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 Photo © Dennis Verhaaff |  Photo © Marc Fulton |
| Quoting Cancidas (Reply 3): jetjack, are you referring to the fwd or aft stairs on the c-40? i thought that the fwd ones do not fold but just retract into the fuselage... |
| Quoting Wilax (Reply 4): It looks to me that the stairs on the above 757 in the second photo are an addon which folds 4 times at the visible joints and stows just inside the main entry door |
| Quoting Cancidas (Thread starter): it's not under the L1 door as on the 737 but looks like it is installed inside the airplane. anybody have any info on this? |
| Quoting Speedmarque (Reply 7): No. they are coming from the floor/girt area |
I was just using a more general term.| Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 10): Is there a manufacturers link for these Air Stairs available.Also Is the operating sequence similiar to the Airstair on a B737. |
| Quoting ZANL188 (Reply 11): What I'm curious about on jets with these airstairs is this: How do the crews close them up for overnight/longterm parking? Can the doors be closed with the stairs extended? That seems unlikely if they are stored in the cabin... I'm guessing there is a hellhole in one of the pits or gear bays that a person could use to exit the aircraft after retracting the stairs and closing the main deck door. |
| Quoting ZANL188 (Reply 11): Can the doors be closed with the stairs extended? That seems unlikely if they are stored in the cabin... I'm guessing there is a hellhole in one of the pits or gear bays that a person could use to exit the aircraft after retracting the stairs and closing the main deck door. |
| Quoting BoeingFixer (Reply 12): Use a belt loader for the last person off the aircraft from another door. |
| Quoting ZANL188 (Reply 14): Quoting BoeingFixer (Reply 12): Use a belt loader for the last person off the aircraft from another door. |
| Quoting ZANL188 (Reply 14): Pointless if the idea is to reduce the aircrafts dependence on ground support equipment.... |
| Quoting BoeingFixer (Reply 15): Although you may think it's pointless, have you ever tried loading/unloading 757 belly pits without a belt loader? |
| Quoting BoeingFixer (Reply 15): The first picture indicates that one is required and most airports will have one despite not having Airstairs. |
| Quoting ZANL188 (Reply 14): Pointless if the idea is to reduce the aircrafts dependence on ground support equipment.... |
| Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 17): Not if the unit is used by a trained person who folds the Air stair after the Pax are off it. Makes sense. |
| Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 13): On the B737 Airstair was stored below the Entry door sealed by a seperate door.The Airstair could be opened from Inside & Outside the Aircraft thru an AC or DC [Hot bus] powersupply. |
 Photo © Howard Chaloner |  Photo © Richard Barsby - Aviation Photographer |
| Quoting ZANL188 (Reply 18): hows does the person folding/stowing the stairs get off the jet |
| Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 19): 737-200C Combis with main deck cargo door have a rear airstair attached to the door which opens downward rather than outward. Aircraft in photos also have the optional equipment for use on gravel runways |
| Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 19): Aircraft in photos also have the optional equipment for use on gravel runways. |
| Quoting Sv2008 (Reply 22): How does a 737 take off from a gravel runway??? |
| Quoting Sv2008 (Reply 22): why would any airport build such a long runway (that a jet could take off on) but not out of asphalt? |
| Quoting Airfoilsguy (Reply 23): On the left photo it doesn't look like the stares fold into the door. From what I can tell the stairs are stored in the cargo compartment on a pallet. The pallet is unloaded using the belt loader and put on a cart. (the cart is parked right in front of the nose landing gear). Someone on the ground somehow assembles the stairs and hooks them up to the door. Who does what in my above scenario is a mystery to me. |
| Quoting Sv2008 (Reply 22): Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 19): Aircraft in photos also have the optional equipment for use on gravel runways. How does a 737 take off from a gravel runway??? I heard of this before, but just can't picture it. why would any airport build such a long runway (that a jet could take off on) but not out of asphalt? Wouldn't the engines and the weight of the aircraft disturb the surface? Wouldn't it tend to sink into it? Wouldn't the engines be damaged by flying stones? |
 Photo © Peter Stuhlmann - CYOW Airport Watch |  Photo © Hongyin Huo |
 Photo © Ivan Kresanek - Contrails Aviation Photography |  Photo © Ivan Kresanek - Contrails Aviation Photography |
| Quoting Sv2008 (Reply 22): How does a 737 take off from a gravel runway??? I heard of this before, but just can't picture it. why would any airport build such a long runway (that a jet could take off on) but not out of asphalt? Wouldn't the engines and the weight of the aircraft disturb the surface? Wouldn't it tend to sink into it? Wouldn't the engines be damaged by flying stones |
| Quoting Jetjack74 (Reply 2): These are the same airstairs installed on the Navy's C40's |
| Quoting DeltaGuy (Reply 28): IIRC the airstairs was a default option on the 732 |
| Quoting SkydrolBoy (Reply 30): On the two aircraft that I have worked on that have these stairs installed, also have an electrically operated E and E bay door and ladder that is operated from a Switch on the nose gear. There is also a hatch installed in the cabin floor giving you access to the E and E bay, which would allow one of the crew members to climb up into the aircraft and open the L1 door and deploy the airstairs |
| Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 31): Interesting.Whose Aircraft are these.Also where does the ladder store in the MEC. |
| Quoting SkydrolBoy (Reply 33): it just swings down out of the door, next time I see one of the a/c I'll try and get some pics of the ladder. |
