L1011 Airstairs
Hate to correct you but the Airstairs were an absolute nightmare:if they worked properly it all looked very smooth but if not the F/E climbed down a rope ladder from the lower galley complete with long drive tool. If the cargo door was open you had to locate the correct "socket" insert the tool and crank it "n" number of turns, then onto the next and so on for I believe five separate sockets. Passengers off, new passengers on and repeat the process in reverse. The climb back up the rope ladder. I recall doing this at Almeria and finally entered the cabin to cheers and applause from the 400 passengers who had been briefed on the progress by the Captain!! Apart from that they weighed an awful lot and were removed not too long into L1011 operations. As an aside I believe they were designed by the same guy as designed the HP Victor undercarriage and if you've ever watched that sequence you'll understand the Airstairs. Happy days indeed!!