Ok guys,
Can some one explain the rational first off of the towel/cloth under the seatbelt. I have had almost every guy this month due this and wipe down EVERY circuit breaker and knob with sani wipes. Whats the deal this month or is it just my bad luck?

 

I dont care personally, but I know some guys do the towel to prevent the seat belt from marking up your pants in some aircraft.

 

Sounds more like a hygiene or comfort issue rather than h-phobe. Wasn't there just a thread about the germiest places on an a/c?

Or it could be you.

 

I used to laugh (to myself) at the guys I'd fly with that did the sani-wipe thing, too. Then I got sick twice in a months time earlier this winter, and now I'm doing the same thing...

 

This winter has been bad, there's some really nasty respiratory crap going around that lingers for many weeks. Avoid it if you can.

When I first started in this biz, I got sick a lot. I got tired of that and did some research on viruses...

It's less common to get them airborne, you usually touch something which someone before you touched with their nasty, snotty, virus-laden fingers.

- Avoid touching anything in the cabin or public areas which other people touch.
- You know that worn paint spot on the door where everyone pushes it open? Put you hand above or below that when you open the door...
- If you do touch a public surface, wash your hands (or sani-gel) asap.
- Act like you work in a Bio-hazard facility (because you do).
- Wipe down the cockpit, in domestic work a lot of guys cycle through there and odds are that in the winter one of them is sick...especially at regionals which "discourage" sick calls.
- Don't touch your face, especially nose/mouth, while on duty. Period. Unless you just washed your hands.
- Be careful in your hotel room, that's not as public as the airport but the guy who checked out this am could have been sick.
- This sounds like a PITA but it becomes second nature after a while.


Your immune system can get depressed in the line of duty. These things will help...

- Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! This is probably the biggy, and the dry air and lack of bathroom access makes it easy to get dehydrated.
- Booze: It will knock your system down AND dehydrate you. Go easy while travelling.
- Diet & exercise: No surprise here, you will feel better all around. But if you do vigorous workouts on the road, make sure you hydrate.
- Sunlight: Cockpit windows block UV-B (skin cancer) but do not really block UV-A (skin aging and immune system suppression). You know how you feel beat after a long day in the sun? So does your immune system. Use sunblock in the cockpit. If you are a woman it will keep from looking 55 at age 35 too. (dudes probably don't care). The may sound far fetched but on a long day it makes a very noticeable difference in how much energy I have at the end. The science behind this is real. YMMV.

After I figured all this, I stopped getting sick (until my kid went to school anyway).

 

Use to see this at Pan Am. Pilots would put a First Class napkin under the lap belt. The lap belt will wear the front of your slacks. I saw one captain, a National pilot (Orange Guy), had a napkin dyed orange.

 

Napkins protect your pants from rub marks caused by a seat belt, you might get an extra year out of them if you protect them.

Wiping down the cockpit is just good hygiene - they ARE filthy!



This is what I pack, $.99 in the sample isle at Target - cheap insurance

 

Why not use disposable gloves ?


Ally

 

Not just for cold and flu season....

I start acting like Monk when I realized the in my unscientific observational polling that 50% of men do not wash their hands after using the restroom. I'm serious, it's pretty nasty. I try not to "hit the head" at the same time as any male traveling companion because-

1. It can look a little, well you know...and,
2. I don't want to know which colleagues or co-workers don't use reasonable personal hygiene.

You know all those paper towels on the floor by the door in the restroom? I'm not they only one who's noticed this...

I carry hand sanitizer and wipe everywhere. And no more mints from the bowl or free samples at the supermarket.