ABOVE AND BELOW THE CLOUDS. Harry W Frahm

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      Bunches of papers were handed out to be studied in the evening. A very serious business, the whole future was in the balance, not just to get good notes, like in school. So, everyone was studying very intensely. The dark shadows under the eyes affirmed it.

      Not only were the evenings engaged with studying, a home had to be found. The hotel was eating up the pennies too fast. Some established flight attendants volunteered to assist those newcomers finding a room or an apartment. A very welcome gesture to establish the feeling to belong to a group of professionals who have a bond towards each other like family members have. And a big family it is indeed! Even today after more than twenty years after the demise of Pan Am.

      Among endless movie shows, there was one, produced by the Canadian Air Force, with the theme, “Loss of cabin pressure!” A most interesting issue to observe the reaction of people in a minus pressure environment. In this hermetic sealed chamber the air is sucked out slowly and the aviators inside are closely observed. They have all an oxygen mask dangling in front of them to be quickly attached to their faces, over their mouth and nose, that is. This is done by a trainer wearing his mask at all times. Each individual in this compartment is performing a simple assignment, like it is done in a pre-kindergarten school. Put a star-shape form in the place where it belongs, put a cube in a diamond figure, and so on, in its place. It is easy child’s play, yes? Not so, when the ever so important oxygen is not present. The first sign of depletion is a silly grin, the star goes where the diamond shape is supposed to go. All of a sudden the controls of the hands are not there anymore. No coordination whatsoever, the eyes close and the head becomes too heavy. That is the time when the instructor puts the oxygen mask on this individual. The recovery is spontaneous and the thumb up sign is given, as the instruction was prearranged beforehand.

      It was a very important lesson for flight attendants to recognize a slow decompression. They will be the first ones to be affected since they are active, while the rest of the people, including the pilots, are seated and therefore being in a rested position, needing less oxygen.

      “What do you think about a stewardess bringing back trays to the galley, at the end of a meal service, and throwing them on the floor, instead putting them on a counter?”

      Instructors of annually emergency training sessions like to ask this question.

      “Correct, it is a slow decompression.”

      These recurrent training classes, once a year, are required by the FAA (Federal Aviation Agency) in order to keep the flight status current.

      Someone failing the test at the end of the training class will have an immediate vacation.

      The test can be repeated a few days later and if failed again the vacation can be permanent, without pay!

      What other job has such strict requirements?

      Pan Am, however, conducted those tests every half a year.

      After all, it was the “Most Experienced Airline,” as the slogan proclaimed.

      On the other hand, a sudden decompression announced itself by a loud explosive boom and a sudden fog lasting only a few moments. Air rushes out of nose and mouth and the oxygen masks fall out of the compartments above the seats. Clever, as the designers of aircrafts are, there is always an extra mask provided. For example over a two seats there are three masks and so on.

      The reason is, there might be a baby on a lap, needing the mask. But also a flight attendant or any other person in the aisle must grab a mask really fast, since there is only a short time of consciousness remaining, namely seven seconds.

      And that isn’t much time!

      Those three days of medical preparation and agony behind those “Sky Walkers,” to be, the fourth day of training was a wet one.

      No, it was not raining, no umbrella needed but bathing suits and one bathing trunk. The day was scheduled to simulate a ditching (landing on water) and the anticipated problems of such a calamity. A bus took this group to a nearby swimming pool, including, this time, a male instructor.

      All imaginary passengers and crew were supposed to be in good shape, after the plane had come to a stop on the water and was floating. No injuries of any kind.

      But some girls asked to be excused to go into the water because of their monthly.

      The instructor didn’t want to hear anything about it and mockingly said in a high voice:

      “No captain, you cannot ditch this airplane today because I have my……!”

      He was looking at Herbert with a big smirk, nodding his head.

      None of the girls smiled and Herbert was looking at the water as if he expected to see a dolphin or something very interesting in there.

      This out-of-place humor was cut short by Mister Parker; he threw a package, containing a life vest, into the chlorinated waveless water, substituting a real ocean. This, he explained, is the way the life jacket looks, found under each passenger seat. They all watched this little yellow bundle floating there at the deep end of the pool, wondering what will be next.

      “Who will volunteer to jump in and put the life vest on?” He continued,

      “Anybody can put it on easily on dry land, as you have seen it done coming over here!”

      He knew his class consisted of all Europeans.

      “Asking how about it?” There was no reaction!

      Looking at Herbert with a face like a big question mark.

      And so did all the girls.

      Herbert thought: “I should have laughed at his stupid remark earlier, when he imitated a girl. Now he is getting even with me, sweet revenge,” and continued thinking,

      “That’s what you get, when you are the only guy among women folks,” and jumped at the same moment into the H2O. Still in midair, he came to the conclusion,

      “NEVER VOLUNTEER, YOU IDIOT!”

      Wow, the water was colder than he anticipated, and almost took a deep breath as the involuntary reaction demanded, but didn’t because he was still submerged.

      By no means was he a Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan or any other aquatic animal. He struggled and trod water like hell and managed to open the unfamiliar package without reading the instruction, swallowing an unhealthy amount of water, hating the chlorine taste, and tried to imagine it were gin and tonic. Herbert pulled at the inflation handle, after he had managed to get this device over his head, ending the fight for his life. He displayed a shy grin, while the whole gang applauded. He tried to take a bow but the inflated life vest prevented his stupid attempt.

      “Stay in the water,” Mister Parker ordered him, tossed as many vests as he could grasp into the pool until the correct amount was floating happily in there.

      “Alright, Ladies, in you go,” he shouted.

      One mademoiselle after another jumped in, while other slithered over the rim into the cool wet element. Only one missy, with tears in her eyes, confessed that she couldn’t swim.

      “It is one of the requirements to become a stewardess,” he said to her.

      “Even СКАЧАТЬ