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Old 8th Mar 2008, 18:50
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A Very Civil Pilot
 
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I found this on Wikipedia, so draw your own conclusions for it's accuracy.

In order to compensate for any wind, new evacuation slides contain internal baffles, which cause the ends nearest the aircraft to inflate first, which are constructed to come out like four elbows and press against the fuselage of the aircraft, to the forward and aft sides of the exit door. There are also 'half-tie' restraints which keep the inflating slide from drooping or blowing under the aircraft. These restraints are constructed so that when the slide becomes fairly rigid, around 1.5 - 2.0 psi, they detach very quickly (there are usually two), and since the header tubes are already against the fuselage, the slide 'pops' almost horizontally out from the door, then drops relatively gently to the ground. Tests in 25 knot cross winds have shown these deployment systems to be very effective.
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