Task 1 - Session 6

Surely it would be better for passenger aircraft to have rear facing seats?

VOX POPULI:

Backward-facing seats are safer in airplanes, just as backward-facing baby seats are safer in cars.

There's a lot of psychological resistance to seats that face backwards. People might not want to fly on an airliner with seats arranged in this way. So airlines put the seats facing forwards.

Some military transports have seats that face backwards.

I prefer to sit with my back to the pilot, I feel a lot safer and def. more comfortable, my ankles don't swell as much.

A large percentage of people just don't feel good about facing backwards when travelling, and there aren't enough sick bags on board to cope with the consequences.

You may find it more comfortable to face backwards, but most people don't. It's natural to want to face the way you're going, whether you're in a car or on a bus, train, or plane.

Mind you, if cut price airlines have their way, we'll probably be sitting on hard wooden benches running the length of the aircraft before long, or standing up.

Rear-facing seats are safer; forward-facing passengers are seven times more likely to suffer injuries than aft-facing passengers, as demonstrated by the FAA.

Think of it: during an emergency landing situation, the body's energy of forward motion would be distributed by the seat back, rather then waist seat-belt. Many military transporters have aft-facing seats.

So why do commercial aircraft have forward facing seats? Simply because passengers are more comfortable with them; they are scared to fly backwards. Money is an issue as well - aft-facing seats require stronger and heavier seat backs and floor attachments.

I believe it's always been the case that people instinctively prefer to face the way they are going, mostly so they can see trouble coming, not that that is relevant in an aircraft nowadays. Thus aircraft seats have "always been that way" except in some military airlift operations where the passengers don't have any say in the matter . . . Yes, it's safer, I'm sure.

People like to face the way they are going, they are more comfortable that way and everyone has to face the same way or the sardine packing doesn't work.

The RAF/MoD aircraft I used to fly on had rear facing seats. The RAF wants its passengers to walk away from bad landings, at least as often as possible.

I suspect that forward facing seats are simply the traditional way of doing things.

If something goes wrong at 30,000 feet in the air, and that some seating arrangement, or seat cushion is going to save you is nothing more then the airline's mental brainwashing to make you think your safe. Bottom line, your going to die.

It's for comfort. When an airplane is flying, it is on a slight incline (about 3 deg). The incline would be about 7-10 deg during climb to altitude.. You would probably be adjusting yourself in the seat to keep from sliding toward the back of the airplane.

During a crash, the seat backs aren't strong enough to take the full body weight. Although in a crash, that would be a moot point.

During landings, the same issue. Pilots seem to go into a 'panic' stop on landing. All the stress from numerous landings would weaken the seat backs. The stresses isn't that great on takeoff.

I guess the biggest question is whether or not it all really matters. In the case of an airplane crash, most if not all people are going to die anyways.



Your Task for this week:

There is a feature article in a national newspaper criticizing the fact that the passenger seats face the "wrong way" in commercial aircraft.

You work for the PR department of 'IUP AIR'. Write a letter to the newspaper defending your airline's decision to continue using forward facing seats in your aircraft.

No more than ten sentences. No less than six.

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