Aviation lifejacket practice seat

Most travelers on commercial air services will have seen a demonstration of how to put on a lifejacket.

Very, very few have actually done it for real, or have any concept of how difficult it actually is. (It is actually quite remarkably difficult, which is enough in itself to engender low-level panic even to an experienced aviator)

BorgCo are developing a system to allow passengers to practice.

The idea is simple; somewhere in an airport, there is a cupboard-sized space containing three standard airline seats. To make the simulation more valid, there is no "aisle" seat, only window - centre - window, thus equally restricting all participants; the "door" is another dummy "window".

Three participants watch the training video, they then enter and sit down,put on their seat belts, fold down their tray tables, and set up any relevant laptops, portable games, magazines, books, knitting, or other clutter.

When they are all ready, the lights dim somewhat, the "cabin" starts to joggle around a bit, and the occupants have to reach under their seat and extract a "lifejacket" (actually a cheap, tough, re-usable facsimile, but with all the "bits") and then put it on, in their seat, cramped in by other people performing the same task, the overhead lockers, and all their clutter.

They're video-recorded while they do this.

Sometimes, an airport or airline employee (or indeed a community volunteer) will substitute for one of the participants. They may either pretend to be very confused and request help, be extraordinarily clumsy, simulate panic, or simply be remarkably obese; any of which will make the process that much more of a challenge for the other participants.

At the end, the passenger gets a mini-DVD of their experience to watch, and their passport is stamped so that they can't just go round repeating the experience because they find it fun. When their passport expires and is replaced, they can have another go.