INTRODUCTION
In order for Cabin Crew to react quickly, safely, and appropriately to a planned emergency landing, they must have thorough knowledge of their Planned Emergency Landing Cards (PELCs). Further, Flight Attendants must understand how to effectively use the PELCs based upon the amount of time remaining before anticipated landing. Flight Attendants are responsible for understanding the difference between a Long Cabin Preparation Demonstration (time until landing 10 minutes or more) and Short Preparation Announcement (time until landing less than 10 minutes). Flight Attendants must appropriately follow the directions of the PELCs and each of the Steps.
Around the globe, airlines equip their Crew with emergency procedure booklets that contain specific directions on how to prepare the cabin, the passengers, and themselves, for an emergency landing and evacuation. It is imperative that Flight Attendants understand what needs to be accomplished, and the reason for the order of priority, so that their response is efficient, controlled, calm and confident.
To this end, and upon successful completion of this second assignment, you will be able to identify the precise actions to be completed, when preparing for an emergency landing and evacuation. You will also be able to identify the aural, visual and verbal notifications of an emergency.
In your own words, answer the following questions using the Air Seneca PELCs and your FAM as a reference.
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS (Total of 65 marks)
1) Planned Emergency Landing Cards (PELCs) are carefully designed and written so that they help Cabin Crew prepare passengers for a planned emergency landing. For this reason, the cards are:
◦ printed on hard stock paper,
◦ designed with large font type,
◦ staged in steps,
◦ split into specific duties, and
◦ in some places, shaded blue
Take each point above, and describe one reason why the decision was made to design the PELC this way. Discuss the benefit to Cabin Crew of each design feature. Please be specific in your evaluation of each point.(5 marks)
Where are the PELCs located? How/why does this help the Crew? (2 marks)
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Planned Emergency Landing Cards (PELCs)
FSO410 ~ Assignment #3
2) When the announcement, “In-Charge, call the Flight Deck” is heard, all Crew immediately return to their stations. They may feel real anxiety in this moment, knowing that an emergency situation is upon them.
a) What is the best way to combat this anxiety? What tool do Cabin Crew have that will help them focus and feel more confident? How does it succeed in doing that? (3 marks)
b) The IC must pull out a pen to receive the TEST briefing from the Captain. Do Cabin Crew have to have a pen handy for when they receive the briefing from the IC? Why or why not? (2 marks)
c) When is the most appropriate time for Flight Attendants to ask the In-Charge questions if they are unclear about something said in the TEST briefing? Should they ask at the moment they are confused, or at the end of the briefing? Why is it important to ask the questions then? (2 marks)
d) Using your PELCs, review the TEST Briefing duties for a Flight Attendant. Looking at all of the bullet points in that step, what are they preparing you for? Take time to consider this question; really analyze the bullet points and describe what the overall objective is of this particular stage. (2 marks)
e) Why do Flight Attendants, who have no interphone, report to the 1L jumpseat for the TEST Briefing? What is the purpose of having them go and stand there? Describe why you think this is necessary, using an example.(2 marks)
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Planned Emergency Landing Cards (PELCs)
FSO410 ~ Assignment #3
3) Step 1 of the PELCs is solely to give Crew direction on one of two actions: If the time remaining until landing is less than 10 minutes, Step 1 tells Crew what they need to do immediately to prepare themselves for landing AND to go to the Short Preparation Announcement which is at the end of the PELCs. If the time remaining until landing is 10 minutes or more, Step 1 tells Crew to proceed to Step 2. The IC and Flight Attendants will remain on the interphone as they turn the page of the PELCs and begin to review Step 2.
a) If you are advised by your IC that there are 7 minutes to landing on Lake Ontario, what does Step 1 advise you to do? (1 mark)
b) The Step talks about a piece of equipment. What is it, and where do you find it onboard the aircraft? (2 marks)
c) If you are advised by your IC that there are 17 minutes to landing on Lake Ontario, what are you told in Step 2 to do with this same piece of equipment? Why is this direction a little different? Hint: you may need to look at the Steps from an ‘overall picture’ in order to answer this question. (2 marks)
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Planned Emergency Landing Cards (PELCs)
FSO410 ~ Assignment #3
4) Cabin Crew are advised in Step 2 to remain silent during each announcement and to move through the cabin to conduct a cabin check, only when they are prompted by the IC saying, “CHECK”. Flight Attendants are also reminded that the IC will only move to the next step once they receive the ‘thumbs up’ signal from all Crew that they are ready to proceed/continue.
a) You are in the aisle and ready to begin the Emergency Demonstration. You are standing still and tall and have your PELCs in hand. The Captain made his announcement and so now passengers are waiting for the IC to speak. So are you. The In-Charge hasn’t started yet. What could be the reason for that? How can you check while still remaining silent? (2 marks)
b) When the IC says “CHECK” describe what you do. The specific details for each step are not required for this answer. I am looking for you to tell me the general actions you take each time you hear “CHECK”. (2 marks)
5) The In-Charge, as a leader, should pace their announcements so that passengers understand the directions they are being given, and so that the Flight Attendants in the aisle can keep up with them. If in Step 4 the IC reads through the instructions of donning the lifejacket quickly and then says, “CHECK” before you do your lifejacket up, what should you do? Be specific here about the actions you will or will not take, and explain why that is. (2 marks)
6) Why have the ABP Exit Briefings been written out as a script for Crew? Why have airlines decided to do this instead of allowing Flight Attendants to just give the briefing in their own way, and in their own words? Please be specific in your response and provide examples. (3 marks)
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Planned Emergency Landing Cards (PELCs)
FSO410 ~ Assignment #3
7) Let’s look at Steps 3 through 8 for these next few questions to underline the purpose of each one.
a) The first paragraph in Step 3 is a quick summary of the notification the Captain just gave the passengers. What message is the second paragraph intending to communicate? (1 marks)
b) Paragraph three of Step 3 gets passengers putting things away. What are we trying to accomplish with these particular actions? (1 mark)
c) Why is it important that you do not pull down on the red inflation toggles as you show them to passengers? Why would it be a concern if passengers did? What is the harm in it? (2 marks)
d) In Step 5, why do we need to confirm that passengers have their seatbelts fastened? What reason would a passenger have, NOT to fasten it and to try and hide that from the Crew? (1 mark)
e) In Step 6, why do we show passengers two different brace positions? Why do we then go through the cabin, (after we hear “CHECK”) asking them to show us their brace position? What do we do if we see a passenger take an incorrect position? (2 marks)
f) In Step 7, each Flight Attendant will point out all the same exits, but their arms movements will differ depending on where they are standing in the cabin. Cabin Crew must be very aware of where they are and use the right motions. Once we hear the command “CHECK” we move through the aisle saying loudly, “Show me your nearest exits!” Why do we do this? What might we want to remind passengers as they show us an exit? (2 marks)
g) In Step 8 we ask for volunteers to assist us. Hopefully, people we had already mentally selected as great ABPs, will be the ones to volunteer. What if a gentleman with a strong build offers to help but you know he has had some alcoholic beverages on the flight? What will you do? Hint: there is no right or wrong answer: I am just looking for you to describe the actions you will take to either accept or decline this offer. (2 marks)
h) Once your ABP briefing is complete, you can take your seat. There is no further need to go back into the cabin. You fasten your seatbelt and shoulder harness. What should you do with your PELCs? Hint: this is not mentioned in the FAM so what do you think you SHOULD do with them? (1 mark)
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Planned Emergency Landing Cards (PELCs)
FSO410 ~ Assignment #3
8) What is your bracing position if you are a forward facing Flight Attendant? (5 marks)
9) What is your bracing position if you are an aft facing Flight Attendant? (5 marks)
10) What are some of the things you are thinking about as part of your silent review, knowing that you are preparing for an emergency landing and evacuation? Describe 5 specific points here. (5 marks)
11) What signal does the Captain give to notify Cabin Crew that landing is imminent? Hint: This is in the FAM! (1 mark)
12) How many minutes is there until landing, when this notification is given? Hint: Again, this is in the FAM! (1 mark)
13) How do you know when to shout, “Emergency! Keep Heads Down! Stay Down!”? How long do you shout these commands? (2 marks)
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Planned Emergency Landing Cards (PELCs)
FSO410 ~ Assignment #3
14) As the final part of this assignment, turn to the Short Preparation Announcements. As a reminder, this announcement is read by the In-Charge when there is not enough time for Crew to demonstrate actions in the aisle. This announcement is therefore read when the time until landing is less than 10 minutes.
Imagine that you are the IC and have been advised that you have 6 minutes until landing. Please time yourself reading the Short Preparation Announcement and note the time it took: _____ minute(s)
Deduct that time from the 6 minutes you were told you had and note how much time you have left remaining:
______ minutes
Knowing this information, do you think you could read the announcement again, and take longer pauses between sentences, and pace yourself a little better?
Please read the announcement again, this time being very aware of the fact that passengers will be dealing with anxiety; will be following your instructions as you read them, and may have difficulty hearing you. Take your time and read it again, noting the difference: _____ minutes
Now read the ABP Exit Briefing and note how long it took: ______minutes
With both the Short Preparation Announcement and the ABP Exit Briefing, were you able to complete them both within 6 minutes? Yes or no? What did you learn about yourself from this exercise? (2 marks)
THE FINE PRINT
This assignment has been set up in numbered format, simply to organize the questions. The expectation is that you submit responses in full sentence format, explaining in detail, your reasoning and answer. To repeat from the Introduction: this is not a cut and paste assignment where you just post what has been written in the PELCs. The purpose of this assignment is to have you:
1) Read the PELC thoroughly and use your FAM as a reference tool, too;
2) Analyse the actions of crew during an emergency demonstration and the procedures behind the communication; and finally
3) Evaluate how those actions or procedures help to ensure a successful handling of an emergency and build confidence in both passengers and crew
This assignment is worth 25% of your final mark and so there is an expectation that your responses will be thorough, complete, and reflect your learned insight.
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