What not to read

There are certain things that I have no choice but to commit to memory. Euphemistically called “Critical Procedures” are such beasts. Basically they are all the nasty things that could possibly happen to you, things that you have to react to instinctively because you don’t have time to look them up. These include (but are not limited to)

•             Engine fire (both on ground and mid air)

•             Ditching

•             Electrical fire

•             Precautionary landing (with power)

•             Forced landing (without power)

•             Cabin Fire

•             Wing Fire

•             Engine failure ( Mid air , on takeoff, just after takeoff)

They consist of a series of check list items and as E from work pointed out, none of those items include “die horribly”. My approach to learning them has been to write them out onto index cards and read through them whenever I have a free moment. This mostly encompasses my commute to work. I didn’t think about it too much initially but I have realized that they can attract an audience on a tightly packed subway train or bus.  I have caught people staring over my shoulder (probably intrigued by the sight of someone reading anything other than Metro). I even caught one guy next to me googling “KIAS” (it stands for Knots, Indicated Air Speed). I have learnt though that it may be completely acceptable to be a little eccentric on the TTC, you should never, ever start reading these at an airport!