Slide deployment in strong winds

[cirr737]

Tried the search function, but no luck...

Has anybody reliable information up to what wind speeds (head/cross) slides on the 737 will be usable in case of an evacuation?

Thanks!

[MrFixer!!!]

Which 737???? Classic or New Gen??? Whatever I know of the slide mechanism its got nothing to do with how much gusts its deployed in!!!
Would be interesting to know if someone can come up with a specific figure......Sorry cant give your answer but can explain how it works....if that helps.....

[cirr737]

I am talking about the classics.
The figure I am looking for is actually not the max. windspeed where the slides will still inflate correctly, I am looking for the max windspeed before they get blown all over the place and are unusable after deployment.

[Empty Cruise]

60 kts AFAIR

[cirr737]

Thanks for the number. Do you have an idea where I could find it written down, black on white?

Situation came up some weeks ago as we landed in a headwind of 65kts.
At some point on the return flight we asked ourselves "What if we would have needed to evacuate..."

[Empty Cruise]

Should be in your "Limitations" section. I'm sorry I can't provide a reference since I don't fly the 73 anymore - moved to smaller and better things :}

[bflyer]

The original girt strength tests in the TSO were designed to assure that the attachment point of the slide to the aircraft would support the in-use loads expected. These tests included: 1)
a 1050 lb. static loading of the girt, produced by placing sandbags on the escape slide erected to nominal doorsill height, or an angle not greater
than 300, and 2) a lateral loading of the girt, produced by a 25-knot wind directed horizon-tally, parallel to the ground, against the side of the escape slide longitudinal beam.
hi.....this is the only number i came across researching this matter, since i did ask the what if? question also
by that i mean the 25 kts wind speed
this comes from a document labelled..." inflatable escape slide beam and girt strength tests..support for technical standard order(TSO) C-69b" DOT/FAA/AM-98/3

i would really appreciate the input on the matter...am sure the numbers are burried somewhere.. i cannot believe that a max demo x-wind limit of say 38kts for an A320 would not take into account escape slide at least equal to that number...

[cirr737]

Thanks for the links. I guess I'm going to print it out and eventually have a cup of coffee with one of the safety pilots. I'm really interested in their opinion on this...

But the "cover your ass"-essence of this would be - do not operate with more than 28kts of wind, of course that is operational impossible but interesting to think about...