Many factory evacuation demonstrations for the authorities in the past consisted of airline or manufacturer employees and their well-briefed family members. They practiced the drill a number of times in order for the aircraft to pass the certification test within so many seconds.
This is certainly a contrast to any real-world situation.
How about in an A-380 with a collapsed nose gear? I would not want to evacuate from a rear door of any widebody in that situation. If a main gear collapses and there is a wing fire, the folks should go out the other side or choose a very distant exit-if there is time to get to it in deadly smoke, at least if seated near the wings. Although on a much smaller 737 or DC-9, just ONE burning passenger seat creates such a thick, deadly smoke that there is not much time to escape, how about on an upper deck? One breath of these cyanide, CO gases etc might incapacitate you. Let's all be thankful for the polyester seats and their much lower costs....
What are the slides like on that other (non-burning) side of a widebody which had a main gear knocked off, just a bit steep? Do the slides dry out a bit after being stored for two to three years?
