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Flashback Fridays: CEET, a.k.a. “Poolie,” turns 20

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Employee
Employee
In late 1995, another Southwest first took place when our Certified Emergency Evacuation Trainer (CEET) became part of the Flight Attendant training program.  Built from pieces of a retired aircraft and hydraulic lifts, was the first of its kind to provide realistic simulations of events our Flight Attendants our prepared to handle as part of their initial and recurrent training.  When our CEET entered service in October 1995, it was the first in the US to offer full freedom of motion on all three axes of flight. fbf1 Many Employees refer to the CEET as simply “Poolie” – a nickname in tribute to Sandy Pool, longtime Inflight Training Supervisor.  The fuselage portion came primarily from a retired 737-201, last registered as N202AU.  This non-advanced -200 was one of the earliest builds, while assembly was still taking place at Boeing Field. It was last operated by Carnival Airlines, prior to ending its flying days in Shelton, WA.  After being partially disassembled, it was transformed to a training device by Safety Training Systems of Tulsa at a cost of just under $500,000. fbf2 Once the modifications were complete, it was painted in standard Southwest colors and interior over at the North Concourse at Love Field, prior to it moving over to our current Headquarters building to make way for the new Love Field terminal.  In October 2013, the CEET received a fresh coat of paint in preparation for its move across the street to our new training facility. fbf3 Retired Employee Sandy Pool with “Poolie” in her new home at TOPS Now part of our Southwest University at the TOPS building, the CEET is capable of simulating real-life occurrences such as a cabin decompression, lavatory fire, or reduced visibility situations requiring action.  Although such instances are extremely rare, the skills our Crew Members learn during initial and recurrent training are part of what make flying one of the safest forms of travel available.