straighten up and fly right

Page 8 THE SUNDAY MAIL, ESCAPE December 27, 2009 thesundaymail.com.au

8 Escape.com.au

Flying facts

Straighten upand fly right

BRACE YOURSELF: Airline safety procedures have a purpose.

Roderick Eime

ALL the rules and procedures aboutflying on planes can make the journeya real drag. Buckle this, stow that, turnthat off. Are all these regulations justto intimidate passengers andmakeaircrew feel important?

Paul (not his real name) flew ascabin crew with a major Australiancarrier for more than a decade. I askedhim about some of the rigmarole thatmost of us ignore.Brace. ‘‘Always good for a giggle, butif things get messy, you should knowhow to do it properly. The idea is to getyou sitting as far forward as possible so

if there’s an impact you don’t go flyingall over the place. If we tell you toremove your tie, dentures andspectacles, then it’s serious.’’Stow your tray table, seat backsupright. ‘‘It’s a drag I know, but thereare two reasons. One, to give you clearaccess if you have to move quicklyand, two, to remove hazards in theevent of a sudden stop. Also, if yourchair is reclined, you could slide underyour belt.’’Lifejackets are under your seat.‘‘Seriously, make sure you knowwhere it is and how to put it on – andwhatever you do, don’t inflate it untilafter you exit the aircraft. Remember

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961.’’ (Scoresof passengers drowned when thecockpit filled with water and theycouldn’t swim out.)

Greg is a captain with amajor Asianairline, with 15,000 hours’ total flyingtime, and has held a commercialpilot’s licence for 30 years.What’s the secret to a silky smoothlanding? ‘‘The best landings are really

in the hands of the pilot and99 per cent of landings are done thatway – good and bad. The best landingsare when all the ducks are lined up(approach speed, no crosswind, glideslope etc) and you just nail it.’’And the rough ones? ‘‘Well, you’llexpect me to say this, but it’s mostlikely a computer systemmistakewhere the ‘autoland’ feature has not

properly selected the flare point forany number of reasons. If there’s a badcrosswind, storm or it’s gusty, a pilotwill want to get the plane down ASAPand that can be indelicate.’’

Ray (not his real name) is a seniorcertifying engineer with 20 years’experience and signs off the bigBoeing and Airbus aircraft.Turn off yourmobile phone. ‘‘That’sa myth, but most airlines, I reckon,keep mobile phones off for passengercomfort and it’s still against the law inmost places. Thankfully, most phoneswon’t work at altitude anyway.’’(Airlines are trialling in-flightequipment and ‘picocells’ – minimobile phone towers inside theaircraft that communicate with land orsatellite systems.)Where is the safest section of aplane? ‘‘Most survivors seem to be inthe back.’’ True. Despite claims bymany authorities suggesting no ‘‘safezone’’ existed, Popular Mechanicsmagazine analysed 20 accidents in theUS and found passengers sitting rearof the wing had a noticeably improvedsurvival rate.

Pay the convenient wayThe Courier-Mail Classifieds

accept these cards -

Top End, Rail n RiverFrom $2995pppensioner twin11 nights. All inclusive of...• 4 nights Mantra Pandanas• FREE Litchfi eld day tour• FREE Darwin half day tour• 2 Days / 1 night Kakadu tour• The Ghan Darwin to Adelaidewith FREE upgrade to Gold service• 2 nights Murray River cruise includes River view cabin,all meals and tours or 2 dayKangaroo Island tour• 2 nights Adelaide 5 StarStamford Plaza• Barossa Valley & Hahndorf Tour Travel now - 31 August

Ultimate Rail HolidayFr $2089pp pensioner twin 10 nights. All inclusive of...• 4 nights 5 star in Darwin.• FREE day tours Litchfi eld waterfalls, Kakadu safari• FREE half day Darwin tour• The Ghan FREE upgrade to Goldrail travel to Adelaide incl. all meals • 2 night Murray River cruiseincl. all meals & tours• Or 2 day Kangaroo Island tour• FREE Adelaide city tour• 2 nights 5 star, Stamford Plaza AdelaideTravel now to 30 Apr $20891 May - 30 May $2339 1 Jun - 31 Aug $2498

Ayres Rock - Alice - AdelaideFr $1890pp pensioner twin7 nights. All inclusive of...• Ayres Rock to Alice springs coach tour incl. 2 nts at Ayres Rock withsunset BBQ & star talk • Olgaswith sunset drinks & fi nger food• 1 nt in Alice Springs with highlight tour • 1 nt aboard The Ghanfm Alice Springs to Adel. with FREE Gold upgrade • 3 nts superior accom. in Adelaide’s Stamford Plaza • Full day exploring Kangaroo Island, Australia’s fi nest nature based tour • Half day Adel. highlights tour Travel 1 Apr - 30 Jun fm $1890 Jul - 30 Aug fm $2038

Red Centre toRed Centre toKangaroo IslandKangaroo Island

KakaduKakaduSpendourSpendour

The GhanThe Ghan5 Star Sale5 Star Sale

Conditions Apply: Limited availability and subject change and seasonal surcharges. From prices are based on Pensioner pricing, per person twin share. FREE Gold service Upgrade aboard both the Indian Pacific & The Ghan is applicable when paying for Red Sleeper Service.

Sales period ends 31 March 2010 travel period ends 31st August 2010. TTA204866. PA0383

RAIL

SALE

EXTEND

ED

holidays@proud.com.auProudly South Australian since 1982

call the travel centre

1300 854 897

7Nights

per personFr$1890

10 Nights

per personFr$2089

11 Nights

per personFr$2995

4 Day

Fr$845

red centrestop over

Where to go, where to stay

Cairns

TownsvilleHinchinbrook Is.

Travel regions

Whitsundays

Central Qld

Northern NSW

SunshineCoast

Gold CoastBrisbane

Gold Coast HinterlandDarling Downs/Granite Belt

Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Hervey Bay & Burnett

Outback Qld

TropicalNorth Qld

Cooktown

This map indicates classification regions for travel section

CALOUNDRA Apts ææææ KingsBeach Dec/Jan vac htd pool, spa,great location, value. ph 5438 0600www.kingsbayapartments.com

COOLUM HOLIDAYSCOOLUM HOLIDAYSLast minute December - Last minute December -

January Accommodation January Accommodation Available minimum 3nt stayAvailable minimum 3nt stay

Check out the websitewww.coolumholidays.com.au

or www.coolum.com.au

1300 303 423phone our consultants

MOOLOO LABA A b s o l u t ebeachfront, luxury 2 & 3 bedroomapartments. Phone 5444 0240www.beachcomberonthespit.com

CAPRICORNAREA

Please note that this classificationincludes advertisements for

ROCKHAMPTON, YEPPOONand surrounding areas.

To become a member visit couriermail.com.au/subscriber

If you are a current subscriber of The Courier-Mail and The Sunday Mail, you can now manage your subscription online at couriermail.com.au/subscriber at a time that is convenient to you. This handy new website will allow you to

update your details, suspend your newspaper while you are away on holidays, upgrade your subscription, and more.

MANAGE YOUR NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION ONLINE

Applies to subscribers who pay their account directly to The Courier-Mail l The Sunday Mail. Subscriberadvantage rewards do not apply to subscribers paying their account directly to their newsagent and/or are not 7-day sunscribers

GLASS HOUSE a/c, sep sleepout,share fac, $240pw 0407 732 279

CAIRNS 4 Star Quality InnRainbowSouthside. 7 nights $400.Availabletill February (07) 4033 7722

AWARD WINNING Luxuryaccommodation, absolute oceanfront. Phone: 1800 075 061

CHARTER YACHTS AUSTRALIAWhitsundays - skipper yourself.Phone Tollfree 1800 639 520Website: www.cya.com.au

Where to go Where to stay

ADVERTISE NOWFORTHECOMING

SUMMER

HOLIDAYSEASON

132 202www.news.com.au

PHONETODAYON132 202

The Courier-Mail ClassifiedsOur trained Staff are waiting to help

you with your advertising.

ABSOLUTE BEACHFRONT - -Surfers Paradise units 2 brm fullys.c., heated pool, secure parking.(07) 5538 1623 fax (07) 5538 5022www.angleseacourt.com.auBROADBEACH 1+2 br. self /contAparts. Ocean views. Close toConvention Centre, Restaurants,Casino + Pacific Fair. Ph (07) 55382777 www.hihobeach.com.au

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATIONFOR ALL BUDGETS

Coolangatta - Rainbow Bay -Kirra - Bilinga - Tweed

From Beachfront Resorts toComfortable Units

Close to beach, shops,restaurants and clubs.

Free colour brochure and price list.Ph: 07 5536 2000

www.coolangattarealty.com.au

ALTERATIONTO DEADLINEDue to the ChristmasDay and Boxing Daypublic holidays, thedeadline for Traveland Holidays ads

publishing on Sunday27th December will

be 4pm Monday 21st.

MANILA RETURN $838 inc taxesJetset Kenmore 1300 734 653

MEDICAL + DENTAL HolidaysJetset Kenmore 1300 734 653

HAMILTON ISLAND fully self con-tained. 2/3brms 2/3bath beachfront/buggy. Phone 4946 8833www.hamorent.com.au

HAMILTON ISLAND 2 bed 2 bath,FSC, A-C apartment, buggy, BBQ,seaviews. 02 9774 4330www.hamilton-island-escape.com

TANGALOOMA B’front, villa, fullys/c, sleeps 8 Ph 0403 378 959

ABLE TO ESCAPE Relaxing on thebeautiful Tweed River 5524 3222

TWEED RIVER Boyds Bay House-boats Free info pack 1800 468 732

Whereto go

Where to stay