4/14/2009

Inflight Trivia & Safety Info Cards

As most of you know, Princess and I took a trip during spring break to visit my Grandfather in Washington--the one with tsunami routes (btw, he started his chemo and so far that's going better than expected.) Princess is an awesome airplane traveler. On the flight from ATL to Seattle, our plane had the LCD screens with various entertainment like the Inflight Trivia Challenge. Each round has 20 multiple choice questions, 4 possible answers each. So statistically speaking, a 5 yo who reads at best a kindergarten level, should average 25% correct. And when you consider she answered most without even attempting to read questions, she really should not have been faring well in the competition. In one round, after the 16th question, out of a field of 14 players, I leaned over to the woman playing across the aisle and whispered, "The player in first place is my 5 year old daughter who reads on an kindergarten level." True statement!

Princess is very OCD about the "Flight Safety Information Card." This is the 3rd trip we've been on in 15 months that involved airplanes (on that first one, she was still 3 yo). All 3 trips involved 4 planes each due to layovers. On all 12 planes, as soon as her butt hit the seat, she pulled out the Flight Safety Information Card. She inspects every single picture and graphic. Any that she doesn't understand or has been drawn differently than the previous plane's card, she will ask me to explain that picture and ask me a 100 questions.

On our way back from Seattle, we were on a jumbo sized jet to Atlanta; the card gave detailed pictures of how to open/remove the window exits. "OOOHH, so THAT's how you open the window doors!" My response, "You weigh 38 pounds. The door weighs twice as much as you. Let an adult do that for you, okay?" The flight from Atlanta to Louisville was a smaller plane. When she looked at the layout of the plane on the card, she let out a BIG gasp. "MOM! This airplane is missing the exit doors in the back!"

Yeah, if ever on a plane that has problems...we'll all be following her.

10 comments:

Jenn Ann said...

Looks like we have a future rule follower on our hands, with just a touch of OCD to cement her future as a hot chick blogger!

Queen B said...

RO! That is the funniest thing ever about the missing exit doors. Wouldn't you have just cringed had you been sitting in the back and discovered that?!

Anonymous said...

She is a smart cookie - amazing how she understands so much. Mom

Anonymous said...

I am truly amazed at the detail she could pick up. Yup, one smart cookie! Aunt Rae

Jane said...

I think she should shadow Agent Dragonfly for a day

Andrea said...

This is great!! I'm the same way. I even count the rows from my seat to the nearest exit like I was taught on Oprah so that if I do have to exit and the plane is filled with smoke and I can't see, I can still find my way. Sad thing is after I count I immediately forget...

Ruth Anne said...

so observant. I love it.

LoSpace said...

Here's a kid who will be able to find the emergency exits -- let me follow her to the nearest one... white lights lead to red lights...

KFuj said...

I was the same way as a kid. I fly so much-well it has decreased since I moved to CA. I could do the flight attendent safety routine with my eyes closed.
Andrea I never thought of the couting of rows, good idea!!

Kim Thomas said...

I would like to hear Princess's take on the plane wings that are straight verses the wings that flip up