Are The Engines Running Now?

My publisher Greg Napert and I were on our way back from a trade show in Las Vegas last Friday. We were on the aircraft and taxiing to the runway, and the flight attendants were making their final checks before strapping into their jump seats. It was quite warm in the plane, and the gaspers above our seats were not working. As one of the flight attendants walked by, Greg asked, "Could you turn the air on? It's quite warm in here." The flight attendant replied, "Sorry, we don't have any control over the air and besides, it doesn't work until the engines are running." "So, you mean the airplane's engines aren't running right now?" Greg asked as we continued to taxi. "No," she promptly replied. The flight attendant continued down the aisle to strap herself into her jumpseat. Greg and I laughed as we jokingly tried to imagine how the aircraft was taxiing. "Maybe the aircraft has some sort of new motor-driven wheels with jet-engine noise simulators at the rear of the aircraft?" I jokingly said to him. After takeoff we still had no air flow. Greg asked, "Do you think I should ring the flight attendant call button and ask her 'Are the engines running yet?'" "I don't think so!" I replied. "I don't want to be escorted off the plane in handcuffs when we land in Milwaukee because some flight attendant thinks we are disruptive." So Greg resisted pushing the call button and kept trying to adjust the gasper, hoping in vain for some some cool air to come out. As the flight attendants got to our row for their food and beverage service, Greg calmly asked, "Do you think you can turn the air on? It is very warm in here." A different flight attendant answered, "I'm sorry sir; the air is on, but the air gaspers on your row aren't working. They were written up on a previous flight. We can have the temperature lowered a bit to make it more comfortable." "Thank you," Greg replied. The flight attendant immediately went to the front of the aircraft to have the temperature adjusted. Sure enough, in a few minutes the temperature started to cool down to a more comfortable level. I must say that I am amazed that the first flight attendant did not have the basic aircraft knowledge to know that an aircraft taxis under engine power. I can understand her not knowing specifically how the air-conditioning system on a 717 works, but there should be no reason to tell a passenger that the engines weren't running as the aricraft is taxiing for takeoff. Thanks for reading. Joe Escobar