Aircraft Familiarisation and Cabin Systems
Core concepts
You must be able to describe the cabin as a system: exits and their types, door mode selectors and arming indicators, slide packs and their pressure gauges (in the green), cross-check procedure, emergency lighting including floor proximity strips, passenger service units, and the oxygen system. Chemical oxygen generators cannot be switched off once activated, whereas gaseous systems can be isolated - a favourite exam distinction. Understand pressurisation and the cabin altitude warning, air conditioning packs, bleed air, the APU, electrical supply and circuit breakers, galley water and heating systems, and lavatory smoke detectors and waste systems.
Know communication priorities: flight deck calls override cabin calls, and the PA has a defined priority. Know the minimum equipment list (MEL) concept, the cabin defect log, and your duty to report unserviceable equipment rather than improvise around it.
Traps
Questions about a tripped circuit breaker: cabin crew do not reset breakers as a matter of routine. A slide pressure gauge out of the green means the exit is not usable for evacuation. Never open a door without confirming it is disarmed and the slide is not armed. Do not assume a defect is 'someone else's problem' - an unreported cabin defect can cancel the flight's dispatch status.
Rule of thumb
'Armed door means slide ready; if you did not arm it, do not open it.' Confirm mode, confirm cross-check, then operate.