Slides Boeing 737

[QRCC2B]

What is the procedure when arming the slides on the Boeing 737: do you arm the slides before putting the orange strap over the window, or is it vice versa that you first move the orange strap over the window, followed by arming the slides?

[Off Stand]

Depends on the airline's proceedure (i.e. some do not use the orange/red flag at all). When I worked on the 737, it was flap first, engage girt bar second.

[Dolley]

Same with my airline.

To arm: First strap, then bar.
To disarm: First bar, then strap.

The idea being that the ground staff can tell that you are disarmed before putting steps in place.

[sebby]

Which airlines dont use the strap? I find that very dangerous... especially in an emergency where the doors were required to be opened from the outside. Accident waiting to happen if you ask me!!

[flybywire]

My airline does NOT use the "strap" in fact most of them have also been removed. (We still have a few on leased aircraft but we never touch them).

We have set rigid procedures on opening doors from outside and to date, as far as we know, nobody has blown a slide opening a door from outside (company has been operating the 737 for many many years!). Whether a procedure like this is "dangerous" or not I believe it depends on the people who put it into practice, cross and double checking all the time for arming/disarming of slides is a must with or without strap!

The reason why we do not use the strap is that in the event of an evacuation the strap covers the door window, making it difficult to watch outside for hazards. In that case we would have to remove the strap to check whether is safe to use the door, delaying things as at that point then we would have to double check again whether the slide is armed or not by looking at the girt bar.

It's just one procedure, not necessarily the best but so far it has not let us down and I can see the reason why it is the way it is! Besides if I have a spare minute I love watching outside the window while possibly sipping a cuppa! ;)

[flybywire]

I just wanted to add that the 737 doors slide release is only mechanical - the door isn't counter-balanced like the 767 and there's no EPAS like the 777 or anything that means that as soon as you crack the handle from inside/outside the door opens wide open and the slide is ready to pop out. It actually needs a lot of strength to blow it open as it does so only when it is physically pushed out and has enough room to fall down, making opening the door from outside less dangerous than with other aircraft types that do not have an automatic slide disarm system when attempting this procedure.

This means that anyone who knows of the danger of a possible armed slide would check whether the girt bar is engaged upon opening the door from outside. We do this every every morning when boarding an aircraft that has been sealed for the night. I would hope that whoever opens another operator's 737 door this way would have to check the girt bar anyway, even if the orange flag isn't showing through the window.

[Airbourne-Adamski]

My airline (well the one I work for) is
Red Flag across window
Then engage Girt Bar

To Disarm............
Disengage Girt Bar
Remove Flag From Window.

It is interesting to see how different airlines operate.

Flybywire
It is interesting to see you airine does not use the flag as it can obstruct you view when checking for hazards, A point which I never thought of.
In some way I like using the flag, A extra fail safe to make sure your disarmed before opening the door and giving ramp staff a nasty suprise.

I am however waiting for the day when I bend down to Engage or Disengage the girt bar and by bloody trousers to split :O

And I have had the chance to Blow a 737 slide (for the engineers) and from my personal experiance I found the door operation only to be slightly more stiffer to operate than normal. But as we all know each aircraft is different.

[r.s]

At my airline we don't have a strap/flag thing that goes over the window. The only time we would ever open the doors would be in an emergency. When we land the ground staff open the doors once we've confirmed it's okay to do so.

I remember from my intial training a few years ago when we were on an aircraft visit at LHR we were practising arming/disarming the doors. An engineer trotted up the steps and opened the door from the outside after one of the girls had armed it. The handle just moved back to disarmed and the slide was not blown.

[flybywire]

I remember from my intial training a few years ago when we were on an aircraft visit at LHR we were practising arming/disarming the doors. An engineer trotted up the steps and opened the door from the outside after one of the girls had armed it. The handle just moved back to disarmed and the slide was not blown.

Ehm.....are we talking about the same aircraft?

As far as I know (series 200-300-400-500) unlike other aircraft types the arming and disarming system of the 737 has no "handles", arming/disarming is done by physically bending down and engaging/disengaging the girt bar into the floor hinges.

I do not see how the slide can be automatically disarmed by opening the door from outside :confused: unless it's one of the brand new NG models which I am not familiar with?!
Anybody who flies the NG 737s can clarify this? Does the arming/disarming of the 600-700-800-900 differ from the previous series?

[starbag]

The NG is exactly the same as the classic, manual girt bar and finger nails full of mashed carrot!:yuk:

[glider12000]

Yup I`m on 738`s and soon 739`s and the same system.

Flag then engage girt bar to arm. Disengage bar and flag to disarm.

Certainly nicer to use than the 767 where moving the arming lever often causes you to catch your finger!

[TightSlot]

where moving the arming lever often causes you to catch your finger!

I'm not intending to be unhelpful, but are you sure you're doing it right?

[Matt101]

British Airways do not use the flaggy strap thing:- procedure when opening door from outside is to crack it slightly and have a look. As there is no power assist if they see the bar engaged they can just close it again without problem.

SEP trainers stated that the flag system was not safe as people didn't use it as a "back-up indicator" but rather took it as gospel and just opened door without physically checking if it was armed. (no automatic disarming system as on other aircraft)

I kinda agree. To be honest nobody ever helps me open them - and for some reason, if they are horrid heavy rusty ones, I alwasy do open/close them - Hard work!:}

Vile food all over girt apron! put me on a 747/777 any day- I do levers not bars. :O

[glider12000]

Oh yes I`m doing it right I always seem to catch my finger though, maybe it`s just my big fat fingers!:}