Kathryn Barbour
Introduction
The book, ‘Reclaiming the sky: 9/11 and the untold story of the men and women who kept America flying’ by Tom Aloysius Murphy follows the experiences of various aviation personnel whose heroism during September, 11, 2001 was evident. The author discusses the professional as well as personal experiences of the cabin crew that included Kathryn Barbour during the fateful day. The aviation experiences during September 11 are expounded as memories of heroes and casualties in the aviation industry are celebrated (Murphy, 2007). This paper shall give a detailed discussion of the character, Kathryn Barbour, her positions and career field as depicted in the book.
Life and Career of Kathryn Barbour
Kathryn Barbour was brought up in Indiana, Cincinnati airport, near Ohio River where she grew up watching airplanes land in the airport hence wished to be in the aviation. As a result, she trained in 1976 and joined the Washington D. C base and put on her first trip immediately. She admits that the aviation caught her attention due to its quality and demanding life, which she liked doing. The practice demands great attention but also offers great adventure for the aviation attendants when they are free. She explores new places which add more thrill to her life, satisfied that her dream has come true. On this note, Kathryn Barbour asserts that “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten to a new place, hopped a bus, and headed out to explore the local attractions. That’s what I’ve wanted to do, ever since I was a young girl in my backyard watching planes. I wanted to visit new places and experience something new and surprising every day” (Murphy, 2007 p.38).
The American airline attendants have formed close friendships that prompts them not only to be self-sufficient but also to rely on each other as a team. This offered Catherine a strong instinct to trust her fellows and contact them whenever there was a need to do so (Murphy, 2007 p.39). Her strong instincts drove her to always talk with the captain prior to departure. However, their busy schedules had challenges as well, fatigue being one of them and some like Kathryn Barbour would anticipate to be off from work, relax alone at home while doing some gardening.
The 25 years old Kathryn Barbour, a veteran American airlines flight attendant boarded a sudden trip prior to the fateful September 11 and booked a less comfortable hotel near LAX rather than the one she was used to Marina del Ray but she remained positive. Flight 76 left LAX at 8.30 am on September 10 and she appreciated the early flight since she would not be inconvenienced to return to Dulles at least by four thirty do her gardening. As she returned from los angles to Dulles on September 10 and got ready for landing, she and other attendants collected trays and rubbish along the isle.
That day, she talked to Captain Charles Burlingame commonly referred to as Chic who was with the flight and planning to have his birthday celebrated in LA (Murphy, 2007). Chic loved to fly and had a strong sense of time since he had been trained at Naval Tactical Warfare and Strategic Air Command School, Annapolis. He was strict regarding safety and had strong instincts that helped him to evade various fatal crashes that have shaped him. Notably, he was aware of fate and risks involved when one is uncertain but tried his level best to ensure that the risks were minimal. On the eve of September 11, Chic was supposed to fly back to LA to celebrate his birthday with his brother at California Angels game close to, Orange Country where he was born. He possessed baseball tickets to play in LA and advised his wife, also a flight attendant in the American airlines not to fly with him but to wait for him in Washington where he would meet him afterwards (Murphy, 2007).
The fateful 9/11
On the eve of September 11, Charles Burlingame as the captain took Flight 77 from Dulles to LA at 8.20 a.m. The flight’s mysterious disappearance astonished many as it flew off-course severally and could not be traced since the transponder was off and could not respond to calls from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tower. The FAA failed to alert the North American aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to assign fighter jets to trace the flight (Murphy, 2007). During this time, American airlines Flight 11 hit the WTC North Tower while flight 77 headed to Washington flying at 400 miles/hr. It is however suspected that the plane had been hijacked and turned east. At 9.33, it headed towards the Pentagon and hit it from the west at 9.38 and crashed killing the passengers, hijackers and attendants on board including Captain Charles Burlingame and others who were inside the Pentagon. Luckily, Kathryn Barbour escaped death from the crash of Flight 77 (Murphy, 2007).
The role of Flight Attendants as Reflected by Kathryn Barbour
‘Flight attendant’ is a term often associated with glamour, beauty, adventure and interaction with celebrities. It involves being presentable, professional and creating a good impression for passengers aboard, for the purpose of attracting them to the airline in their future travels (Gazdik, 2005). This was the dream career of Kathryn Barbour which she desired since she was a small girl and as she watched the planes landing from her home. Management strategy aims to formulate and implement and evaluate decisions that are essential for accomplishment of set goals. Being a cabin crew and a veteran, Kathryn Barbour was aware of how to handle her work and challenges that added up to the overall welfare and safety of those aboard as well as that of the American airlines as an organization to meet its objectives.
Being a flight attendant is a position eyed by most women since it offers a chance to interact with people from all walks of life and adventure in various parts of the world. All the same, like Kathryn Barbour maintains, the position demands extra efforts, patience as well as training to facilitate safety and comfort of the passengers on board. Of importance, training has to entail emergency training, security details as well as effective interactions with people (Kanki et al., 2010). As depicted by Kathryn Barbour, flight attendants have to persevere extensive working hours, stress, delays, time among other challenges such as fears of hijacking and plane crash.
Kathryn Barbour reflects a perfect personality that flight attendants should acquire or cultivate. They have to be patient and be pleasant to passengers to cope with depressing situations while on board. One has to have an empathetic character complimented by self-motivation, be able to work as a team and deal with stressful emergency scenarios. Having to deal with odd and extensive working hours during nights and holidays and being far from home to stay in hotels, some of which are not very comfortable, are some of the challenges that are to be expected in the industry. Attendants have to be ready to relocate to be near their home base and endure the strenuous working environment they are constantly subjected to. They are exposed to various injuries and illnesses due to uneven sleep and eating habits, standing for long, recycled air, pressure and distressing passengers. Irrespective of all these, they not only have to remain efficient but also pleasant to the passengers. Flight attendants like Kathryn Barbour possess a spirit of self-sacrifice and are always willing to undertake risks for the sake of passengers’ security, safety and comfort (Gazdik, 2005).
Strategy during Emergency Situations
During emergencies, flight attendants have to try their level best to ensure the safety of the passengers by acting offensively to hijackers rather than following their commands. In such cases, they should try to find help by contacting their families and officials concerned to inform them of any security need to be met (Gazdik, 2005). In such cases, they should also try to calm the tense and risky situations created by the hijackers. In case an emergency landing or evacuation commands are called for, they should be in a position to advice the passengers how to do it by offering emergency briefings for instance by directing them to adjust to brace position and put on a lifevest in case of an impeding crash. Besides, the attendant can pursue negotiations with hijackers to prevent an impeding crash while at the same time, reassuring the passengers of their safety since that is their chief role. Prior to take off, the flight attendants should monitor the cabin as part of Pre Take off Service and keep monitoring to detect any strange aspect that should be attended to with immediate effect for the security of the cabin. They should also be in a position to attend to anyone in need of first aid (Kanki et al., 2010).
Conclusion
Kathryn Barbour can be celebrated as a true hero who remained faithful to her dream vocation. She depicts the lonely and strenuous life of flight attendants that cannot exclude self-sacrifice. Flight attendants experience traumatizing and anxious situation prior to an impeding crash, bad weather or hijacking but they have to remain positive for the sake of the passengers while reassuring them of their safety, even when their chance of survival is minimal. Security, safety and comfort of passengers are paramount and flight attendants pursue everything within their power to ensure that this is accomplished. However, along with the vocation comes the cultivation of a great personality, bravery, flexibility, genuine care, appreciation, patience and strong instincts to perform efficiently in the profession. Additionally, along with the practice comes a lifestyle full of various positive aspects such as adventuring the world, social interactions and satisfaction when passengers’ needs are met successfully. Kathryn Barbour reflects the true spirit of a hero in the aviation industry to be emulated and celebrated by the entire world.
References
Gazdik, M. (2005).Vault Guide to Flight Attendant Carrers. New York: Vault Inc.
Kanki, B. G., Helmreich, R. L., & Anca, J. M. (2010). Crew Resource Management. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Murphy, T. A. (2007). Reclaiming The Sky: 9/11 And The Untold Story Of The Men And Women Who Kept America Flying. New York: AMACOM Division of American Management Association.
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