Pilot Schedules/Routines

[audio:http://aviationenglishblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/12pilotschedules.mp3|titles=Pilot Schedules/Routines]

TOPIC: Pilot Schedules/Routines

GOAL: To learn about the types of schedules and daily routine pilots live

Level: Easy

Exercise #1: Read about pilot schedules and their typical lifestyle, and then proceed to Exercise #2

It’s simple: If you want a typical “9-5” job, then flying airliners is not for you. In fact, most airline pilots have a very non-traditional work schedule. Expect to work weekends, holidays, and lots of early mornings or late nights as a junior pilot. There is no such thing as a "9 to 5" schedule in most flying jobs. Whether you work weekends or holidays depends on your seniority and what schedules you can bid.

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Airline Alliances and a Changed Passenger Experience

Read the introductory text below. Follow links to additional material.

Passenger experience as a concept has been a matter of great transformation over the last years. Both airlines and airports have invested time and expertise into revamping interiors and procedures, introducing new technologies, going green, offering bonuses and frequent flier miles club memberships, forming alliances and expanding them, as well as reinventing the entire idea of aviation security in a way that is unnerving for many a traveler or human rights activist   Read here:

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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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Packing

Packing!

Aim

• Practice English skills in an aviation context
• Learn some packing tips and some new vocabulary
• Have fun!

When the cabin crew come striding through the airport, immaculately uniformed and groomed, you can be sure that none of them are carting luggage that’s bulging to the point of zips breaking, or a carry-on with a pair of shoes tied on to the outside!

And you just know that when they get to their destination they’re not going to be changing into crumpled clothing, or turning the contents of their bags out onto the hotel room floor in search of a pair of socks.

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Depressurization

[audio:https://inglesaviacao.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/16depressurization.mp3]

Depressurization – The Need, Types and Management

Depressurization is the reduction of air pressure in the cabin of an aircraft. Sudden depressurization can result from a failure in the pressurization system, a structural failure or can be initiated deliberately by a crew member of the aircraft.

Failure of the pressurization system is the most common cause of sudden depressurization. Malfunction of the engine or compressor, structural failures like incomplete or faulty sealing of doors, windows or cabin wall follow.

It is necessary to know why the cabin is pressurized in the first place to appreciate the importance of the task. Aircrafts fly at high altitude to avoid bad weather and turbulence. The air pressure at such high altitudes is extremely low and can make the human body uncomfortable. As the air pressure reduces, the pressure of the blood in the veins tends to rise and cause headaches, ear aches and other issues. It is essential to control the air pressure at such high altitudes to ensure that the human body stays comfortable. During landing the pressure is gradually lowered to match the air pressure outside.

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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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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?

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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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History of Aviation

[audio:http://aviationenglishblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/09historyofaviation.mp3|titles=The History of Aviation]

TOPIC: History of Aviation

GOAL: To learn about the origins of manned flight and its fascinating history

Level: Easy

Exercise #1: Read about the history of aviation and then proceed to Exercise #2

While many aviation professionals and enthusiasts recognize the beginnings of manned flight with the Wright Brothers or Santos Dumont, its origins really stretch well before those dates in aeronautical history. In fact, famous inventors such as Leonardo da Vinci, John Stringfellow and Lawrence Hargrave had conjured up ideas of how to get some of the strangest machines to fly long before the Wright brothers' famous first flight at Kitty Hawk.

The kite was the first form of an aircraft believed to have been first designed in the 5th century BC. Roger Bacon, an English monk, performed studies later on in the 13th century which gave him the idea that air could support a craft just like water supports boats. In the 16th century, Leonardo da Vinci studied birds’ flight and later produced the airscrew and the parachute. The airscrew, leading to the propeller later on and the parachute were tremendously important contributions to aviation. He envisioned three different types of heavier-than-air craft; the helicopter, glider and ornithopter (a machine with mechanical wings which flaps to mimic a bird).

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