Viewing page 5 of 15

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

- 4 - 
For example, no flight attendant is released from an airline's emergency training program until she has demonstrated complete knowledge of the airplane's emergency facilities and procedures. After this training and her initial flight assignments, she is given refresher training and periodic competence checks. In fact, prior to the departure of many flights of U.S. overseas carriers, cabin attendants are quizzed to be certain that they have retained their training on how to handle emergencies. In any case where a flight attendant indicates a lack of the necessary knowledge, she is immediately sent back to training before further flight assignment.
The domestic airlines, as well as our international flag carriers, require a stewardesses to take recurrent training in emergency procedures at least once a year. They are brought up to date on revised or new procedures, and they also take refresher courses in what they learned in stewardess school. There are no exceptions. A stewardess who has been flying for 10 years still must take recurrent training.
Right now, government and industry are engaged in a massive research program aimed at one goal: To increase your chances of surviving an emergency that results in an accident. To lessen the chances of fire after impact. Improved evacuation chutes. Better marking of emergency exits. Stronger seats. With the exception of preventing mid-air collisions, there is no area of safety getting more attention than crash survival. In brief, you have a  very good chance of walking away--and it will not be long before the words "very good" will be changed to "excellent". 
I mentioned the rigid, even ruthless training of cabin attendants. Let's take a brief look at the men up front. I wonder how many of you regard yourselves or your husbands as expert drivers...or even as good drivers. I'm going to make a statement that may surprise you. There is not a single person in this room, no matter how well she can handle an automobile, who is one-tenth as capable of