Close to 200 Attend 8th Annual Flight Attendants Conference in Philadelphia
By Cheryl Brophy, Liberty Media Co.
The NBAA 8th Flight Attendants Conference, held on Friday and Saturday, June 27 and 28, 2003,
in Philadelphia, attracted 197 Attendees, including 160 flight attendants from around the
world.
Virginia Lippincott, chair of the NBAA Flight Attendants Committee, welcomed the Attendees
and provided a brief overview of the Committee, which includes three Subcommittees: Training,
Scholarship and Catering.
The Training Subcommittee has developed a flight attendant job description and a minimum
training requirement for the NBAA Management Guide. Its goal is to continue working with others
in the industry to ensure that all corporate flight attendants are corporate-specific trained.
The Scholarship Subcommittee, chaired by Susan Koch of USAF, awarded 28 scholarships worth
more than $40,000 this year. (Read the related
Press Release.) The Catering Subcommittee, chaired by Lauren Jarmoszko of AT&T, seeks
to raise the standards for catering provided to NBAA Members. A key issue addressed by this
group is food safety, including the safe transportation and storage of catering.
On Friday, June 27, the Conference’s first speaker was Jodi Brown of Summit Solutions
LLC, who addressed the topic of leading and motivating flight department personnel. In particular,
she spoke about understanding our own personal power and relationships, and motivating ourselves
as well as others. She also discussed the importance of the flight attendant’s image
in the aircraft and how it can convey a message of safety and security to the passengers.
A presentation titled “ Transition from Commercial Airlines to Corporate Aviation”
featured three speakers: David L. Huntzinger, director of safety and security at TAG Aviation
in San Francisco; Vallerie Lee, a retired jet aviation manager; and Sara Culver-Truby, a freelance
corporate flight attendant from Santa Rosa, CA. First, to help flight attendants understand
their environment, Huntzinger reviewed the Embraer 120RT Atlantic South East Airlines accident
that occurred on August 21, 1995. The flight attendant in that accident briefed the passengers
for an emergency landing and evacuated and assisted other injured passengers after the crash
landing. Huntzinger also talked about pre-trip considerations, such as wearing less flammable
uniforms, ground security, briefings between flight attendant and pilots, and the importance
of pre-flight checks of emergency equipment.
Vallerie Lee spoke about what it takes to become a corporate flight attendant. She compared
corporate and commercial aviation and discussed the realities of corporate aviation, including
topics such as limited openings, income, cost of training, tips on resumes and interviewing.
Sara Culver-Truby told Attendees about her career journey from Northwest Airlines to corporate
aviation. She has succeeded in corporate aviation by learning to take the initiative, networking
and continuing to train to enhance her skills.
During the lunchtime session, Bob Blouin, NBAA senior vice president, operations, spoke about
business aviation security, airport and airspace access issues, and the status of the Transportation
Security Administration Access Certificate (TSAAC) program. He also outlined how flight attendants
can help to ensure safe and secure business aviation operations by using NBAA’s Best
Security Practices, challenging strangers, locking the aircraft and facilities, and being
aware of complacency.
Scott Urbach, director of global security at American Standard, and Terry McCann, director
of security for Pfizer, spoke about the effects of corporate security on business aviation.
They were followed by Judith Gisser, a nutrition coach and speaker on health issues, who outlined
several keys to good health, including good nutrition, good attitude, abdominal breathing
and regular exercise. She also mentioned that taking anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C and E
is important to guard against radiation exposure.
On Friday night, the Catering Subcommittee presented a Flight Attendant Appreciation event
at the Philadelphia College of Physicians. The evening, which included live music and food,
was sponsored by Air Culinaire, Air Gourmet, BE Princess, Blue Parrot, Castle Kitchens, Catering
by Starlite, Chef's Market, Duni DeSter, Five Star Gourmet, Georgis Catering, In-flight Services,
Mireilles, Nor Du Bois, Perfect Landing, Rita's of Boston, Rudy's In-flight, Tastefully Yours
and Village Catering.
Saturday’s session began with speaker Greg Adams, a survivor of American Airlines flight
1420, which crashed on June 1, 1999. Adams related the very emotional and moving tale of his
experiences during and after the accident, and how the crash affected his life. He was responsible
for helping many injured and burned people, specifically by evacuating and carrying many of
them from the plane and performing CPR. His advice to flight attendants on handling emergencies
is to think through and role-play in your mind how you will react in an emergency situation.
He stressed the importance of the flight attendant in taking charge in an emergency.
Mike Hesslink, Flight Safety International, reviewed several aircraft accidents and incidents
that had survivors. He stressed the importance of having a corporate-specific trained flight
attendant who knows the operation of the exits and emergency equipment, so that accidents
can be survived.
Jeff Hare of Hare Safety and Survival spoke about the importance of emergency equipment pre-flight
checks and what to look for when performing them, including expiration dates, safety wires
and pressure gauges. FAR Part 91.505(b) requires each member of the flightcrew to become familiar
with the emergency equipment onboard.
Elizabeth Dornak, Dupont Flight Department, mentioned that there is only one Part 91 regulation
relating to flight attendants. Part 91.533 states that an aircraft with more than 19 but less
than 51 seats must have one flight attendant on board, so based on this regulation there is
no requirement to have a flight attendant on a corporate aircraft. Dornak asserted that the
flight attendant is an integral part of a flightcrew and that not having a well trained, professional
flight attendant on a valuable company asset is unimaginable. Dornak discussed the NBAA Professional
Development Program (PDP) and Certified Aviation Manager (CAM) Program, which offer career
path options through professional development and certification. For more information, visit
www.nbaa.org/pdp or www.nbaa.org/cam.
The Catering Working Group sponsored the Saturday afternoon session. Attendees were able
to participate in 11 roundtable discussions on catering related topics.
- Communication Tips for Catering Order Placement – Village Catering
- Kosher Meals & Etiquette – Rudy’s Inflight Catering
- Seafood Preparation – Blue Parrot Catering
- Meat, Poultry & Game Preparation – Chef’s Market
- Menus & Shopping Lists – Air Culinaire
- Special Meals – Tastefully Yours and Castle Kitchens
- Serving High Tea – Air Gourmet
- Worst Case Scenarios – Five Star Gourmet
- Haute Cuisine – Air Chef, Catering by Starlite, Jet Star Inflight Catering
- Secrets of Pairing Wine & Food – BE Princess & Rita’s Catering
- Mediterranean Foods - Mireilles
Overall, the NBAA 8th Annual Flight Attendants Conference was a great success. For more
information about the NBAA Flight Attendants Committee,
contact Staff Liaison Jay Evans at jevans@nbaa.org.
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