Flying Backwards (6 page)

“Oui, I speak French.” Nora confided that she’d worked hard to brush up the past couple of months.

As the girls got to know each other better while they finished unpacking. Nora was relieved she’d lucked out with a great roommate. They seemed like long-lost friends already.

Nora stashed her cotton bras and underwear quickly in the dresser drawer. She lined up her shoes in the closet. She’d brought sneakers for the gym, a pair of ankle boots, and the required navy shoes. She lined her three pairs of shoes next to Bree’s dozen sets of fashionable footwear. Nora dug in her bag and pulled out her slippers to add to her side, although the tattered addition didn’t increase the appeal of her collection.

* * *

After the girls finished chatting and unpacking, Nora called home to quickly report that she’d made it to Pittsburg. Her call was brief because Meade Airlines was hosting a welcome reception in one of the hotel’s ballrooms; it was starting soon.

The ballroom was divided by a floating fabric wall, and the smaller space was filling in fast. Nora and Bree each took a class of wine offered at the makeshift bar and grabbed one of the last empty tables. Nora glanced at Bree in anticipation. She noticed as Bree sipped white wine, her regal posture made her stand out among the otherwise ordinary group.

Nora looked around the room for the few familiar faces from the shuttle bus. Jackie and Rebecca sat across the room at a table with two other girls. Miguel loomed nearby. She guessed around one hundred people were squeezed around the room.

Maria Sanchez walked in. Nora recognized her from the initial open interview session. Maria stood next to a table piled high with large, thick envelopes. She welcomed the group and wasted no time covering the upcoming itinerary. Monday through Friday, shuttle buses would transport everyone to the training facility. Classes would typically run from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with an hour lunch break. She reminded them that they were responsible for buying their own lunches. The training facility had a cafeteria, and there was a sandwich shop within walking distance. In addition on Saturday mornings they would have training, and the shuttle buses would take them to various facilities for specialized drills. They would have Sundays off.

“You will be divided up into five groups. There will be a morning lesson in the classrooms, followed by an afternoon exam covering that morning’s lesson.” She paused and went on to explain how the scoring worked. Two makeup exams during the entire training program were allowed if trainees scored below 80 percent. If someone failed to meet this requirement, he or she would automatically be sent home.

Bree and Nora exchanged glances, thinking that could easily happen to anyone in the room. The fantasy career they dreamed of could be over almost before it began.
Are the exams tricky?
Nora wondered. On the bus, others had reported rumors that
half
the trainees often went home.

After the exam each day, Maria explained, they would move on to other types of training. During the weeks that followed, they’d be required to accomplish various tasks inside the mock airplane cabins. Each trainee was required to reach the overhead bins and close them, arm and disarm the aircraft door, lift out the forty-pound emergency window, and buckle themselves correctly into the flight attendant jump seats. Nora’s stomach fluttered with excitement. This was really happening! She was here at training!

“Please come collect an envelope. All details will be available to you. I will be around to answer any further questions.” Maria was quickly surrounded by eager trainees.

* * *

The first Monday morning, after Bree and Nora grabbed coffee and a muffin from the hotel’s continental breakfast bar, they boarded the transport van. Arriving at the training facility, they wished each other good luck; they were not assigned to the same class.

Nora and her classmates sat at tables facing a whiteboard with the names
Chad
and
Stacy
neatly written across it. Nora could feel the enthusiastic energy in the room. They gave their full attention to the two instructors, Chad and Stacy, who introduced themselves as flight attendants who had worked as trainers for the last couple years; they said they would be with them for the six weeks of classroom training. Their first lesson was on airline terminology, and Nora took detailed notes. Nora thought Chad was easygoing, and he remained on topic. Energetic Stacy often added side stories that the trainees found amusing.

Nora and Bree met at lunch and discussed the morning lesson, reviewing their notes over cafeteria salads that came in plastic clamshells. After lunch the trainees took their first written exam. Nora was nervous, but she stayed focused. In the afternoon the lecture was about uniforms and appearance standards. Every aspect of the uniform was discussed, from avoiding overstuffed, bulging pockets to collars that must lay flat. No detail was left out. On the subject of earrings: only one matching set of earrings could be worn at one time. Various shapes were not authorized, including dangling or hoop earrings more than one inch in diameter. No ear cuffs, nose rings, novelty shapes, or earrings with moving parts were permitted. Nora decided her diamond CZ studs would be a safe choice. She thought of Bree, knowing her diamonds were real.

As the instructor covered personal hygiene, she remarked that the perhaps obvious statements had to be made, like wearing deodorant and maintaining dental care. Nora turned to a fellow trainee, and they silently raised their eyebrows at each other.

Then hair color and length were discussed. Only natural hair colors were permitted, and hair hanging past their shoulders had to be tied up. Nora thought about her own lack of hairstyle and pondered what she could do with her hair. She had always worn it straight and long.

The next topics were nails, shoes, stockings, and tasteful makeup application. Nora owned very little makeup and often didn’t wear any. She would definitely need to get tips. A picture of Bree flashed before her eyes; Bree wore makeup that enhanced her luminous eyes and shimmered on her slightly pouty lips. Nora made a mental note to take a crash course in beauty from Bree. The instructor then informed them that due to budget cuts they would not be getting personal makeovers as specified in their packets. Later Nora heard some girls were disappointed about that. Makeovers were usually a highlight of “Barbie boot camp.”

Nora earned an 85 percent on her first exam. She felt relieved, but it was too close to the 80 percent threshold. The exam on policies the next day was easier. Nora quickly got into a routine; she took detailed notes during the morning sessions and looked them over during lunch.

Instructors educated the group about checking online for flights in the crew rooms at every airport. They covered bag storage for the crew on board the aircraft, checking cabin supplies, cabin inspections, and other details. A trainee needed to learn about in-flight equipment and evacuation procedures for each of Meade’s aircraft. They would essentially be qualified then to work on that type of plane.

On Wednesday, boarding, approach, and arrival procedures were explained. Both Nora and Bree were now scoring higher on the exams. Thursday afternoon was the first day they went into the warehouse area that housed the mock aircraft where their aircraft qualifications would begin. Partial planes were cut open in sections for training purposes. Nora breezed through the physical requirements and the service training without problems.

Nora learned that twenty-three of the one hundred and twenty-eight trainees had gone home by Friday. Whether they failed exams or left on their own she didn’t know. Stress began to settle in on the whole group. If someone did not pass the makeup exam that was given the following morning, that person was immediately taken back to the hotel to pack and driven directly to the airport. He or she was simply gone when the rest of the group made it back to the hotel. No good-byes. It was unsettling.

One week down. Five more to go.

Nora was allowed to dress casually for Saturday’s first-aid training. She became certified in CPR and learned how to use an AED, a.k.a. automated external defibrillator. Nora and Miguel were paired during the morning exercises. During Nora’s first impression of Miguel, he’d seemed standoffish. But during the exercises she finally got a chance to talk with him, and although he was quiet at first, he started to open up. He confided that he was trying to overcome his painful shyness. He was proud that within a week’s time he was starting to break out of his shell. He told Nora he was making an effort to be friendly and had made some friends. She realized that most of the people there were overcoming something based on the stories she’d heard so far. The training, and its potential for a new career, was the ultimate fresh start.

To celebrate the completion of their first week, Nora, Bree, Rebecca, Jackie, Miguel, and Chris, Miguel’s roommate, walked about half a mile to the nearest shopping plaza, to a Chinese restaurant. The night was beautiful, clear but cold.

The friends sat around a circular table and ordered fancy umbrella drinks. They chatted about how intense the training had been and how strict the compliance rules were. Rebecca commented that she was going to get her hair cut shorter, because it was too long by airline standards to leave down; it just touched her shoulders.

“I noticed a salon in this strip mall,” Jackie offered.

“Yes, I saw it too.” Rebecca fiddled with a loose bobby pin. “I’m thinking I’ll walk back tomorrow for a cut.”

Nora chimed in. “I want to do something new with my hair too. I’ll walk over with you.” Nora liked Rebecca’s southern charm. As she looked around the table at her new friends, she was amazed that these strangers from different states were now gathered together and bonding, forming friendships.

The next day, Sunday, the stylist at the salon told them they were only open on Sundays when Meade held flight attendant training, which apparently drummed up substantial business. Rebecca looked great with her new bob cut. Nora had six inches cut off her hair, which was still long enough to touch the middle of her back, and the stylist added long layers, which gave it some fullness. It was still too long by airline standards to wear down, so she experimented with a coiled bun at the nape of her neck. She blushed that afternoon when Bree admiringly said the new classic look suited her.

Nora quickly discovered that Sunday was laundry day. Everyone had waited to do laundry; there were only two machines in the building! It was an important lesson learned. Nora and Bree decided to do their wash during the week around dinnertime, when the trainees were off in search of food. On their weekly laundry night they ordered takeout salads from the local pizza place.

Sundays, their only days off, soon became Nora’s weekly call-home day. She chose the time when the family generally got together. Her mom had sent a care package to the hotel, and the homemade goodies made her miss her mom even more. She wondered how she and Victoria were getting along without her help, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask. It was their business, she reminded herself.

* * *

The first part of the second week covered first class and coach services. The trainees practiced manipulating carts and drinks in the mock cabins. In first class, Nora would also be responsible for getting the pilots their drinks and dinners, as well as the passengers. In the coach cabin, she discovered pushing and locking those heavy carts was trickier than it looked.

Later in the second week, the exams became more difficult, including memorizing the six terms for turbulence and their definitions, which seemed too similar to Nora to distinguish. Even trickier were the classes on transporting medical goods and their various labels. The instructor informed them they might receive coolers containing contents like eyeballs. Like kids in the fourth grade, the trainees made faces in response.

Nora’s scores ranged from 85s to 95s. Stress continued to expand among the trainees. Fourteen more people went home.

After two weeks together, Bree and Nora were getting along amazingly well. They never stopped chatting to one another about their days. Because they were not in the same classrooms, there was always gossip to catch up on.

On the second Saturday night, Bree and Nora went out for a night on the town with new friends to let off some steam. One of the trainees lived in a nearby town and drove his sports utility vehicle to training. The plan was for everyone to pile in and drive to the nearest city. Bree helped Nora apply makeup from her vast collection of products. Nora took extra time blowing out her new hairstyle and curling the ends. Bree lent Nora a low-cut black shirt.

“Wow, I wish I could fill it out like that.” Bree feigned jealousy and looked down at her reed-thin frame.

“I don’t know… It’s kind of tight…‌and revealing.” Nora eyed herself in the mirror. She looked quite slim. She felt good and healthy. She had much more energy. But she had a hard time admitting to herself how sexy she looked.

Nora got a glimpse of the wild side of some of the trainees at the club. Several guys hit on her, but she attributed it to being in Bree’s company. Bree, after all, was a head-turner. Nora did find one guy attractive, but she wasn’t ready for that kind of attention yet. Nora noticed actions that night that later led to hookups.

* * *

In the third week, the exams covered airport codes and US and international geography. They briefly reviewed time zones and the twenty-four-hour clock convention. In the physical training session, Nora learned how to put out a fire with an extinguisher. She opened an aircraft window for evacuation purposes and loudly chanted instructions for how to climb through and slide off the wing. She evacuated several different styles of aircraft using a deployed slide. They practiced with some trainees wearing signs around their neck:
Blind Person, Holding an Infant
, and others to prepare the trainees for all possible situations. The instructors taught them the evacuation procedures and successfully instilled the significance of how critical their job might be. Flight attendants did not just serve drinks and hand out pillows; they could save lives. Nora felt empowered.