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Compared to my village, Kalgoorlie doesn't feel remote at all
Compared to my village, Kalgoorlie doesn't feel remote at all

ABC News

time6 days ago

  • Lifestyle
  • ABC News

Compared to my village, Kalgoorlie doesn't feel remote at all

You might think I live in the middle of nowhere, but to me, Kalgoorlie doesn't feel remote at all. It's easy to get around. It only takes six-and-a-half hours to drive to Perth, and four hours to get to the beach. In Papua New Guinea, the roads are a disaster. Our car would constantly get stuck in the mud, and a trip to a nearby village could take a day or two. Travelling by small plane is quicker, but scary. The pilots fly at low altitudes, right above the misty mountains and forests. But I love flying. I always have. I'd watch the pilot and try to figure out how the equipment worked. When my parents said we were moving to Australia, I thought of the flight over the ocean. I was so excited to board the plane. It was huge! It felt like stepping into a big house. There was food on board, toilets, videos, and even the internet. Working the screen on the back of the chair in front of me was fun, but challenging, because I'd never used a computer before. In my first week at school, I was given a laptop. I felt anxious. They assumed I knew how to use it, but I had never been taught. I'm still slow at typing, but my teacher compliments me on my neat handwriting. English is my second language, so I concentrate on each individual letter, and the shape my pen makes. I try to block out the noise from the students at the back of the class when I write. In PNG, everyone is scared of the teachers, but students here are fearless. I always work hard, even if it takes me a while to understand. Sometimes, I wonder how long it will take me to catch up to the other students, or whether I'll always feel behind. But I'll never waste an opportunity to learn. I need to improve my English so I can study aviation and aerospace design one day. Right now, speaking English in front of an audience makes me feel shaky, like turbulence on a small plane. But I know that with more practice, I can soar.

I'm a pilot - here's why you should NEVER use the pockets on the back of plane seats
I'm a pilot - here's why you should NEVER use the pockets on the back of plane seats

Daily Mail​

time7 days ago

  • General
  • Daily Mail​

I'm a pilot - here's why you should NEVER use the pockets on the back of plane seats

A veteran pilot has revealed the simple reason passengers should avoid using the back pockets of plane seats. Steve Schreiber, 63, from New Orleans, U.S., has had 26 years of flying experience - including eleven as a captain - which has seen him spend a total of 5,860 hours navigating the skies in 60 different aircraft. Also known by his pseudonym Captain Steve online, the former United States Navy officer often shares safety tips on all things flying to his Youtube channel, @captainsteeeve, where he boasts over 440K subscribers. On 24 May, the seasoned pilot took to the video-sharing platform to warn passengers against using the 'black hole of despair' when flying. In the clip, Captain Steve explained that seat-back pockets are one of the easiest places to lose personal belongings during a flight. He jokingly described them as a 'black hole of despair,' where items such as phones, passports and wallets frequently disappear - often permanently. The pilot advised: 'Stop putting personal items in the seat back pocket in front of you. If you want to lose it and never see it again, put it in that dark hole that is the seat back pocket in front of you.' The pilot explained that it's a common occurrence for many passengers to return the gate in a panic after realising they've left something valuable behind in the pocket - but by the time they notice, having the item returned can be nearly impossible. He said: 'If the airplane is still at the gate, fingers crossed that somebody who cares can go out there and find the thing that you left in that seat back pocket.' However, he warned that the odds of retrieving the item 'diminishes with every minute that tickets by,' especially once cleaning crews or new passengers board, which could be within minutes of the plane emptying. The pilot concluded by urging passengers to triple-check they have all of their belongings in their possession before disembarking. It comes as Captain Steve recently shared one surprising skill that makes a good captain - and it has nothing to do with flying. In April, the seasoned pilot took to his Youtube channel to reveal the lesser-known skill required of a captain: the ability to build a strong repour with one's co-pilot. In the clip, the pilot first shared he is not permitted to read whilst in the air unless it is in relation to the aircraft itself, or aviation as a whole. Though he stressed the importance of paying attention to ensuring a safe and successful flight, he insisted another crucial skill boils down to how the conversation unfolds between he and his co-pilot. From finding out where one another is from, to warming stories about their families, to uncovering their interests and hobbies, Schreiber highlighted how a natural exchange between co-pilots is key. He recalled his first interview with his current airline, explaining: 'When I first got interviewed at my airline, they just talked to me for about 20 minutes in the interview - they didn't ask me much in the way of technical questions.' Though the captain was left 'scratching his head' at first, it soon struck him that he had already been considered a 'good fit' by his hiring managers and he was being tested on his ability to hold a 'good' conversation for a significant length of time. He added: 'That's a big part of the job. You'd be surprised how many people can't hold a conversation for very long. I appreciate my co-pilots when we get into a good discussion about anything - it makes the flight go by a lot quicker.' Over 190 viewers were left intrigued in the comments, with many asking follow-up questions about potential issues that could arise in the cockpit.

The Gross Reason You Shouldn't Wash Your Hands in Airplane Bathrooms
The Gross Reason You Shouldn't Wash Your Hands in Airplane Bathrooms

Travel + Leisure

time27-05-2025

  • Health
  • Travel + Leisure

The Gross Reason You Shouldn't Wash Your Hands in Airplane Bathrooms

Flying is, without question, a modern marvel. The science, the engineering, and the service that goes into making your flight safe and special deserve all the praise in the world. However, two things can be true at once: flying can be fantastic and it can also be gross. That said, it may surprise you to learn that one of the grossest things you can do on a plane is wash your hands. It's well-documented that planes can be pretty dirty. As several flight attendants previously told Travel + Leisure , places like tray tables, overhead bins, and instruction cards can be rather dirty. But the airplane bathroom is the place where you should be the most cautious of all. "The toilets are regularly cleaned, but the locks and door handles are not," Josephine Remo, a flight attendant and travel blogger, shared. However, some experts say you should take things one step further and avoid the water in the bathrooms altogether—including never, ever drinking it, and maybe even skipping washing your hands with it, too. In a 2017 peer-reviewed study published in the Annals of Microbiology, researchers sampled 60 ice cubes from both domestic and industrial facilities that made ice for aircraft, finding they contained more than 50 different strains of bacteria. "A consistent percentage of the microorganisms identified from ice are known agents of human infections, and their presence indicates an environmental contamination,' the researchers added. 'My takeaway from doing the research was to not drink the coffee and the tea. At all,' Charles Platkin, the author of the study and the executive director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, previously told T+L. And, just as his team wrote in the findings, Platkin stated, 'I don't wash my hands either. I have wipes that I use." Platkin isn't alone. Shanina Knighton, a research associate professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, added, when using the bathroom, she's "mindful of surfaces, especially the latch on the bathroom door, which everyone uses to open the door—even if they haven't washed their hands." She added: "I try to avoid the restroom if possible, but on longer flights, it's sometimes unavoidable, and those little hygiene habits help me stay protected." Knighton said there are plenty of studies showing that water from airplane taps can carry bacteria, as "onboard water tanks aren't cleaned as frequently as you might think." These contaminants, Knighton noted, can wreck your vacation before you even arrive. "I wouldn't want to start a vacation with a stomach bug because of unsafe water exposure." So, what can you do instead? Remo said, "It's a good idea for passengers to use hand sanitizer after stowing away their luggage, touching anything in the seat pocket in front of them, and going to the bathroom." Then, give your hands a good scrub when you land.

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