Exercise 2. Say whether the following statements are true or false. Correct false statements

1. Damage may be in the form of simple scratches in the paint or small dents in the skin.

2. Because aircraft structures (including the outer skin) play such a critical role in the safe operation of a flight, all damage is inspected, measured and possibly tested to ensure that any damage is within safe tolerances.

3. A dent that may look no worse than common "parking lot damage" to an automobile cannot be serious enough to ground an airplane until a repair can be made.

4. The three pieces of ground equipment that most frequently damage aircraft are the passenger boarding bridge, foodstuffs, and cargo "beltloaders."

5. The generic industry colloquial term for this damage is "ramp rash", or "hangar rash".

Exercise 3. Paraphrase the following sentences.

1. Aircraft are occasionally damaged by ground equipment at the airport.

2. Damage may be in the form of simple scratches in the paint or small dents in the skin.

3. In the act of servicing the aircraft between flights a great deal of ground equipment must operate in close proximity to the fuselage and wings.

4. An example of the seriousness of this problem was the December 26, 2005 de-pressurization incident on Alaska Airlines flight 536.

5. The cabin depressurized with a bang, frightening all aboard and necessitating a rapid descent back to denser (breathable) air and an emergency landing.

Exercise 4. Finish the sentences.

1. Damage may be in the form of...

2. Because aircraft structures (including the outer skin) play such a critical role in the safe operation of a flight, all damage is inspected, measured and possibly tested to ensure that...

3. An example of the seriousness of this problem was the December 26, 2005 de-pressurization incident on...

4. The cabin depressurized with a bang, frightening all aboard and necessitating a rapid descent back to...

5. The three pieces of ground equipment that most frequently damage aircraft are...

Exercise 5. Make up sentences of your own using the following terms:

baggage cart, cabin depressurization, passenger bridge, catering cart, cart beltloader

Unit 2. Aviation Safety