Passenger safety thoughts
 

A thread like this probably belongs in a wiki of some sort.

(1) Put your shoes on for landing/take-off. Asiana SFO crash passengers eggressed onto the debris covered tarmac bare-footed. They took their shoes off for the long flight and hadn't yet put them back on.

(2) Overhead luggage. Asiana SFO crash passengers grabbed their belongings out of the overheads prior to eggress. You know, somebody might be in a hurry to get out of the plane? On the other hand, from my experience of evacuating a burning building in the middle of the night in a cold, snowing place, grabbing shoes and blanket could be a good idea.

(3) UA Airbus 320 V1 overwing exits have the most convoluted design in the world. Instructions on the card and on the wall are sometimes conflicting. The card says do not use the exit in a water landing. The diagram on the wall instructs the deployment of lanyards over the wing--for a water landing? The card says put the exit door on the seat. Row 20 has the exit precisely on top of the seat. Setting the exit door on the seat would block the exit! The card says (1) the slide deploys automatically and (2) the slide deploys after pulling the handle that appears in the exit door socket. automatic, or manual deployment? which is it? The Row 20 slide wraps around the Row 21 slide. If Row 21 doesn't deploy, can Row 20 deploy?

Is this French engineering at its best? :rolleyes: Aircraft mechanics seem to have their own choice words for the Airbus aircraft. The Boeings all seem super simple in comparison.

Typically my shoes go back on whe computers go off.

Count the number of seatbacks between you and the nearest exits, both forward and aft of you.

Shoes are on whenever landing gear is down.

Shoes=foot is essentially covered, flipflops don't qualify.

I thought you're supposed to remove your shoes before you exit the aircraft so that they don't puncture the slide.

Never a good idea to stay in a burning building any longer than you have to. Don't ever, ever, ever stop to gather belongings. Just get out, and get out now.

Only high heels. Regular shoes are fine. Why anyone would fly in high heels is beyond me anyway.

I was really peeved on a Vietnam Airlines flight from Hanoi to HCMC. A group of locals had their seats back, foot rest up and bags all over the floor. The flight attendant checked that I was doing the right thing but just walked straight passed this group after looking at them. I thought in an emergency their bags could of gone in to the aisle or anywhere or they might of tripped over their footrest and fallen in to the aisle and thus got in my way. I was annoyed at one rule for some and a different rule for others.

Because One Day You’re In, And the Next Day You’re Out!

I always count seat rows to the exit, and I also look at the closest exit door to see which way the handle moves, or pulls.

Always wear lace-up shoes, not loafers, so they don't fly off.

Wear cotton clothes inflight, not synthetics, because you don't want synthetic fabric to melt onto your skin in a high-heat situation.

Passport, wallet, phone, keys stay in a pants pocket for takeoff and landing, not stuffed into the seatback or stowed in a bag, so you leave the aircraft with your essentials if you evacuate in a hurry.

Yes, count seatbacks between you and closest exit, say the number out loud to yourself so it sticks, and tell any traveling companions. Never mind if they think you're paranoid. I always make a mental exit plan.

If in an exit row, check the pictographs before departure to see if this exit door is the kind you bring in or the kind you throw out. You never know.

Scope the FAs hard before departure to judge whether you think they'll be any good in an emergency. You may have to work around them. Plan on fending for yourself though.

Decide before pushback what you'll do about difficult seatmates (fat, old, small, infirm, oblivious) in an emergency. If "something happens" (love than euphemism) the ratio of calm heads to non-calm or helpless ones will be high. Just by planning for trouble and staying cool you will be a major asset onboard. Even some flight attendants, statistically, can be counted on to freeze or crack up.

In a burning building situation, a blanket and shoes can be safety equipment, not 'belongings'. A wet blanket may be the difference between life and death. While you should not unnecessarily delay your departure from a burning building, a few preparations can save your life. This is quite different from evacuating a plane, where the combination of a small space, lots of people, and lots of fuel means seconds are the difference between life and death.

I do agree that taking a blanket and shoes as protection against the weather is less important in a burning building situation than taking them as protection to ensure you get out of the building - unless the building is in the wilderness and your risk of dying from exposure before you can get help is as high as from dying in the fire itself.

If you really want to be fire resistant, how about wearing this?
http://www.feldfire.com/thumbnail.as...axx=300&maxy=0

Swim towards the light.

Not denying that it's good advice, but must be somewhat uncomfortable... especially on a 10hr+ flight, in economy! Beside, I'd constantly be worrying about items falling out of my pockets unnoticed.

Also, more difficult for women who don't generally have pants pockets :)

"For takeoff and landing", not for the whole flight.