Originally Posted by
ctscanner
Following a conversation a few days back about EEJ training I was surprised to hear that my friend had not had to physically remove the cockpit window and 'escape' from the aircraft something that they had previously been required to do on a three yearly basis as part of the regulatory requirement. It appears now that watching a video is sufficient.
How common is it now within the industry that operators require their pilots to routinely conduct actual EEJ training in order that you can experience the angles/force required/release mechanisms for the type you fly. I am specifically thinking about larger types with escape windows.
The problem is, if you want to get the actual benefit you describe of 100% realism of forces, angles & opening mechanisms then you have to use a real window in a real door. Anything else is some approximation. As 212 quotes in the regulation it says actual operation of all exits (not simulated exits).
In my experience, if the exit is the whole door being jettisoned you can generally find a bit of matting and a friendly engineer and do an actual door release drill. However, this is not the case with larger offshore machines, and if you’ve ever tried popping an AW139 window with any haste, you’re lucky if you don’t trash the seal and/or crack the window in the process. You also struggle to re-seat the seal without the ‘pull tab’ flapping about forevermore. Therefore, at best you’ll generally be using some retired and re-used door/window/seal combo which is generally far easier to pop than the real thing, and you won’t be upside-down, wet and in the dark during that training.
Fake doors? I’ve tried them, but in truth it’s just another ‘training aid’ like a video, which to some extent replicates the real thing, but not with the accuracy you may desire. The law of diminishing returns comes into play. IMHO, a good video, technical brief, and aircraft touch drills combined with HUET drills is just as beneficial as elaborate, expensive, and still unrealistic hangar props.