Crew, Logs and Records — Page 106, Lesson 168

I want to walk you through the requirements for cabin crew — their training, the numbers needed on board, the minimum qualifications to be appointed, and the role of the Senior Cabin Crew Member. Let’s start with training. Each cabin crew member must have successfully completed an approved initial course of training. That’s the starting point. After that initial course, or before converting from one aeroplane type to another, a conversion course must be successfully completed. So if you move from a Boeing 737 to an Airbus A320, for example, you need a conversion course. The crew member also has to complete the operator’s CRM training — that’s Crew Resource Management — and Aeroplane Type Specific CRM training, as defined in EU-OPS. And before operating a different variant of the same type, or an aeroplane with different safety equipment fitted, difference training must be completed. So if the same type has a different emergency exit layout or a different fire extinguisher system, that difference training covers it. Now, numbers and composition of cabin crew. The rules tell us when cabin crew must be included. If the aeroplane has a maximum approved passenger seating of more than 19, and at least one passenger is on board, then at least one cabin crew member must be included in the crew. That’s the basic trigger. Then, for every 50 passenger seats — or fractions of 50 — installed on the same deck, one cabin crew member is required. So if you have 100 seats, you need at least two cabin crew. If you have 101 seats, that’s three — because 101 divided by 50 gives two full groups of 50 and a fraction of 50, so you round up. Alternatively, the requirement can be based on the number of cabin crew members needed to actively participate in a demonstration evacuation of the aeroplane. And there’s a proviso: one cabin crew member may be dispensed with for every 50 passenger seats — or multiples of 50 — that the actual number of seats is reduced by. So if you reduce the seat count by 50, you can reduce cabin crew by one. The Authority — that’s the national aviation authority — may specify additional cabin crew members beyond that formula. And in unforeseen circumstances, the required number of cabin crew may be reduced, provided that the number of passengers has been reduced in accordance with procedures specified in the Operations Manual, and a report is submitted to the Authority after the flight. Next, the minimum requirements for appointment as cabin crew. To be appointed, a person must be at least 18 years of age. They must be medically fit — meaning they have passed an initial medical assessment — and physically capable of discharging the duties specified in the Operations Manual. They must have completed an acceptable initial training course. They must have completed an acceptable conversion course if changing type. And they must have undergone recurrent training in accordance with procedures laid down in the Operations Manual. The operator is responsible for ensuring that each cabin crew member is competent to perform the required duties in accordance with the procedures specified in the OM. Finally, Senior Cabin Crew Members. On aeroplanes where more than one cabin crew member is required, one member of the cabin crew must be appointed as the Senior Cabin Crew Member. That appointed crew member must have not less than one year’s experience and must have successfully completed an appropriate course of training, including appropriate CRM training. The Senior Cabin Crew Member is responsible to the Commander for the conduct and co-ordination of normal and emergency procedures as specified in the Operations Manual. There’s also an important authority during turbulence: in the absence of instructions from the Commander, the Senior Cabin Crew Member is entitled to suspend non-safety related activities and request the ‘fasten seat belt’ sign. So they can make that call to keep passengers and crew safe when turbulence hits.