Flight Safety Foundation Cabin Crew Safety 1996

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November–December 1996

FAA Proposes New Rules on Cargo Compartment Fire Detection and Suppression 12 pages. [PDF 96K]

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) aircraft systems fire safety program is also conducting research on the feasibility of cabin water-spray systems and on fire safety issues related to a new generation of large transport aircraft.

September–October 1996

Motivation and Egress Route Affect Simulated Emergency Aircraft Evacuations 6 pages. [PDF 38K]

Researchers found that subjects who were offered financial rewards tended to be among the fastest to evacuate and that the type of egress correlated with speed. Equally important, the study suggested that simulation design must include the factors that can confound experimental results.

July–August 1996

Flexible Cabin Simulator Would Broaden Range of Cabin Evacuation Research 4 pages. [PDF 43K]

Passenger emergency evacuation research is limited by the inability to simulate many different cabin configurations, including those of aircraft in design stages. A flexible cabin-simulator facility, already designed, would allow researchers much greater control over variables.

May–June 1996

U.S., Canadian and European Aviation Authorities Coordinate Cabin-safety Research 8 pages. [PDF 43K]

The Cabin Safety Research Program is described as a totally integrated plan that allows three separate aviation-safety authorities to get the most from their cabin-safety research budgets.

March–April 1996

Seat Configuration, Passenger Variables Affect Aircraft Type III Exit Egress Speed 8 pages. [PDF 50K]

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aeromedical Institute determined that test subjects’ egress time through aircraft Type III exits was affected by their age, weight and gender, although height was not a significant factor. The width of the passageway leading to the exit, and seat encroachment on the exit, also affected overall evacuation times.

January–February 1996

Tests Examine Techniques for Alternative Uses of Flotation Seat Cushions 4 pages. [PDF 81K]

Airlines’ safety instructions to passengers note that seat cushions can be used as individual flotation devices after an emergency water landing. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aeromedical Institute sought to determine whether flotation seat cushions could be used more creatively to benefit the injured and children among survivors, and help keep groups of survivors together. Under test conditions, several specialized cushion-use techniques appeared to offer benefits.