Posted on 03/15/2025 7:32:48 AM PDT by george76
I take issue with your premise as to why pilots do not wish to say the word emergency. I’m not saying you can’t declare an emergency when you see something. I’ve used controllers to visually check my plane a few times and it is a welcomed set of additional eyes. I’m saying, over the decades, I’ve never heard of any controller declaring an in-flight emergency for an aircraft. In that case you have no moral obligation to take the situation out of the pilots (who is dealing directly with the situation), hands.
from my point of personal reference, military and gen av will declare an emergency without hesitation. air carriers will delay (when able) in an attempt to resolve and are further cognizant of the fact that the broadcast of emergency is over open air. and yes, from my personal point of reference the company has a lot to do with it.
The AB 380 is a monster. I can't see taking an evacuation slide from the upper deck. My guess is it is about a 40 foot drop. Qantas had a major engine failure some years ago. When the plane lane landed and the engine wouldn't shut off. Instead of using the slides, better heads prevailed and portable stairs were brought in to offload the passengers on the good side of the aircraft The engine finally shutdown when it ran out of fuel..
How’s the pay?
“ How’s the pay?”
All the beans you can eat
The videos of the slide off the upper deck of the 747 were frightening. Even worse was the pilots’ means of escape: grabbing a handle that was attached to a metal ribbon strap cable and lowering to the ground in a free fall. If you got that metal strap around your neck or leg or arm, you were dead. That thing gave me nightmares. The only film I ever saw of someone using it was filmed sometime in the 1960s.
According to the story there was no fire until they had arrived at the gate.
Just a guess, but I think most people that are injured during aircraft evacuations are elderly people, My elderly dad fell off a step ladder some years ago and got banged up. Having to take a 20 to 40 foot slide ride at that age is an issue..
Nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised if people got hurt because passengers are trying to take their 50 pound hard side rollaboard down the slide.
I think the issue is that most people that have carry on baggage have important stuff in their bags. If the situation doesn't appear to be bad enough, they will grab their stuff from the overhead compartments and make a run for it. This is evident in recent world wide airliner wrecks..
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