Doors and Bits of Tape

[theitguy]

I have a question to Crew.
I've seen after the door has been closed a bit of, i can only describe it as 'tape' swung across the handle.

Its obviously too thin to be a physical restraint, so what does it do?

[jettesen]

It is a warning to people outside that the door is armed. Which means the silde is attatched and active, so no one should open the door from the outside if they can see the red tape.


Also it reminds crew that their door is armed on the inside, before they open the door and most likely kill the person on the outside, should the slide inflate!!

[theitguy]

ah its anti-stupid tape.

does it work? .. I have to ask as I work in IT and those kind of warnings have a kind of "you know you want to ignore the sign" effect.

[apaddyinuk]

Um, no one should ignore signs of anything in this industry! Complacency causes accidents and this is an industry we cannot tolerate complacency!

So to answer your question...YES it does work!

And to stay "anti-stupid" device is some what far from the mark too. What if a crew member opens Door A but forgets to disarm Door B, tottles off and goes home! Next morning catering van arrives at Door B and needs to open the door from the outside...he wasnt the idiot but he is the one who could be injured by the inflating slide, hence the need for warning signs!

[dubh12000]

What if a crew member opens Door A but forgets to disarm Door B, tottles off and goes home! Next morning catering van arrives at Door B and needs to open the door from the outside...he wasnt the idiot but he is the one who could be injured by the inflating slide, hence the need for warning signs!

Happened me, in Cork of all places. Ended up on my arse in the back of the catering truck.

[apaddyinuk]

Hehe! Iv come to learn that anything can happen in Cork! LOL!

[Pontius Navigator]

The tape is actually a tell-tale.

All around an aircraft that is in the care of groundcrew there will be bungs, plugs, locks, blanks etc that must be removed before flight. Two small, but none the less vital plugs and covers are used to prevent insects or moisture getting into the aircraft pressure instrument sensor - altimeter and air speed indicator for instance.

These are generally small and hard to see. They have commensurately large red flags with scotch brite tape. SLF will rarely see these as aircraft on the ramp will have them removed. You might see them on the servicing ramps on the other side of an airfield.

The door handle tape is used in the same way.

[TURIN]

If it's an Airbus type then the 'tape' could be a flag hanging from the arming safety pin. When the door is closed the tape can hang behind the door hinge arm and be obscured, it is flicked up and over the hinge arm by the door operator. The pin is removed when the door is armed. Not all airlines use the pin though. BA do, I think.:ok:

[Final 3 Greens]

What interests me more, as SLF who often gets off in the first few pax, is the red warning light in the door porthole.

If that is illuminated, I'm sitting down sharpish and strapping in :}

[Wirelock]

is that on the A320??

[Final 3 Greens]

Hi Wirelock

Yes it is.

[jqboy]

the warning light in the portal on airbus aircraft is to indicate residual pressure still inside the cabin and can clearly be seen both inside and out. It acts as a warning to not open the door as the pressure may cause the door to open forcefully.

[Rainboe]

333333333333333333333333333

[dubh12000]

Back in the 80s in the BA German operation in and out of Berlin, on shutdown at Tegel, one of the German cabin attendants was opening the door with a little bit of pressure remaining. It opened out quite strongly. Absolutely furious with the pilots for not losing internal pressure and nearly causing her (she thought) to go flying out with it, she stomped up to the flight deck, burst into the door and announced to the startled pilots 'CAPTAIN! I have just been sucked off!'

I don't recall there was any answer to that.

Another German girl appeared with a tray with the Captain's meal. The tray had been sitting on the galley top in spilt water. She asked 'Captain! I am very wet underneath. Would you like to feel?'

But I don't think that will survive the censor.

What were we talking about anyway?

Me quoting it makes it doubley hard to censor it.:}

....move along, nothing to see here.

[parsi]

The slide was activated prior to Ezy's inaugural flight out of Cork to Gatwick a few years ago. Kept us delayed for a while...

[Wirelock]

yep... there are 2 lights on the pax door .. one for cabin pressure and the other for slide armed.
the cabin pressure on ground might light momentarily but there is no danger as the aircraft should already be at ambient pressure on ground by means of the outflow valve fully opening.
as for the door slide on the a320 the light warns that slide is armed for the operator inside... if they continue to open it then the slide will deploy.
as for the opeing the door from the outside... well airbus figured that if u are able to open the door from the outside then there is no need for the slide:ok:. ... so the slide automatically disconnects from the door fitting when opened from the outside!!!