Secrets of your trade.

[Confusedfornow]

I have worked in my current area of expertise for the last 20 years or so. It's in Aviation, can't say exactly what or for who as it's a relatively small community (for my role) and it would be VERY outing. Before this, my only other "job" that I did for a few years was dancing (yes, that kind ). So I don't have massive experience of the world of work.

But I was chatting with some people in a bar over the weekend and conversation turned to jobs and then to my role. I was telling them about some stuff which is perfectly normal to me, but was absolutely news to them.

For instance . .

When a plane is "parked" and everything is switched off, the aircraft is referred to as being "Cold and dark".

If a helicopter has engine failure, it won't just fall out of the sky. The pilots are trained in a procedure called "autorotation" and can usually land safely even if the engine isn't running at all.

All British Airways flights use the call sign "Speed Bird". It's unique and no other airline in the world uses it.

Last one . .

Pilots can't wear polarised sunglasses. They make the electronic displays on the flight deck appear black, and you can't read any information from them.

So, what do you know from your jobs that is mundane for you but which most people wouldn't have a clue/be surprised by?

As a care worker can I say that the worst about this is other care workers who have worked for decades and have done so because they are slackers. And the abuse against 'foreigners' is abhorrent.

I've binned continuous incontinence sheets, simply because it's probably best to forget the red bag.

I've binned continuous incontinence sheets, simply because it's probably best to forget the red bag

Can you explain what you mean?

Freaking loving the responses!

Well it's five o clock here

Anyway. A few more police ones from my BFF over there on the couch.

Police officers who carry guns are referred to as simply "firearms". They all volunteer for the role and don't get paid anything extra for doing it.

Apparently "firearms" is incredibly difficult to get into.

Police Officers call police dogs "land sharks".

Probationary Police Officers are not usually fully trained in driving police cars and only have a "permit", so can't use the lights and sirens to go to emergency calls. So there are some police officers, driving police cars around, who aren't yet allowed to use the blue lights.

Blue lights and sirens are called "blues and two's".

If an officer goes "over the air" and "calls for a van", it means somebody has just been arrested and they are not coming quietly. Vans are mostly used to take violent prisoners, quiet one's are taken by car.

The big square cage in the back of police vans is actually called "the cage".

Apparently, being "tasered" is like . .

"having a Sumo Wrestler jumping up and down on your spleen while you're giving birth to a porcupine"

and she would rather just be shot as it wouldn't hurt as much.

Definitely velvet. What a joke it is.

Insomnibrat - catalytic converters - as I'm sure you know that's why some immoral people steal them and wreck people's cars which isn't nice which happened to us and was very expensive to replace.

@LoopyLu2019 they can be ordered to shave though for operational reasons.

Red bag means to be blunt number twos and this is sent to laundry to be dealt with. Sometimes it's mixed with urine and it has soaked overnight, basically they, the resident/patient, is left in their bodily deposits for a very long time. I put the sheets into the yellow bags to be disposed of. I personally don't want this to be washed and recycled. I know it's expensive but those sheets are beyond rescuing.

@deadcertain yes but it's also a proud tradition so rare unless they can only grow a scruffy one. Plus in a scenario where you require a mask there's not exactly much time for a quick shave... and ship fires are surprisingly common...

Adult social care:

If you’re not happy complain to your local councillor/MP. In my area this always results in people getting what they asked for (eg. more expensive care home, more care at home to avoid a care home etc).

If you are asked if you can pay a 3rd party top up for nursing home/care home fees you absolutely don’t have to say yes and you should not be asked unless they have an alternative which wouldn’t require a top up.

Eg. They might say we have x care home or slightly nicer y care home but y would need a top up. But they shouldn’t say we only have x care home available can you contribute to the fees.

Vet.

We often refer to putting an animal to sleep as killing it. As in "oh yeh I killed that one on Monday". It doesn't mean we don't care, I promise.

Sometimes when the animal has already died, the vet will call to tell the owner the pet is dying. Then call back an hour later to say it's dead. I do not do this, I prefer true honesty.

love this thread!

@warcat Bit awkward if they rush down to the practice for a last goodbye, no?

@warcat

PMSL

"I killed that one on Monday"

The price of a wedding dress to a bride is one third profit, one third shop costs and one third cost of the dress. So a £3k dress is bought in for £1k.
Most shops will sell you 1 size too big if they think you might put on weight, if you don’t the seamstress makes money-win/win.
The sales girls enjoy dressing bigger brides more- the look on a bride’s face when she finds the one that makes her feel amazing is lovely.
We choose playlists which include songs which might be your first dance song, chances are if it comes on the bride takes it as ‘a sign’ 😂

The price of a wedding dress to a bride is one third profit, one third shop costs and one third cost of the dress. So a £3k dress is bought in for £1k.

That's pretty normal kind of markup/gross profit for any business that is high value, high time. It's the same kind of percentage for restaurants, pubs, cafes, and most things that are hand made/labour intensive. Factories/manufacturing is the same with the 3 third philosophy, i.e. a third raw materials, a third overheads and a third profit.

It's only really the "pile it high, sell it cheap" kind of things that are much lower margins, such as groceries, where margins/profits are more in the 20/25% arena.

Currently buying a car so want car salesman tricks

My friend had a bridal shop. She was a regular visitor to USA
She spotted a bridal shop closing down, so she bought two or three large suitcases and bunged about 20 in them.
Got them back to the uk, stuck them in the washing machine and put them in her shop.

In all fairness she didn’t take people’s eyes out and charged no more than a £100 for them.
Win:win, she made a profit and he brides got a bargain.

Oops forget to say she paid $25 for each of them

place
the resident/patient, is left in their bodily deposits for a very long time.

That’s awful! Why are they being left for a very long time

Nurse- we often cry when patients die, especially long term patients (obviously in private)
I make sure no matter how busy I am that I perform last offices on my patient, talk to them and explain what I’m doing. It’s the last thing I can do for someone.
We open the window to let their soul out silly I know

Civil servant here. Won't go into great detail but in my department where we mainly deal with vulnerable people and their money, the staff are given a pitiful amount of training, have to switch roles with a weeks notice, have to deal with customers extreme mental health problems, addiction issues etc - again not what we are paid for or trained to do. Once during a 2 year period my role changed around 4 times. It can be a demoralising job but my colleagues and I all work extremely hard to deliver the best to people despite this.

Warcat I still refer to one of the vets at our practice as “the one who killed my cat”

@WarCat
Why say ‘I killed that one on Monday’ though, why use such a flippant (and frankly, quite horrible) term?

Because of the times I've seen therapists just swirl some water around to 'clean' it and the toenails with oozing fungal infections that were clipped and filed with equipment that is then used on someone else. I know it should all be put in barbicide but if you'd seen what I have you'd understand.

'I killed that one on Monday’ '