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Health

Insider Airplane Safety Info You Won’t Get During a Flight Demo

Feb. 5, 2013 7:45am

Sure you pay attention to the brief safety demonstration being acted out at the front and in the center of the airplane by flight attendants. And perhaps you’ve taken a glance at the tri-fold laminated safety brochure in your seat back pocket. But there are some things that you are not told about airplane safety.

Thank you George Hobica — the same man who brought us the secrets of flight attendants revealed — with Airfare Watchdog for pulling together information about it.

A self-prescribed “airline nerd,” Horbica writes that he took a British Airways safety class in London that provides more in-depth information, like that which flight attendants would receive in training.

He writes:

You get to jump down an emergency slide! And if you’ve ever wanted to pull the inflation cord on one of those airplane life vests, this is your chance. You also get to evacuate a cabin filled with smoke (it’s the kind used in a theater or rock concert, but it does the trick). You’ll practice the fine points of the “brace position.” And best of all, you understand why some of those more obscure procedures and safety warnings are part of the flight experience.

We’ve pulled out a few of the fascinating safety information tidbits that Horbica shares:

Greg Horbica With Airfare Watchdog Shares Flight Safety Information Not Included in the Demonstration

(Image: Shutterstock.com)

  • Life vests: ”One thing they don’t tell you in the typical safety demo: people take those life jackets, located under or between your seat, as souvenirs. It’s a vile and punishable offense, and while airlines do check each seat at the start of every day, a plane could make several trips in a day, during any of which a passenger could steal a life vest.”
Greg Horbica With Airfare Watchdog Shares Flight Safety Information Not Included in the Demonstration

(Image: withGod / Shutterstock.com)

  • Why you should put on your mask first: ”You might only have 15 or 20 seconds in the event of a cabin decompression, during which all oxygen would be sucked out of the plane (and your lungs), before you’d experience confusion and a euphoric stoned state, at which point you might forget everything you heard during the safety demo (if in fact you even listened, which you probably didn’t).”
Greg Horbica With Airfare Watchdog Shares Flight Safety Information Not Included in the Demonstration

(Image: Shutterstock.com)

  • Why the exit lights are red: ”Like taillights along the motorway in a fog, Andy explained, they’re red because they show up better in a smoke-filled cabin. And indeed it’s true, as we learned when our ‘cabin’ became a soupy fog.”
Greg Horbica With Airfare Watchdog Shares Flight Safety Information Not Included in the Demonstration

(Image: Shutterstock.com)

  • Weight of exit row doors: ”Even for me, a fairly strapping 6-footer who goes to the gym regularly, they’re pretty heavy (40 pounds to be exact). It’s not just the weight, but maneuvering them while sitting down that’s an awkward challenge. [...]  The bad news is that half the people (probably more) who I see sitting in those exit rows wouldn’t have the strength to manage the door. Airlines should not sell these seats to anyone merely because they can pay the fee for the extra legroom.”
  • Why dim the lights: ”to help adjust your eyes to the dark (either inside a smoke-filled cabin or on a darkened runway).”

Be sure to read all of Horbica’s article for more safety information that you won’t get during an in-flight demonstration here.

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

(H/T: Yahoo! Travel)

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Comments (27)

  • Poggle The Stick
    Posted on February 9, 2013 at 2:11pm

    Wow, and I was just thinking about going on vacation.

    Report this comment

    Poggle The Stick  
  • suz
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:11pm

    there use to be physical requirements to sit in the exit row seats. now it’s just the wheelchair-bound person; the chid traveling alone, the “difficult” person placed there to be monitored or anybody the attendants like.

    Report this comment

    suz  
  • OniKaze
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 4:43pm

    @Cadcamtrainer

    I am sorry to hear that your job requires you to fly (as that means you have no choice but to deal with TSA and other non-sense that accompanies flying)… Mine used to, so I have been on both sides of this..

    I can’t say that cars are safer than flying (as I know the people at GM and many car companies that have similar NDT issues) as we ALL know that by the numbers they are not… But Cars are required in the state I live in (as our state has no real Mass Transit system, and we don’t really need one either) and planes are not required for my daily life…

    So I drive, and do not fly.

    I hope your luck with flying holds out and NOTHING bad ever becomes of your flights.. But knowing what I know about the testing of the aircraft that are in our skies, I will abstain from doing so, because my luck is never really that good, and I do not wish to tempt fate…

    You can all believe me, or just live in denial about it (your choice, and since ignorance is bliss I won’t blame you for a second..), but what I said is ALL true, and the denial of others will not change that fact…

    Report this comment

    OniKaze  
  • SteveThomas39
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 1:37pm

    A “strapping” 6 footer who has trouble handling 40 lbs. sounds like someone who was awarded a prize for showing up. Seriously. I’m an aging, 5’7″, beer gut body that handles that weight with ease, and has not been in a gym since high school. The author shouldn’t project his own inadequacy on others, but I do agree that those seats should be given to people who are fit enough to handle the doors.

    Report this comment

    SteveThomas39  
  • term limits for congress
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 1:03pm

    I’d like to see the Undercover Boss show do an episode as a flight attendant.

    I never worry when I fly because, as I am told repeatedly, the flight attendants are there for my safety – not my service.

    Report this comment

    term limits for congress  
  • OniKaze
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 11:17am

    I work in the Non-Destructive testing Industry (at a major mfg. of machines for testing) and I can tell you BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that the people that “test” these aircraft to make sure they are “safe” are the most moronic and common-sense devoid people I have ever met…

    None of them know how to do their jobs correctly, and EVERY one of them passes parts that should have failed…

    I REFUSE to fly, because I know for a fact how dangerous airplanes are (or have become)… When properly maintained, they are quite safe… However, since I have done business with EVERY airline in the U.S. (and many others around the world) I can assure you, that the planes in the sky ARE NOT as safe as they are supposed to be…

    Anyone who flies when they COULD take ANY other mode of transport, is a fool… If you don’t believe me, get in the NDT industry, and I guarantee you that you will come to the same conclusion.

    Report this comment

    OniKaze  
    • jungle J
      Posted on February 5, 2013 at 12:00pm

      name callers have no credibility. Try another way, progressive.

      Report this comment

      jungle J  
    • KernelOfTruth
      Posted on February 5, 2013 at 12:02pm

      If you continue believing others are responsible for your safety such that your life is risk-free, please beware of those couch springs under your tush.

      Report this comment

      KernelOfTruth  
    • Cadcamtrainer
      Posted on February 5, 2013 at 3:26pm

      I fly every week, 48 weeks a year for the past 11 1/2 years. You might not want to fly because you probably only when on vacation…. Some of us have to fly to make a living…. Flying is much safer than diving. Each time a drunk, someone texting or arguing while on the phone, someone on dugs, that is a accident ready to happen and your life in in danger. How many people are getting killed or hurt every day in car accidents versus airplane accidents. I understand that the numbers of people diving is greater than flying but percentage wise flying is much safer.

      Report this comment

      Cadcamtrainer  
    • OniKaze
      Posted on February 5, 2013 at 4:21pm

      @jungle J

      No Progressive here…

      @Kernal

      And I do not think “Others” are responsible for MY safety (that is MY call, which is why I CHOSE not to fly)… However, in this case, COMPANIES ARE REQUIRED to test their aircraft for wear and tear (like metal fatigue on Landing gear) regularly, so in this case they ARE responsible for the safety of their customers (you).

      So what you all seem to think, is that a person with only a high-school diploma, and NO post high-school training (and poor O.T.J. Training) is more than qualified to test your plane’s Landing gear to make sure it does not have a crack that Ray Charles could see in it?? And believe it or not, THAT is the ONLY requirement to be parts inspector for the sub-contracted maintenance work that EVERY major American Airline uses…

      If you want YOUR eyes opened, then realize this… NDT operators inspecting YOUR airplane (of which about 90% are tested in Mexico while most of the others are done in Miami) are ONLY required to have a H.S. education (no GPA requirement) and only have to comply the a company’s Internal written training procedure (which more often than not, only takes 1 day to complete).

      Are there some people out there that do this correctly and are trust-worthy people?? Sure.. But having met MANY of the people that do this, I can say that those folks are few and far between…

      You can deny it in order to help yourself sleep at night, all you want.. But your denial does not change

      Report this comment

      OniKaze  
  • gbgreta
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 10:11am

    I Do Not Fly.

    Every unemployed TSA agent is a victory.

    Report this comment

    gbgreta  
  • addie
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:48am

    I have done a lot of flying in my life and have been to many countries, all for work. So much so, for 2 years i commuted between 2 cities via plane 2-3 times a week. After the TSA naked xray machines, I refuse to fly. (fortunately I have people under me I can send now)

    It would tick me off when I would see kids in the exist isles or small people who I knew could not handle the door. Oh, and they would have crap all over the floor. On one flight, I asked the stewardess if they were allowed to have anything blocking the floor in case of emergency. She looked as if it was the first time she had seen it (of course, they dont miss a beat, they can spot a seat not up-righted 15 isle down.) and asked them to put it up in the cubby.

    I think the problem is…airplane companies are afraid of getting sued if they offend someone. If you ask a child to leave the exit row, they will sue for age discrimination…..yadda yadda.

    Report this comment

    addie  
  • shesellsshells
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 9:16am

    As a former Pan Am Flight Attendant…(remember how nice it used to be to fly?) there are serious concerns with the current airlines selling those exit seats with more leg room. We always had an ABM (Able Bodied Man….(YES… “MAN”) only sit in those rows. This was for safety and also because those window exits are indeed very heavy. Why in the world is the FAA letting the airlines use these seats for a cash cow? BTW…I also hate to fly in this new age. I see so many things that are just plain…(and also Plane) wrong!

    Report this comment

    shesellsshells  
  • woodyee
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 8:52am

    Any extra learning, outside of how to use your vest or don your oxy-mask, goes out the window when the fit hits the shan. Unless ALL passengers go through the same training over and over again, the discipline may only exist within the trained, while the panicked will neutralize it with, well, panic.
    If Gaybama gains control of the field of US psychiatry, there are bound to be MILLIONS put on no-fly lists. Here – http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/doctor-warns-obama-taking-over-psychiatry/

    Report this comment

    woodyee  
  • Dismayed Veteran
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 8:43am

    I did a lot of business flying before I retired. I paid attention every time but my basic philosophy was “what happens to one of us will happen to all of us”

    Report this comment

    Dismayed Veteran  
  • TROONORTH
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 8:36am

    How about a truthful comparison of safety between air and car travel? ( hint; accidents happen to vehicles not people so the usual ‘deaths / mile traveled’ comparison is not a true reflection of the safety issue)

    Report this comment

    TROONORTH  
  • bugstoo
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 8:28am

    I refuse to put up with the tsa and airlines crap! If I can’t go someplace by driving then I don’t go!
    I spent my first 45 years a lot in the air flying for business or the service (Air Force). Had a lot of close calls during that time. So now I am relegated to just driving a motor vehicle and the only crap I have to put up with is red lights, speed limits and all the crazy drivers in total distraction.

    Report this comment

    bugstoo  
    • Cadcamtrainer
      Posted on February 5, 2013 at 3:27pm

      Great but some of us have to ly because we need to get to work cross country every week and driving is not a option.

      Report this comment

      Cadcamtrainer  
  • BackToTheWall
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 8:07am

    I put myself on the no fly list.

    Report this comment

    BackToTheWall  
  • ForMyKidsVA
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:56am

    How about tips on how to fly without going through a TSA molesta-point?

    Report this comment

    ForMyKidsVA  
  • DougHuffman
    Posted on February 5, 2013 at 7:53am

    Only the compliant (enough to pass their TSA compliance drills) and gullible, with more money than good cents, fly.

    Report this comment

    DougHuffman  

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