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midlife
Legendary Member
Conrad_K
unindicted co-conspirator
- Location
- Little Rock, Arkansas
A friend works for a major airline. They have an escape simulator. We went in after hours one night and tried it.
That particular style was a canvas tube that unrolled from the door to the ground. It had inflatable supports so it hit the ground at about a 45 degree angle.
Apparently it is traditional to NOT warn victims that it does not work like they might assume. Ahem. It looks like you'd slide down the tube and then contact the floor at a modest speed, like a children's playground slide.
But the tube is flexible, so you fall about 20 feet straight down, hit a sharp corner, and then get ejected onto the (not moving) floor at about 75 miles per hour. Well, it felt like that, anyway. I'd wondered what all the karate mats at the end of the slide were for... "tuck and tumble" is your friend on the escape chute.
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DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
I've only once witnessed a slide deployment (not in an emergency, I hasten to add) and it was pretty spectacular.
The CAA had decided that they wanted to see the TriStar slide being deployed, so we positioned an aircraft in the hangar in front of the assembled audience.
The TriStar was unusual in that the doors didn't open outwards, but retracted upwards into the roof space, fairly sedately under the power of an electric motor. But in an emergency (which might involve a complete loss of electrical power) there was also a humungous (15,000 lb) clockwork spring that drove the door upwards into its stowage in an instant, accompanied by a tremendous bang.
Normally, the slide pack stays attached to the door when it opens, but in an emergency (with no "disengage slides" call), it remains attached to the door sill and, once the door itself is out of the way, the nitrogen bottle inflates the slide and it falls into position.
Sadly, the CAA requirement didn't include having people descending on the slide, so mine and my colleagues' offers to demonstrate were politely declined. Possibly not a bad thing, given that a slide evacuations from a widebody aircraft will typically result in some injuries - mostly minor one like grazes or friction burns, but also the occasional broken leg.
figbat
Former slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
Quite a few years ago I attended a flight safety training event at BA in Heathrow. This included a number of simulations, including evacuating a smoke-filled cabin and also going down an emergency slide. They also gave us lots of hints and tips.
The slide we went down was slippy most of the way down but had a grippy texture at the bottom; this had the effect of tipping you up onto your feet if you were ready for it, or face planting you if you weren’t.
They also said to keep your shoes on during take off and landing (as these are the most likely times for an emergency evacuation) because despite the warnings, people will still grab their precious belongings before evacuation - including their duty free. This mean you can make a perfect exit, get tipped onto your feet at the bottom of the slide, right into a pile of shattered bottles.
It was honestly a great session and very eye-opening. During the safety brief I still reach under my seat to check the life jacket is there (another tip - apparently they get pilfered) and always count the rows to the nearest exit. I also do up, undo, do up my lap belt several times to ingrain the muscle memory (in crash investigations, bodies have been found with scratch marks where the unfortunate victim in a panic has desperately tried to undo the belt like a car seatbelt).
Finally, having done the training I was told that should an emergency occur I should let the cabin crew know I have done it; they are likely to position me in an emergency exit row as I have experience of removing and exiting through an overwing exit.
The slide we went down was slippy most of the way down but had a grippy texture at the bottom; this had the effect of tipping you up onto your feet if you were ready for it, or face planting you if you weren’t.
They also said to keep your shoes on during take off and landing (as these are the most likely times for an emergency evacuation) because despite the warnings, people will still grab their precious belongings before evacuation - including their duty free. This mean you can make a perfect exit, get tipped onto your feet at the bottom of the slide, right into a pile of shattered bottles.
It was honestly a great session and very eye-opening. During the safety brief I still reach under my seat to check the life jacket is there (another tip - apparently they get pilfered) and always count the rows to the nearest exit. I also do up, undo, do up my lap belt several times to ingrain the muscle memory (in crash investigations, bodies have been found with scratch marks where the unfortunate victim in a panic has desperately tried to undo the belt like a car seatbelt).
Finally, having done the training I was told that should an emergency occur I should let the cabin crew know I have done it; they are likely to position me in an emergency exit row as I have experience of removing and exiting through an overwing exit.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Widnes
That's useful
I alway try the release mechanism on the seatbelt
I also try to remember to keep my hand near it as we take off and land - so I know exactly where it is if the cabin suddenly fills with smoke!
checking the lifejacket is a good idea - didn;t think of that
figbat
Former slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
Another - keep your passport on you. You might make a miraculous emergency evacuation and are safe and well, but if your passport is burning with the plane you now have some new problems that you could just do without.
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
That said, the exception to keeping your shoes on during an emergency evac is that ladies (or anyone else
) wearing high heels should remove them before jumping on the slide, for obvious reasons.
figbat
Former slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
That said, the exception to keeping your shoes on during an emergency evac is that ladies (or anyone else
View attachment 799673
Yes, good catch. Best not to fly in high heels at all really.
