warrior_princess
|
miss jet,can u help me?!!!Hiya,iv just read ur post on the other discussion board n u said ur cabin crew! I need some help coz im flyin 2 gran canaria from UK in 4 month n im terrified!! I last flew 2yrs ago n it was so bad i swore id never get on a plane again! Nothin bad has ever happened,im just terrified of it! But i stil enjoy my holidays abroad!! N its not really my emet thats the problem!!Thanx,love Nikki xx
|
MissJet
|
Hiya Nikki, you can ask as many questions as you like, I don't mind at all, if I can help I'd be happy to 
If you wanna ask anything, even if its about what chimes mean what, what announcements mean what and what we do with the doors etc....anything feel free! Ask about our training, and if you want to ask any technical things, I can always ask a pilot friend of mine
What is it that scares you the most about flying?
x
|
warrior_princess
|
2 be honest i dont really know wot scares me the most. Iv never had a really bad flight but the take off n bein up there is horrific 4 me. I hate flyin at nite n both our flights r at nite this time. Iv only flown 2 africa n gran canaria. The 12hrs 2 africa was terrible n the 4 hrs 2 gran canaria just finished me off. Iv booked another holiday coz i love goin away n know i can do it!! I dont even think about my emet wen i get on a plane coz the fear of that takes over! If there was an emergency on a plane,would we get told straight away?? Wen i flew bk from gran canaria 2 yrs ago,the flight we were supposed 2 go bk on was grounded at manchester with a serious technical difficulty so they sent another plane. As soon as i heard the pilot say that about the other flight i hit panic stations!! i just wanted 2 get off!!
Thank u so much 4 replyin n helpin me! i really appreciate it,love nikki x
|
MissJet
|
Hello hun, well first off, congratulations to you for booking your holiday, your not letting your fear stop you from having a holiday so thats a great step! This is gonna be a long post so get comfy haha 
I will be totally honest with you, in the aim to help you understand what goes on on aircraft. I'm sure you've heard many times people saying flying is the safest way to travel and it is. Its statisically proven and if you think about the hundreds and thousands of flights which depart and land every single day, all over the world, there's hardly ever any emergencies.
As cabin crew, we go through hard and gruelling training, we practice and get tested in simulators (simulating emergencies, yes the simulator moves and throws us around and there's recordings of ppl screaming etc) so it seems very very real to us, so in the event of a real emergency, us crew will be straight into trained mode. Before every single flight, we have something called a breifing, its where the crew all meet in a designated room (in my airline, we fly with new ppl every flight) so we all introduce ourselves to each other, dicuss the flight, and the purser (head of the flight) does what is called a 'Safe Talk'. This involves every crew member having to answer a security question and a first aid question to test we know our stuff. If we get the question wrong, we get reminded of the correct answer and have to look it up in our manuals then we get asked another question. If we get the second question wrong as well, the Purser offloads us and we are not allowed to fly. And this happens in all airlines. So you can be rest assured your crew know their stuff.
Another thing which freaks even the best flyers out, is turbulence. Now before I started as crew, I had only ever experienced mild turbulence. And I was aware turblence could get rough but I had no idea until I was in training (again, in the simulator lol) In aviation terms, turbulence is divided into three categories.
1. Mild - The plane will vibrate or shake slightly, your coffee might slosh out the side of the cup a bit, the seatbelt sign will come on.
2. Moderate - Now this one, is what most everyday passengers think is 'bad, severe' turbulence and even I did before I started. The cabin crew will most likely be told to be seated, in case we fall etc. The plane will be dipping and shaking fairly violently, our carts in the ailse might fall over, any passengers standing might fall and must be seated immediately. The seatbelt sign will come on, don't worry if you don't see the crew, we will be seated with our belts on too.
3. Severe - Severe turbulence is very very rare. Of course your seatbelt sign will be on, things in the galley will tip, fall, spill, crash about, hatracks (over head stowage) might fly open and luggage fall about (I've never ever seen it happen but we're trained to expect it) and any loose items in the cabin eg meal trays on tables could hit the ceiling and passengers will most likely, be panicking and crying or screaming because like me, I never even imagined turbulence could be so bad) And of course, now I'm trained and I have knowledge of this, I wouldnt be scared but you passengers, wouldnt have a clue and immediately assume the worst.
Phew! Anyway, the point of me describing the 3 types to you is not to scare you (hopefully not!) but I do want you to know because if you do encounter any turbulence then you'll know that its nothing to be afraid of, and thats its actually very normal. Aircraft are designed to be flexible, especially the wings. The wings are designed to flex (don't quote me on this, but I think its to a 45 degree angle with twice the normal pressure an aircraft wing would normally go through) Now thats an amazing amount!! So when your aircraft is dipping and diving through turbulence, the aircraft is doing that because the wings are flexing, thats what they are designed to do, so they won't snap off Also, there's never been a fatal air crash due to turbulence.
I have never experienced severe turbulence. I have been flying for a year and a half, and the worst I have came across is moderate turbulence normally lasting 5-10 mins, the longest lasting 20 mins. So hun, it is very rare and if it does happen on your flight, I'm hoping that at least you now know it won't harm or damage the aircraft and it doesnt last long.
The pilots are tested and trained in their simulators every 6 months and their simulators are prgrammed to throw unexpected emergencies upon them that they have to deal with. Again, their simulators are identical to a real cockpit and even their windows have digital images on them to make it look like they're really taking off etc...with clouds and all sorts lol. On real flights, the Captain goes and does a walkaround of the plane, inspecting it for any abnormalities, checking the engines, tires etc and once on board the plane is put through a whole load of pre flight checks to make sure all the equipment and instruments are working. These guys really know what they are doing. If any equipment shows a slight defect, they will never ever take the risk.
If their was an emergency on a plane, you would be told straight away as the crew will then go on to breif the passengers and prepare the cabin in such an event, so yes, we have to tell you The only time you wouldnt is if there was no time and even then, the pilot will make commands over the PA or your crew would shout instructions to you etc...
More facts....if there is an emergency, we have to evacuate the whole aircraft in 90 seconds. I'm talking about the big mamma planes too, Boeing 777's, even the Airbus A380 (the double decker one!) so rest assured, you'll be put quick and if your slow, I'll boot you down the slide so I can get out after you (lol!)
Goodness, Nikki, we have survival kits on board, should we get stranded in the desert equipped with food rations and signalling kits to signal for help. Lost at sea, we have roofs to fix on the rafts, oars, water pumps, you name it we have it!
Aircraft are amazing works of art, they have back up systems after back up systems, they're designed to keep you safe. Some suggestions for when you fly to help your nerves....
Take Calms (those natural herbal tablets which calm your nerves) Start taking them 2 weeks before you travel (it tells you on the label, I think its 2 weeks) I used them coming up to exams and my driving test, it really helped.
Tell the ground staff you have a phobia of flying and that you are scared, this information should be passed to us crew, we even get your seat number so we can check on you before, during and after the flight.
Google some breathing texchniques to help you relax and do your breathing techniques during take off and landing to help you focus on something else. Take suduko puzzles or a good book to keep yourself distracted. If there are no carts in the ailse during cruise, go to the galley and have a chat with the crew
I hope this helps luv, I'll be flying to UK on Wednesday, I'm going on leave for 2 weeks to see my family but I'll still try and pop on and answer questions you might have. If you want, pm me and I'll send you my email, you can add me on msn or email me, I'm more than happy to help! I hope this has been of some use
xx
|
warrior_princess
|
Thank u so much 4 takin the time 2 reply 2 me. Iv pm`d u but im not sure if its worked!! Please can u let me know if it has! Thanx again,ur a star!!
|
GLH
|
Can I possibly ask a question.
Its turbulance that scares me most and what it might do to people!
Are there any routes that are worse for turbulance/or good routes or is it all in the hands of the gods?
Thanks
Gail
|
MissJet
|
Sorry for the late reply guys, I have been on holiday in the UK and it was impossible to get on the computer in private lol.
Gail, turbulence unfortunately is unpredicatable. The pilots have radars in the cockpit where they can see patches of bad weather (rain, thunderstorms etc) which will cause turbulence and they will avoid these areas at all costs. However it is possible to get turbulence that doesnt show up on the radar so it really can be unpredictable. Stay clear of crossing the Bay of Bengal during Monsoon season, thats the only area known to be troublesome lol.
And as for what happens to passengers, I have seen some pretty bad turbulence and only a handful of people have been s* I've been flying a year and a half so its not that common. Bumpy landings may also cause some people to v* thats more common  The main thing is though, no matter how severe your turbulence, it aint gonna harm the structure of the aircraft, the only damage it will do is to people not wearing seatbelts (injuries) Thats why the Captain always says in his PA to keep your seatbelts on loosely at all times.
Hope thats helped somewhat x
|
|
|
|