The Romance of Aviation

The romance of aviation

Aim

• Practice English skills in an aviation context
• Discuss the idea of the romance of aviation and practice listening skills
• Have fun!

Once, flying was about brave feats and privilege, and it carried an air of glamour and mystique. In the early days of both airplanes and cinema, wealthy aviators dated Hollywood starlets, and Hollywood continues to romanticise flying with films that glamorise the life of pilots, crew and even military aviators.  But is the aviator/flight attendant lifestyle as romantic as it looks?

… Continue Reading

The story of the flight attendant

The story of a flight attendant

Aim

• Practice English skills in an aviation context
• Test your reading skills (level: easy)
• Have fun!

There’s a certain mystique about flight attendants, isn’t there? Watch heads turn as cabin crew walk by.  They’re elegantly uniformed, immaculately turned out, on their way to somewhere far away and seemingly having the time of their lives.  You can almost hear everyone wondering, ‘What’s it like for them?’

The average person is usually quite curious about what life is really like for flight attendants, what it feels like to wear that uniform, what really goes on among cabin crew, how many languages the flight attendant can converse in and how glamorous the lifestyle really is.

Click here to receive the REAL definition of a flight attendant!

… Continue Reading

Parts inside the Aircraft

Parts inside the Aircraft

Flying can be an exciting as well as a jumpy and stressful experience for those flying for the first time. While you may be excited about travelling by air, there is also this lurking fear that you may not know what to do. Knowing what to expect as you enter the cabin can be reassuring.

When passengers enter the aircraft they are seated in what is called the cabin area. This area is divided into different sections for business and economy class passengers. The first row and the emergency exit rows are generally preferred by tall people who need more leg room. Front rows are also preferred by those who do not want a bumpy ride since the movement of the aircraft is exaggerated in the rear rows.

… Continue Reading

Jet lag – Cause and Management

[audio:http://aviationenglishblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/05jetlag.mp3|titles=Jet lag – Causes and Management]Jet lag – Cause and Management

Also called desynchronosis, jet lag is a medical condition that occurs as a result of air travel across countries in different time zones in a short period of time. This is different from air sickness which is nausea experienced by some people every time they travel by air.

Some of the common symptoms of jet lag include headache, fatigue, insomnia, disrupted sleep pattern, irritability and digestive trouble.

The body can tell the time of the day with the help of specific signals that are received by the senses. For example, the optic nerve in the eyes receives information about the amount of light or darkness outside and transmits this to the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls various bodily functions like temperature, hunger, thirst and sleep as well.

Grammar point: present continuous tense

Grammar point: present continuous tense

Aim

• Practice English skills in an aviation context
• Practice present continuous in dialogue form

In-flight medical problems and emergencies

Aviation English – Portuguese Dictionary

We are launching an English – Portuguese technical dictionary for aviation professionals. It provides the translation for technical aviation vocabulary for English and Portuguese. It also has an optional pronunciation guide for Aviation English terms.

Key benefits:

1. FREE to download (only pay for audio US$4.99)

2. Easy type and get dictionary (type by keyword and matching word will be listed below)

3. Confirm the correct English pronunciation

4. A comprehensive list of aviation terms included

5. Switch easily from Portuguese to English and English to Portuguese

6. Compatible for Apple iphone/ipad/itouch and Android

… Continue Reading

Hijack-proof piloting

A hijack-proof piloting system for airliners is being developed to prevent terrorists hijacking the planes.

The mechanism is designed to make it impossible to crash the aircraft into air or land targets – and enable the plane to be flown by remote control from the ground in the event of an emergency.

Scientists at aircraft giant Boeing are testing the tamper-proof autopilot system which uses state-of-the-art computer and satellite technology.

It will be activated by the pilot flicking a simple switch or by pressure sensors fitted to the cockpit door that will respond to any excessive force as terrorists try to break into the flight deck.

Once triggered, no one on board will be able to deactivate the system. Currently, all autopilots are manually switched on and off at the discretion of pilots.

After it has been activated, the aircraft will be capable of remote digital control from the ground, enabling operators to fly it like a sophisticated model plane, manoeuvring it vertically and laterally.

… Continue Reading

Passengers with Special Needs

Flight Attendants 1

Passengers with special needs

Aim

• Practice English skills in an aviation context
• Revise or learn vocabulary surrounding passengers with special needs (level: difficult)
• Have fun!

While some passengers may think that flight attendants are standing by to top up drinks and bring more peanuts, you will no doubt be aware that the role of a flight attendant is that of a trained professional, onboard to ensure security and safety of passengers.  Passengers who identify as having special needs (that fall under the categories of special needs as defined by each airline) will require specific attention.

Why is it important?

Being able to attend to specially identified needs means

• An enhanced level of service
• Increased customer comfort and satisfaction
• Increased customer safety and wellbeing
• An accessible, non-discriminatory service

… Continue Reading

First Bird Strike In Aviation History

The first reported bird strike was recorded in 1905 by none other than aviation pioneer Orville Wright. According to his diaries, Orville was conducting a practice flight that lasted a little under five minutes total, during which time he covered 4,751 meters and completed four circles. During two of these laps, he used his aircraft to chase a flock of birds, killing one, which landed on the top surface of the plane until he was able to shake it off with a sharp turn.

… Continue Reading