Announcement: Aviation English – Inglês para Aviação

Does The New Airline Travelers “Bill of Rights” Go Too Far?

On August 23 the majority of the new rules proposed in what is being called the “Travelers Bill of Rights” took effect. This is yet another set of rules and regulations aimed at the already heavily regulated airline industry, which leaves one to wonder how many more regulations can possibly be imposed on the airlines. When it comes to safety it is an obvious necessity to have certain rules in place to protect passengers but if the government continues to impose such hefty regulations they may price the airlines out of business. There is no doubt that these additional rules and regulations will have an impact on the price of airline tickets. The question that is yet to be answered is how much of an impact will this have. This new set of regulations does provide a comprehensive set of consumer protections but at what cost? It has been proven throughout history that whenever an industry is overly regulated that it can result in devastating consequences for those businesses involved.

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Cabin crew procedures

Cabin crew procedures

Aim

• Practice English skills in an aviation context
• Revise some typical procedures and test yourself on knowledge you not only need to know but may be tested on during interviews
• Have fun!

The list of cabin crew procedures can be daunting but don’t worry, there’s always a Flight Attendant’s Manual on board! For this lesson, let’s focus on the pre-flight safety announcement, followed by some revision of ICAO abbreviations.

ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, sets international aviation safety standards. A typical pre-flight safety announcement will include:

• A  reminder to review the aircraft safety card
• The use of the seat belt
• The requirement that passengers must comply with lighted signs, posted placards, and crew members instructions
• The location and use of the emergency exits, evacuation slides and emergency floor lighting
• The use of the oxygen mask
• The location and use of the life vests, life rafts and flotation devices (not typically included if the flight does not overfly or fly near vast masses of water)
• The brace position
• A reminder not to smoke onboard, including the toilets
• The precautions to take before take-off and landing: to stow luggage under a seat or in an overhead compartment, to return folding trays and seat backs to the upright position, to turn off electronic devices

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Santos Dumont, Pioneer Aviator

[audio:http://aviationenglishblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/13santosdumont.mp3|titles=Santos Dumont]

Alberto Santos Dumont, Pioneer Aviator

Santos Dumont, born in 1873, grew up in a coffee plantation owned by his family but spent most of his adult life in Paris. He was so fascinated by machinery that even as a child he learned to drive steam tractors and the steam locomotive of the plantation train too.

A great fan of Jules Verne, the father of science fiction, Santos Dumont had read all his books by the time he was ten. As a child he would reflect deeply while gazing at the magnificent skies of Brazil in the long sunny afternoons in his vast plantation and dream of flying airships and flying machines.

The first thing he did on arrival in France at the age of 17 was to buy an automobile and hire a private tutor for studying physics, chemistry, mechanics and electricity. His passion for flying eventually made him one of the most famous people in the aviation industry during the early 20^th century.

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Airline vs. Executive Aviation

TOPIC: Airline vs. executive aviation Listen to the audio

GOAL: To compare airline flying versus working in executive aviation

Level: Easy

Exercise #1: Read about the differences between airline flying and executive aviation and then proceed to Exercise #2

The physical aspects of flying an airplane are fairly similar in most segments of the aviation industry. However, the overall economic scope and nature of this flying can be quite different, depending on the segment. A good case is the comparison between executive/business aviation and the airline market.  Both operate a range of turboprop and jet aircraft but their use and customer base is very different.

So, we know that the typical airline passenger is the casual traveler, and frequently, a businessman/woman flying to a major market. But who uses business aviation? The answer is: companies and individuals seeking a fast, hassle-free option of air travel. While companies that rely on business aviation represent many different professions and locations, they all have one thing in common: the need for fast, flexible, safe, secure and cost-effective access to destinations across their country and around the world. Business aircraft allow employees to make a trip involving stops at several locations, then return to headquarters the same day. Hundreds or thousands of dollars can be saved on hotel rooms, rental cars, meals and other expenses that would be needed to make the same trip over several days via auto, train or airline transport. Because employees can meet, plan and work with each other aboard business aircraft, productivity en route is greatly enhanced.

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Crew Resource Management (CRM)

[audio:http://aviationenglishblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/15crm.mp3|titles=CRM]TOPIC: Crew Resource Management (CRM)

Exercise #1: Read about CRM and then proceed to Exercise #2

Crew Resource Management (CRM) training originated from a NASA workshop in 1979 that focused on improving air safety. The NASA research presented at this meeting found that the primary cause of the majority of aviation accidents was human error, and that the main problems were failures of interpersonal communication, leadership, and decision making in the cockpit. Originally, this concept was called Cockpit Resource Management because issues and communication among pilots was the core focus. However, over time, the name was changed to Crew Resource Management after the aviation industry realized that safety lies with everyone that is involved with flight.

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Parts of an Aircraft

[audio:http://aviationenglishblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/04partsofanaircraft.mp3|titles=Parts of an Aircraft]

1. Read about the various major parts of an airplane, then proceed to Step 2

Although there are many aircraft designs flying today, most of them share a common assembly of major parts that all pilots should be thoroughly aware of. Ever since the early days of aviation, an aviator’s primary training included the fundamental knowledge of what each part is called, its function and where it is located.

Each major part of a fixed-wing aircraft serves an important purpose. For example, the propeller helps move the aircraft through the air via thrust. The wings are lifting bodies which help keep the aircraft airborne. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers contain vital control surfaces; and the fuselage is a major structural component containing crew and passenger areas.

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Health problems on board

• Learn some healthy tips specific to cabin crew while learning the terminology of illnesses cabin crew may face
• Have fun!

After health professionals, cabin crew must rate as one of the professions most exposed to communicable illnesses while on the job and, unlike doctors and nurses, there’s not much in the way of protection on hand, and no escape route!  Add to that the long, intensive hours worked and jet lag, how can flight attendants possibly boost their immunity and minimise sick days?

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Religions and Cultural Sensitivity

Religions and Cultural Sensitivity

A separate and explicit training of different religions and cultures is an essential part of the overall training for all airport officials and crew members and the reason for this is quite apparent. Airline staff and crew come across people from various nationalities and cultures and each of these have their own unique practices and requirements.  While the Jews may need kosher meals, some Hindus may want completely vegetarian fare. And food is not the only sensitivity that we are talking about.

Educating the airline crews about different religions and cultures is imperative for them to have a better understanding of how specific religions and cultures function. The need for the same is evident from an incident with a US Airways flight in Minneapolis where six Muslim Imams were ejected by authorities because passengers and crew found their prayer rituals unnerving.

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Ash Clouds

[audio:http://aviationenglishblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/14ashclouds.mp3|titles=Ash Clouds]TOPIC: Ash Clouds

Exercise #1: Read about the dangers of flying through ash clouds and how to handle such a situation.

This is an originally produced article and audio by Global Aviation English

In April 2010, Europe's skies remained largely closed for several days after a mass of volcanic ash which originated from Iceland blanketed the continent causing crippling flight delays. Due to the disruptions to air traffic, a major portion of 22,000 scheduled flights destined to take off from locations throughout Europe were cancelled. In fact, only 6,000 departed during the near weeklong event. The International Air Transport Association estimated the air traffic interruptions caused approximately $200 million in damage a day. Contrary to popular belief, flying through ash will not completely destroy an aircraft in seconds, but the abrasive particles will certainly cause great exterior and electrical damage to airplanes flying through the clouds over a very short period time.

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