in Melbourne, Austrailia.
In 1926 the father of the Black Box inventor David Warren died in one of Australia’s
first commercial airline crashes. Nearly 3 decades later in 1958, Warren invented a
device for recording input data from a plane which including cockpit voice. It was
his intention that these recordings could be analyzed from any aircraft carrying
such device after a crash to determine the cause of it thus learning from our
mistakes or design faults.
Like many great inventions of Australia, particularly at the time it failed to gain
enough local interest to develop such a product. It was exported and developed
overseas in 1958 in the UK were British authorities began to legislate to make
recorders mandatory in British civil aircraft.
It wasn’t until the unexplained crash of a Fokker Friendship in Mackay,
Queensland, in 1960 that real change was spurred. The outcome to the
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investigation saw judicial order made to take effect in January 1963 that required
all Australian airliners to carry recorders for pilot speech.
It wasn’t until 1967 after another aircraft accident at Winton, Queensland, that
voice recorder difficulties were ‘eventually’ overcome and, Australia became the
first country to make both flight data and cockpit voice recording mandatory.
Black boxes are now mandatory for all major civil aircraft throughout the
world and are literally worth their weight in gold, just as its inventor, Dave Warren,
had foreseen.
With Black Box Flight recorders being mandatory pieces of equipment in regular
public transport civil aircraft, their rate of development in design and complexity
over the past 40 years has been vast.
Initially flight recorders were fairly primitive due pace of development of technology
with difficulties in areas like survival of black boxes in high impact crashes and
appropriate fire protection.
The minimal requirements of world authorities for initial mandatory fitment of Black
Boxes to commercial aircraft at the start of the jet age in the late 50’s was
mandatory recording of the actual flight conditions of the aircraft including heading,
altitude, airspeed, vertical accelerations, and time.
Over time, the technological advance in black box capability has seen the crash
survival impact of the boxes increasing from an extremely minimum standard to
more then 1000kgs.
Further advances in design and capability saw the capacity of recorders being able
to record sounds in the cockpit including pilot conversation, air traffic control
communications and aircraft noises. Progressively this included recording of
information about the engines, flight controls, flaps, and a mirage of other
measurements.
All of this advancement has led to greater safety and reliability. Development in
Black Box design as per everything else in aircraft design and development
continues to improve with time.
Did you know that aircraft don’t fly backwards?
Why Crash-Protected Recorders are in the Tail of the Aircraft - The original
placement of the Black Boxes were installed in the forward avionics bay, and built
to withstand a 100g impact. Several accidents later it became evident that the
crash rating of the box had to be massively increased (more then 1000kgs) and to
further enhance the survivability of them they were relocated to be placed in the
rear of the aircraft.
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Incidentally (Just off topic a little) a few other great Australian
inventions that have had universal impact on the world:
The Sarich Engine – An Orbital Combustable Engine originally designed for motor
vehicles
was invented by Ralph Sarich from Perth Western Austrailia 1972.
The 'Diff' (differential gears) – Invented in South Australia in 1897 by David
Shearer designed to be incorporated into his specially built steam car.
The 'Ute' – or 'Utility Vehicle' has developed into an Austrailia icon. This vehicle is
a refined combination of the cabin of a car and the rear of a truck and was
designed in 1934 by Lewis Brandt at the Ford Motor Company in Geelong, Victoria.
Variable Ratio Rack & Pinion Steering – This technological advancement in the
auto industry was invented by the engineer Arthur Bishop in 1970. This type of
steering was quickly adopted by vehicle makers throughout the world.
(Back on topic…)
Did you know that if a plane were to crash into the
ocean the on-board beacon would still operate as a
locating device?
It transmits sound detectable only by sonar and
once started will continue to do so for a period of
one month. The beacon operates at 37.5 KHz and
can transmit form a depth of over 4kms down!2
Did you know that aircraft are designed to float on water?
In an idealistic world, a modern jet aircraft will float on water. Should an aircraft be
required to ditch into water however, the likely hood of it floating as designed by
the manufacturer would depend on any damage receive when landing on or rather
ditching into the water. When looking down from above as a pilot does, it is very
2
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/black-box.htm
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difficult to know where the surface of the water is which makes it a great challenge
to land smoothly on top of the water.
Water is very hard when hit at speed. (Try hitting the water with an open hand
sometime)! Subsequently the aircraft is subject to forces that could cause much
structural damage and therefore loose its ability to successfully float. Thankfully
this is a very rare occurrence!!
Did you know that flight attendants are lawfully required to be present on regular
public transport flights (commercial operations) to perform duties in the interest of
the safety of passengers?
Flight Attendants must lawfully:
Inform passengers on emergency and safety procedures (this is why
you see a safety demonstration before every take off)
Provide for the safety of passengers from the time they board until the
time they disembark
Follow any and all safety procedures in accordance the Airline
emergency procedures manual and the Pilot-in Command
Flight Attendants must of course also perform the customer service and
operational duties under which they were hired.
Did you know that the pilots are often referred to as the Technical Crew or Tech
crew?
Did you know that on long flights more that one Technical Crew is carried?
The Technical Crew on such a flight or more correctly the flight would be referred
to as carrying a heavy crew. Tech crew have flight time limitations applicable to
how long they can be at the controls of an aircraft in flight. Therefore on long flights
heavy crews are necessary to relieve the accompanying crew at the controls while
they go to the on-board rest quarters to sleep.
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Did you know that the chain of command on board an aircraft is hierarchical?
If the flight is carrying a full heavy crew, the chain of command for the operating
crew would be:
1) Captain
2) Relief Captain
3) First Officer
4) Relief First Officer
5) Second Officer
6) Cabin Manager/Flight Director
7) Lead Flight Attendant
8) Flight Attendant
Did you know that as flight attendant you will be under direction of Lead Flight
Attendant who is acting under the direction of the Cabin Manager/Flight Director?
Your direct boss for better terminology for operational control on any given sector
will be dependant on which section of the cabin that you work in. All flight
attendants are given their “work positions” for the sector/day at pre-flight briefing by
the Cabin Manager/Flight Director. The economy cabin is directed by the Cabin
Manager/Flight Director and normally operated directly by the lead Flight
Attendant.
Did you know that flight attendants sign on for duty 45 to 75 minutes prior to
departure?
The ensuing flight destination whether over seas or domestic will dictate the
required sign on time prior to departure. Whatever, flight attendants need to
complete many duties before accepting passengers on board.
After a pre-flight briefing at sign-on by the Cabin Manager/Flight Director, the crew
proceeds to the aircraft to receive a flight/security briefing from the Captain before
completing a:
Emergency equipment check
A pre-flight security check
A cabin security check
A catering check
And giving an all checked and clear signal
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Did you know that aircraft operate with a Minimum Equipment List or what is
commonly referred to as a ‘MEL’ list?
A MEL is supplied by the aircraft manufacture in compliance with the relative
aviation regulatory body to an aircraft operator which gives them the authority to
operate an aircraft with certain items of systems inoperative.
Provided the item or system has relative suitable back up in lieu of failure of the
actual operating item or system, the MEL permits the aircraft to fly safely until the
first applicable or stipulated opportunity for replacement or service the said item.
While it is obviously best for an aircraft to operate with all systems functional,
unfortunately because aircraft are machines things do break down and they do
need servicing. However, fortunately they have many back up systems that cover
the required systems which is why a MEL can be issued.
A MEL basically enables an aircraft to fly with a fault until such time that it can be
fixed. For example, a MEL allows an aircraft that is away from its base of
maintenance and is found to have a system fault, the ability to return to its base of
maintenance to have it rectified.
Did you know that your night vision can be affected as you ascend in an aircraft?
Our vision is an acute
optimal function relies on
supplied via our respiratory
relies on the atmospheric
has a direct effect on the
we diffuse oxygen through
our blood.
sensory organ. Its
adequate
oxygen
system.
This
pressure
which
efficiency at which
our lungs and into
The normal adult respiration rate is
5 to 8 Litres per minute.
When we breathe in, some 300 million
microscopic air sacs in our
lungs, which incidentally would cover an
area of approximately 70
square metres, diffuses the oxygen (O2) available in the breath into our blood
stream.
The hemoglobin which is the iron component of the red blood cells captures the O2
molecules and transports them to the body tissues including our eyes!
The whole process of diffusion of O2 in our system is dependant on atmospheric
pressure. At sea level of 1013.2Mb the percentage saturation of oxygen is 97%.
Unfortunately as we ascend the atmospheric pressure in an aircraft rises which
actually means the total pressure decreases thus reducing O2 transfer and uptake.
31
This directly affects the natural ability of our lungs to do their job and the
consequent efficiency and function of our vital organs including our eyes declines.
In essence for smokers or those that
disorders, this means
vision may be
even before you
ground
and
severely
compounded as
head
to
the
When this happens a state
This is one reason why
are carried on board aircraft.
have lung or blood
that your night
effected
leave the
could be
you
skies!.
of hypoxia exists.
portable O2 bottles
Note: Faster breathing will not rectify
this condition simply because it
depends upon atmospheric pressure. Breathing faster can result in a condition
known as Hyperventilation.
Hyperventilation is a condition where too much carbon dioxide is exhaled. This
affects the chemistry of the brain and has noticeable side effects to the person who
in severe cases becomes a patient!
Tell-tale signs of Hyperventilation are:
� Rapid or over deep breathing
� Numbness or tingling of body extremities
� Spasms in the hands or the feet
� Feelings of panic, dizziness or agitation
� Vision disturbance
� Fainting
3
3
Cabin Crew Policy and Procedures Manual, Aviation Medicine & First Aid, Ansett Austrailia ch 17, p17-6
32
Did you know that aircraft are equipped with inflatable slides on each doorway
that are used to evacuate passengers in an emergency?
A gentleman by the name of Jack Grant who worked for Queensland and Northern
Territory Air Services (QANTAS), Australia’s premier airline carrier, devised the
first inflatable slide which doubled as a raft in 1965. This piece of equipment is now
standard safety equipment in planes4.
Did you know what airline carries the most passengers in the world?
Take a look at the web address below for the answer.
Courtesy of Ref: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/major_airlines.htm
Did you know that a flying career is one of the best careers you can every have
provided you are motivated by the right reasons. The very fact that you have
bought the Flight Attendant Interviews Made Easy shows your interest and I
sincerely hope that I have given you great information and great value with this
package.
I have spent many hundreds of hours in researching, writing drafts, editing and
then re-editing. In the end I had to make my final draft, edit and make available the
totality of this package.
While no such information was available at the click of a button when I joined the
airlines, I certainly hope that I have met with your expectations of this package.
From my perspective I wish you all the best in now using that information to
achieve your dream career.
Warm regards
Tom Reincke
[email protected]
www.Flight-Attendant-Careers.com
4
http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/corporate/history/jubilee/blackbox .html
33
Your beginning starts NOW! You have here some fabulous information,
along with some incredible bonuses that are included in your
Airline Flight Attendant Application 3-step system [AFAA] package.
34
Use every bit to your advantage!
Good luck, never give up, make your dreams take flight and see
you in the air!
Tom – www.Flight-Attendant-Careers.com
PS: More great info on the next page…
35
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