Summary of the poem 'No Alarm on the Flight Deck'by Pam Ayres
Answers
No Alarm on the Flight Deck - Summary
In her poem 'No Alarm on the Flight Deck' Pam Ayres writes about the safety of flights and whether the pilot takes his job seriously. The poem is written in the wake of a plane crash that the poet has heard in the news, which leaves her apprehensive.
The poem opens with the speaker, who was wide awake in the dimly lit aircraft while the other passengers were are sleeping, wondering what the pilot must be doing that time of the night. She confesses that she never sleeps on flights as she is worried whether her flight (in this case Jumbo DC - 10) was going to reach the destination or going to crash. Her mind wanders to the cockpit and she wonders if the pilot has put the plane on emergency pilot and is asleep like a baby. She imagines that the pilot had loosened his tie and stretched his feet and dozing off. She feels that maybe when the aircraft is going through turbulence or diving because of the weather, the pilot would be yawning in his sleep, not worried about any danger.
When its morning and the rays of the sun hit his brows, he chirps to his crew members, that it has been a great journey and its time to land. He would say 'Good grief, we have done some miles' looking at the controls.
Finally the poet requests the pilot that the passengers are counting on him for their safety and that it is his responsibility to reach them all safely.
Though the poet makes the poem a light, there is a sense of worry in her voice which sends a message of caution to the pilots.
Explanation:
In the poem No Alarms in the Flight Deck by Pam Ayres, the poet describes there was a pilot who slept for son long that he forgot to take care of the flight. the auto flight mode was still switched on, and his colleagues worked on it later as there was an emergency situation for the crew. lives were at stake and the poet read about this in a newspaper.