Unit 1. 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?’
Flight attendants or cabin crew (also known as stewards/stewardesses, air hosts/hostesses, cabin attendants) are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.
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.
And flight attendant hopefuls are equally interested to glean as much information as they can from working flight attendants, and to receive confirmation or encouragement that the dream is within reach.
“I decided to become a flight attendant after spending 3 years abroad. When I returned home to Canada I knew I wanted a job where I could keep traveling and interacting with people from different cultures. And I love airplanes!” said Emma of Air Canada. It seems like we are right all along that travelling is one of the reasons why flight attendants decided to be on this field. I can’t really disagree with them.
While Kate of Emirates pointed “I loved how glamorous flight attendants look and I was fantasizing being that glamorous while walking the streets of all the beautiful cities in the world. In addition, the idea of being stuck inside an office and on my bum is repulsive to me. I have always wanted to see and take what the world has to offer”.
Personally, I love flying but I hate landing. Being a flight attendant would be the death of me. On the other side, Emma said she’s been working as flight attendant for 5 years now and Kate for 3 years, both has no plans to quit the job in the near future. Despite that Jonas of Etihad only been working for a year now, he enjoyed every moment of it since he left his apartment to work in this field.
Task: why do you want to become a flight attendant?
Vocabulary
flight attendant– стюардесса
cabin crew– экипаж
military aircraft– военный борт
hopefuls– претенденты
landing– посадка
Unit 2. 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.
EMERGENCY EXIT
The cabin area also includes the galley where the food is prepared, seating area for flight attendants and storage space that is used to carry food and beverages and other essential items. The space in between the seats is known as the aisle and is used for walking up and down the aircraft. Depending on the specific kind of aircraft that you are flying in, there may be one or two aisles.
The galley area is usually accessed by flight attendants to prepare the food and drinks that are served to passengers. In larger aircrafts lavatories or toilets are arranged in the front, the middle and at the back of the aircraft for the convenience of passengers. There are also overhead bins that are provided to store any small hand baggage that the passengers may be carrying.
When you are seated you will be able to raise the shutter of the window if you are lucky to have a window seat. Each seat has a seat belt that can be adjusted and worn. This is something that you will necessarily need to do during take-off and landing and also when the pilot indicates turbulence. Above each seat is a panel that has individual reading lights, air conditioner fan control and a bell that you can use to beckon the flight attendants in case you need anything. The panel also contains oxygen masks that drop automatically when the cabin pressure reduces. Below each seat you can find floatation devices in most aircrafts that need to be used in case of an emergency landing.
The area that is not accessible to the passenger is the cockpit. This is located in front of the aircraft from where the pilots control and manage the aircraft. For security purposes, this area is enclosed and completely separated from the cabin area and only authorized personnel are allowed inside. In the good old days when airline terrorism was not so rampant, children were often taken by flight attendants to give them a firsthand look at the dials.
Vocabulary
Reassuring– обнадеживающий
Galley– свободное место, камбуз
Cockpit– кабина пилота
Dials– приборная панель
Questions:
1) What is the part of the aircraft where passengers are seated called?
a) Cabin
b) Galley
c) Cockpit
d) None of the above
2) When are the passengers required to wear a seat belt?
a) During take-off
b) During landing
c) During turbulence
d) All of the above
3) The _____________ is the area where the food of the passengers is prepared.
a) Cockpit
b) Galley
c) Cabin
d) Food is not served on aircrafts
4) Which part of the aircraft is not accessible to the passengers?
a) Aisle
b) Lavatory
c) Galley
d) Cockpit
5) Are passengers allowed to store some of their luggage inside the aircraft?
a) Yes, passengers can store carry on baggage in overhead bins
b) Yes, but only passengers seated in the front row seats can store their luggage
c) No, there is no place to store carry on baggage
d) Storage area varies in different airlines and can either be in front or at the back of the aircraft
Unit 3. Parts of an Aircraft
GOAL: To learn the major parts of an aircraft by location and function
Level: Easy
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