A pilot in my family turned me on to this terrific music video -- written, performed and produced by his friend, Mike Wagner. The catchy lyrics are set to an old Beach Boys song, and the video is very entertaining.
Out in New Jersey(s)
There’s a place called Teterboro
That’s where everybody goes
To be a part of it all
Lots of jets on the ramp
Loaded up waiting to start engines
They’ll be there for an hour
Before they even have the chance
Down in Teterboro
Several days ago, a pilot friend sent me an email with a most interesting attachment. It seems that Jeppesen, the universally well-known publisher of aeronautical charts, had produced a special edition approach chart, detailing the Hudson Miracle Approach, as performed by the crew of Cactus 1549, the US Airways A320 that famously and successfully ditched in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. I'm told that the approach plate was handed out at the EAA AirVenture 2010 at Oshkosh, during the auction.
Truly a collector's item, the approach plate honors the five crew members of US Airways Flight 1549 by naming intersections after them, and noting their full names and experience in the box at the lower right.
This video was posted to YouTube in June with the tongue-in-cheek title, "The endless dispute between the French and the Germans." The blurb that was posted beneath the video explains:
LH687 from Tel-Aviv to Frankfurt. Economy class is occupied with a few dozens of French tourists. Suddenly they start a 'pillow war' inside the cabin.
Lufthansa flights attendant seems to take active part in the war.
Clearly, this was a good-natured "war" -- and everyone applauded at the end!
NOTE: The post below was originally published three years ago on Cabin Crew News, where it became a perennial favorite. It's just as relevant and funny today as it was in 2007, so when I merged the Cabin Crew News archive into this blog, I decided to move this item up and publish it anew.
This list came to me as an email pass-around, and to be honest, it's the second or third time I've seen it. Nevertheless, I thought it would be fun to post here. I wonder which of these would seem mysterious to people outside of aviation? Probably the same ones that make flight attendants laugh the most!
You know you're a flight attendant if...........
You never unpack
You look to the ceiling when your doorbell chimes
You wish you had jet engines mounted in your bedroom so you could fall asleep faster
You don't ever write a full city name (and it bugs your non-aviation friends): DTW MCO FCO BOM
You get excited over certain types of ice
You silently curse every Bose headset-wearing dude -- ("Yes, the electronic device announcement means you, sir.")
You know how to look fresh in 5 day old clothes
No matter how many times you clean out your suitcase you still find ancient hidden treasures in there
You HATE boarding
You LOVE deplaning
You have figured out that turbulence is not caused by clouds but by the initial movement of all meal carts
You can't believe that people let their babies and toddlers play on the floor of the aircraft cabin -- ewww, nasty
You remember the passengers with great manners (that's sad)
You can't remember when UM's actually became bigger than you
You love foreigners because they can't adequately complain in English
You have to turn your head when you see a passenger in stocking feet enter a lavatory
You secretly cheer when another flight attendant has to deal with the medical emergency
You HATE on board duty free
You can't stand the frequent flyer who says "I fly more than you..." (yeah, right)
You hate running into your passengers at your layover hotel
Blankety-blank tray stackers!
You hate when the heavy drinkers start flirting and calling you by name
You long for the days when it was easy to rig the TV for free movies
You want to smack the nail clipping -- finger nail polishing -- nose picking -- snoring passengers
You want no passengers talking to you while you are non-revving
Even when you are not working a flight, you travel in uniform for the liquids, creams and gels exemption
If passengers can't find the flush to the toilet -- they should stay in there till they do!
You wish you had a button to press that would announce, "No I don't have a pen"
You are excited to find a can of different soda that is not supposed to be on your airline
You could scream when people use an empty seat to change their baby's diaper, and don't even put a blanket underneath the little one -- worse yet, they ask if they can change the baby on the floor of the galley!
You know a meaning for "crop-dusting" that has nothing to do with agriculture
You cruise the aircraft after all the passengers have deplaned to find the discarded magazines and paperback novels before the cleaners get them
You can spot the cover of a new crossword or sudoku book on an airport newsstand rack from 50 feet away
You hate early morning departures -- Who in the hell HAS to fly at 6 AM?
You wish every airline manager actually WAS a flight attendant at one point in their life (this goes double for flight attendant supervisors)
You can't believe the senior F/A at your airline is in their 80's (doesn't matter what airline they all have them)
You try not to go to the bathroom on the plane but you sure can catch a good nap in there
You hate that passengers think they can hear you without taking off their headsets
You are glad there are no hidden cameras in the galley
Your non-aviation friends truly don't get the commuting part: "So you have to fly when and your trip starts where??"
YES, "Remain seated for the duration of our flight" DOES mean YOU
You can't figure out why your manager is not held accountable for the same things you are
Your jumpseat partner knows more about you than your spouse or life partner
You have at least 6 items of your own you could add to this list
You had a memory for all of these, and understood every one.
Just in case there's still someone out there who has not heard about Southwest Airlines flight attendant David Holmes, who became famous recently for 'rapping' a safety briefing, here is the video - "uncut and unedited," says LiveLeak.com:
Someone needs to tell the elves up at the North Pole to equip Santa's sleigh with a proper transponder before next Christmas rolls around. TCAS won't work unless he's squawking!
Happy Holidays to Aircrew Buzz readers around the world. For the New Year I wish all of you blue skies, smooth air, tailwinds, and happy landings.
We all know that, in recent times, airlines have been cutting back on amenities offered in the passenger cabins. Meals, beverages, snacks, pillows, blankets, magazines -- you name it! -- either it no longer exists, especially in the economy section, or else flight attendants are now tasked with offering these items for sale, or collecting fees from passengers for their use.
How far will this practice go? Which items will be charged for next? This MADtv video presents the extreme case. Let's hope it never comes to this:
How about something a little more light-hearted than our usual fare of cabin safety news and flight attendant labor issues: I noticed an entertaining article posted to Nuts About Southwest, the official blog of Southwest Airlines. It was written by a Carole Adams, a Dallas-based flight attendant.
Ms. Adams wrote Drop Me a Line, a collection of pick-up lines heard by flight attendants. Here's a sample of the pick-up lines on her list:
“You have to know CPR because you take my breath away.”
“I’m not drunk. I’m just intoxicated by you!”
“If I borrowed your glasses, could I see you tomorrow night?”
“Congratulations, you’ve just been voted the most beautiful Flight Attendant. I’m your prize!”
Okay, stop rolling your eyes. I know they're groaners, but I think that's the point.!
There are others on that post, and still more contributed by readers in the Comments section at the end of the post. Go and have a look at Drop Me a Line. Go ahead and add your favorite (or least favorite!) pick-up line to the list -- there, or here.
I don't know which ad agency was responsible for this Brussels Airlines TV commercial, but if they didn't win an award for it, they should have!
Don't worry that it's not in English. You definitely will get the message by the end of the video, I promise.
If the video does not play or display properly here, you can see SN Brussels Airline TVC on YouTube.
Although I had never seen it until today, apparently this video has been around for awhile. I notice that YouTube user vinko posted it in 2005! (So much to see on YouTube, so little time!)
I first saw the video on the Aviation Movies section of the airlinecrew.net forum. There are lots more great aviation videos posted there. Check it out some time.
This video has been around for awhile -- it was first posted to YouTube by RookieJet last November -- but (sadly) its message still holds for many of the airlines it features, including the final warning that "in this biz, somebody will always do your job for cheaper."
Yesterday I decided to spend a little time cruising around on YouTube, just to see what's new. I never did get to the new stuff, though. I got sidetracked looking at a few older videos that I had bookmarked quite awhile ago.
This one -- posted on YouTube back in April of 2006 by cm8hadsptc -- still makes me laugh. It shows a couple of imaginary pilots drag-racing their B747s at an airport -- and turning a few doughnuts along the way, too!
In case the video doesn't display or play properly here, you can watch Digital Airline Racers on the YouTube website.
The Business Review, reporting on the results of a survey carried out by the online job search website Propelity.com, says that 'flight attendant' is one of the 10 sexiest jobs in the U.S. The survey was sent to 1,500 job seekers, employees and employers, with 1,075 responding. "Flight attendant' came out as the fifth-sexiest job on the list.
Here's the whole list:
fireman
chief executive
interior designer
doctor
flight attendant
police officer
nurse
teacher
lawyer
bartender & lawyer (tie)
What? Pilots didn't make the top ten list? What could it mean?
