Airplane Crash Survival –Touch and Go

You can dramatically increase your chances of making it through an airplane crash if you do some simple things to up the odds in your favor. Yet, when it comes to an airplane crash or incident, very few people make the conscious steps necessary to make it out alive. All airplane crashes are not fatal at first. More than 80% in fact are not. After it is all over, they may wind up being fatal due to passenger mistakes in attempting to save their own lives, they simply become fatalities.

So you are a passenger on an airplane walking through the gate entrance, and you greet the steward as you walk onto the plane. What you don’t realize is that the steward has been professionally train to assess you as you step on. He needs to know if you are alert, physically healthy, seemingly intelligent, traveling alone, or with children. If there is a problem the steward will know immediately who to turn to for help outside the crew.

In the same manner, when you step onto the plane, you have to begin the process of assessing your environment. I immediately look for the exit doors. Where are they, and how many are there? Which one is closest to my seat, and if that one gets blocked, what is the next closest exit door? You the passenger are making the same assessments as your crew members are making.

You absolutely have to count the number of rows from your exit doors to your seats? This is crucial, and don’t fail to do it. Make sure anybody traveling with you knows this information as well. If children are traveling with you, have them count the rows as well on their own. If you have a fire or smoke situation, you may not be able to see those exits clearly, but you will be able to touch each row as you move towards them, and that is why you count the rows. By the way, never ever stay at a hotel without checking out the fire exits in relationship to the position of your room. Again, make sure the children know as well. Never, ever crawl your way out of a smoke, or fire situation on a plane. Get low, kneel if you need to, but don’t crawl. It’s a sure fire recipe for getting trampled by others behind you.

You are now on the plane, and you know who is around you because you have made the assessment. You know where the exits are and you know them in relationship to your seat. You are now 10 times more advanced in your information and survival chances than everyone else on this plane. You have listened to every word the airline stewardess has uttered during her safety lecture. You have taken out the booklet describing the airplane and safety procedures, and you have gone through them.
Now in terms of your operational awareness, there are two types of people who survive in an airplane crash scenario. The first type possesses a good intellect. Dumb people die in a crash because they do dumb things, and smart people do smart things. It’s Darwin in the air. The second type of person is what the kids would refer to as someone who is cool under fire. You don’t panic, you don’t scream, you are not hysterical. How do you get cool in an airplane crash scenario? It’s very simple. You have a plan, and the plan is ready. It’s subject to change, but when you react, you will react according to the plan. People with no plan get hysterical; because that is the first emotion they embrace. People with a plan embrace the plan not emotions.

Remember while flying to always wear the seat belt. You have no idea how many people encounter clear air turbulence and wind up involuntarily leaping out of their seats and into the luggage racks as a result of physics.

Resist drinking alcohol while flying. When you get to the hotel, have a double. Booze cuts down on your response time to such an extent that you would not believe it. Your physical abilities as well as the ability to move and move instantly will be shot as well.

We all know that alcohol acts as a depressant, and is also a mood altering drug.  When you drink it, instantly it moves through your stomach, and unless you have some food in there, it instantly goes to the brain. It bypasses the blood-brain barrier with no slow down, and begins its effects. Those effects include destroying your ability to make judgments. It will also cut down your reflect time considerably. You will have aberrant behavior, and experience confusion. Does this sound like the type of person you want to be in an airplane crash?

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