Today's US Airways plane crash got us all thinking about flight attendants and how they would prepare passengers for an emergency. Momlogic went straight to the source to find out.

United Airlines flight attendant Monique Howard made us all feel a little safer when she gave us the lowdown on the extensive training that they go through for emergency situations.

Momlogic: What is the hiring process to become a flight attendant?
Monique: So many people don't realize how difficult it is to get hired on a major airline. For every person that gets hired, they interview 2,500 people. This still doesn't guarantee you'll make it all the way through the training process.

They start off with an open call, and the interviews are broken into three segments. If you make it through the day, they then fly you to their main headquarters for a second interview. Here is where they watch you interact with other flight attendants and you spend the entire day in interviews. When it comes down to the end, you're also required to speak a second language.

Momlogic: Once you're hired, what is the training process?
Monique: I was sent to a training facility in Chicago for 10 weeks, where I had to stay in what felt like a dorm room with four other girls. We were watched 24/7 and put through extensive training.

Momlogic: How do they train you for an emergency?
Monique: They have mock-ups of all they United aircrafts -- I think I had six. We're tested going into each mock-up where I was given different emergency situations. Half the flight attendants were to act as passengers, while the instructors posed as pilots.

Momlogic: What happens if the aircraft is about to crash into a body water like today?
Monique: There surprisingly is enough time to brief the passengers. The captain knows in enough time that the plane is going down. We remain calm, instruct them to put on their life vests, when to inflate them and that when the captain screams "brace brace brace," they need to grab their heads and prepare for impact. The flight attendants are the ones who start opening the exits and make sure everyone is getting off. You're required to get out and leave everything.

Momlogic: Do you ever get scared?
Monique: I have to say I got scared once when the landing gear didn't come down. When you're in the situation, it's amazing how your emergency training kicks into gear. I panicked a little, but then you realize it's what you're trained for and all fear suddenly goes away. You don't have time to panic.

Momlogic: What are the benefits to being a flight attendant?
Monique: The best part has to be flying for free to wherever you want. I also have a very flexible schedule where I can trade trips with other attendants (once I have a set schedule). It's not always guaranteed, but it's very helpful. We also make a decent salary, except for after 9/11 we took a 35% pay cut.

Momlogic: What would you like to say to those passengers who think of you as merely a waitress in the sky?
Monique: My job is to get you from point A to point B in a safe and timely manner. People seem to forget that our main objective is to be a safety professional. Of course, we want your flight to be fun and pleasant, but in an emergency situation we're the ones that you have to rely on for protection.