Plugged-In World Flyer & Application Form - Final.Pdf: Fill & Download for Free

My father was a radioman/gunner in B-17’s and he was shot down in two of them. The temperatures at 25,000 ft. were usually between -35°F and -65°F, usually on the colder side. The USAAF supplied the crew with electrically warmed flight suits (leather jackets and pants) that were fitted with copper wires, much like an electric blanket, as well as electrically warmed gloves and boots. There was a light pair of gloves that went under the heated leather gloves to keep chafing at a minimum and to keep skin from sticking to cold metal in the event that gloves had to be removed to do things like clearing jammed guns, etc. The suits were plugged into the plane’s 24 volt system and they worked pretty well as long as the crewmember was plugged in and the plane had not received any battle damage to the electrical system.Crews also needed oxygen and they each had a rubber bladder between the oxygen hose connected to the plane’s oxygen system and each crewman’s oxygen mask. The bladder was so that there was plenty of oxygen available when the man inhaled or exhaled quickly and not be trying to force extra oxygen from the tubes. The bladder would freeze and the crewman would have to break up the ice inside by squeezing the bladder. One thing that my father told me was that if you didn’t shave before a mission, the frozen stubble rubbing on the oxygen mask would give one hell of a rash.Later in the war, the military experimented with single piece headgear, more advanced flight suits, and more but most flyers who flew in World War II wore the fleece lined, 24V electrically heated flight suits that became iconic for US flyers.To all of the men who flew and fought in World War II (most of whom are now gone,) thank you for your service.

Simply put, these "random acts of kindness" are the result of two reasons.1. A way to keep specific consumers at the forefront of a company's radar.The trend in marketing used to be that companies would mass market and preach to the general demographic. But, with the onset of the internet and the ability to exchange information, marketers began to realize that first, one bad review could spread like wild fire, and second, companies could root out the demographics that were not converting into wanted sales.Companies found that evolving their brand for niche market, which thereby targets those demographics that fall within that niche, would be more effective with maximize their sales.For example, Frequent Flyer programs and Harley biker clubs. Best Buy found that they were selling to a demographic that would scalp sale deals (and resell products on eBay) and shoppers who would only shop for deals. To discourage these shoppers from purchasing from Best Buy, the company decreased the number of sales and instead focused on programs for it's top 20% of buyers, which includes the Geek Squad and other promotions.Based on that trend (which I remember from my first chapter of my marketing textbook), it was only inevitable that what appears to be random acts of kindness spills over into the social media world.If you build up a certain community around a product/company (which is the intent of social media) and cater to a niche market, you are discouraging those who do not feel like they belong from subscribing/following.For example, if you're in real estate with zero passion for fashion, would you comment on or even read fashion blogs? Unless you're trolling, you wouldn't and you likely wouldn't have the time to do so.One thing everyone knows is that no act of kindness is without an underlying motive, which sets up the stage for the next reason.2. A way to be gain the trust of your users/consumersBlogs are daring more than ever. They plug in competitors and plug their own brand less frequently. Why? To be the go-to source for information which thereby transitions into gaining the trust of your users/consumers.Readers have a tendency to glaze over shameless self plugs in blogs, but you'll notice that time and time again, the blogs that appear to be genuinely helping their customers beat out those company blogs that advertise their own products in terms of viewers.As readers/followers begin to trust social media resources that show "acts of kindness," it's a strategy that allows bloggers/companies to prove that they in fact know what they're talking about AND that they care about their consumers. In turn, readers will turn into converted users in the long run.Why is it a popular strategy? Because it works. Companies are beginning to leverage the fact that everyone trusts an honest man.

This is exactly what happened on a 14-hour flight across the Pacific.Hi there! (On my way to Los Angeles from Sydney)I was on a very packed flight from Sydney to Los Angeles on a US airline. I was sitting on the right-side, last row in first class.The pre-takeoff safety announcements went without a hitch on my IFE (In-Flight Entertainment) screen. We took off and life was good. The flight attendants served drinks and I went to my IFE screen, which was now dark, and tried to turn it on. Nothing. The outlet and the USB plug were not functional either.Pre-flight, above, similar to my seat in this story. Note the IFE is functional…but not for long!These things happen all the time. In the past, the flight attendant would have to “reset” the entire system affecting everyone’s screen to start from the beginning, OR they would try to reset the individual seat. Because my individual outlet didn’t work (the light and seat controls were functional), I assumed maybe it was a fuse or something.I told the flight attendant while he was doing the post-takeoff drinks/nuts service. He returned to my seat and asked me if it was now functional, to which I said no. Ten minutes later he again returned to my seat and apologized, telling me that he doesn’t know why it wasn’t working and that he would have me change seats with a non-rev flyer but there were none in the first-class cabin. I told him it wasn’t a problem, I could connect with my iPad to the WiFi of the plane and watch it directly on that AND I had a battery pack with me.My fav way to pass the time 30,000 ft above the earth…sleeping!One hour before landing into Los Angeles, I went to the lavatory to change from pjs to regular clothes. Returning to my seat, the male flight attendant stopped me and apologized once more for the issue. Again, I said “no worries, I slept most of the time and I had my iPad. All good!”He then handed me a small piece of paper that said (paraphrasing), “we are sorry you were inconvenienced on today’s flight. Please go to [website address] and use this key code.”I handed the paper back to him, “really, I’m okay.”“NO,” looking at me straight in the eye, “MAKE. SURE. YOU. GO. ONLINE.”“Uhhh, OK, OK. Thank you very much.”Now I placed the paper in my passport and a couple of days later while cleaning out my bag, I found the card, went on the airline’s website, punched in the four sets of four letters and numbers…and I was FLOORED!“We are so sorry to have inconvenienced you on your flight XX123 from Sydney to Los Angles. We hope you will accept the 120,000 miles that will be credited to your mileage account.”Wait. What? WHAT?!ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND MILES. That’s a first class ticket from the US to Australia (or Asia or Europe)!I always go through life trying to be at peace with myself and the world around me. I really didn’t care about the issue with IFE but I will bet because I was not a bitchy flyer, the flight attendant wanted to compensate me.This was the first time this has ever happened to me and wanted to share. Thanks for reading.The best IFE on an airplane - the window (below). Coming in for a landing!