mikey72 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2009, 1780 posts, RR: 2 Posted (1 year 6 months 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 3842 times:
I know they don't need a double-lane slide to evacuate many people on a cargo aircraft but if there were an emergency it's still a hell of a long way to the ground from the upper deck of a 747-800 on a single-lane slide.
Especially if it's windy.
Is the roof hatch the primary mode of escape ?
Flying is like sex - I've never had all I wanted but occasionally I've had all I can stand.
tdscanuck From Canada, joined Jan 2006, 12709 posts, RR: 80 Reply 1, posted (1 year 6 months 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 3747 times:
Quoting mikey72 (Thread starter): if there were an emergency it's still a hell of a long way to the ground from the upper deck of a 747-800 on a single-lane slide.
It's the same distance down whether you have a dual or single lane slide. Why pack the extra weight of a dual-lane when you're not even close to needing that capacity? Also, the upper deck door is narrow...I'm not sure you'd gain much from widening the slide.
KAUSpilot From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 1955 posts, RR: 36 Reply 3, posted (1 year 6 months 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 3562 times:
The escape routes would go like this, with 1 being the least urgent and 4 being the most urgent/abnormal, assuming no ground equipment available:
1. Ladder from the E/E compartment
2. Escape rope from the L1 or L5 main deck door
3. Upper deck emergency slide
4. Overhead escape hatch/inertial reels.
AA737-823 From United States of America, joined Mar 2000, 5383 posts, RR: 11 Reply 4, posted (1 year 5 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 3121 times:
Quoting PGNCS (Reply 2): Oh no doubt! When I flew the 744 it was made clear that the hatch was a last chance to live option.
Aah, but have you seen the vintage TWA video where use of the escape hatch is demonstrated? That inertia reel virtually lets the poor slob FREEFALL until the last, oh, six inches. And it doesn't even reach the ground! You have to jump the rest of the way! Just a few feet, but gosh...
It's on youtube somewhere. I'll see if I can find it later.
To the original question, there's no point. The upper deck of a freighter is going to seat about twenty people tops, which can easily be evacuated down a single-lane in about 25 seconds if they're under sufficient coersion.
MD-90 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 8422 posts, RR: 13 Reply 5, posted (1 year 5 months 3 weeks 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 2986 times:
Quoting KAUSpilot (Reply 3): 2. Escape rope from the L1 or L5 main deck door
How does that work? Do you basically have a rope attached to the door frame and you manually lower yourself down?
tdscanuck From Canada, joined Jan 2006, 12709 posts, RR: 80 Reply 6, posted (1 year 5 months 3 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 2944 times:
Quoting MD-90 (Reply 5): Quoting KAUSpilot (Reply 3):
2. Escape rope from the L1 or L5 main deck door
How does that work? Do you basically have a rope attached to the door frame and you manually lower yourself down?
Yep. It's usually in a bag or compartment just beside the door. One end is already secured to a sturdy point on the frame and the rope has some combination of bumps/knots/bulges/etc. every foot or so you can lower yourself in a semi-controlled manner.
737tdi From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 468 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (1 year 5 months 3 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 2694 times:
We use those inertia reels everyday at work due to OSHA regs. and I can tell you it is a pain in the butt. I can tell you though they will slow/interupt your fall. They are actually very cool. I had a chance to test them and they work quite well.
Zkpilot From New Zealand, joined Mar 2006, 4740 posts, RR: 10 Reply 9, posted (1 year 5 months 3 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 2661 times:
Of course besides a hijacking (not so likely on a freighter), the only time descent reels are likely to be needed is from an actual crash (where access to a slide is not available for some reason). In this case the height is almost certainly going to be less (nose wheel almost always is the first to go) so that reduces the height by about 3 metres (still a big drop).
HAWK21M From India, joined Jan 2001, 31228 posts, RR: 58 Reply 10, posted (1 year 5 months 2 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 2322 times:
Quoting tdscanuck (Reply 6):
Yep. It's usually in a bag or compartment just beside the door. One end is already secured to a sturdy point on the frame and the rope has some combination of bumps/knots/bulges/etc. every foot or so you can lower yourself in a semi-controlled manner.
tdscanuck From Canada, joined Jan 2006, 12709 posts, RR: 80 Reply 11, posted (1 year 5 months 2 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 2239 times:
Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 10): What about those spring loaded reels.
Those are in a compartment in the flight deck with one end fastened to the structure. You grab the handle (integral with the inertia reel) and go out the hatch. They can be used for main deck doors as well but that's not that common in line service as far as I know.
HAWK21M From India, joined Jan 2001, 31228 posts, RR: 58 Reply 12, posted (1 year 5 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 2127 times:
Quoting tdscanuck (Reply 11):
Those are in a compartment in the flight deck with one end fastened to the structure. You grab the handle (integral with the inertia reel) and go out the hatch. They can be used for main deck doors as well but that's not that common in line service as far as I know.
Exactly...What Im saying is the Inertia reels is more easier to descend via rather than knotted rope....
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