Wind limits for slides
 

Kyrill brought it back to my mind. With wind speeds up to 60kts and more, what do you think will the slides do in case of an evac?

Depends on when they were certified and which way the a/c is pointing re wind.
G'day ;)

Where can I find further details ?

If no-one comes up with the answer, try a search of the BF Goodrich website. I think they make them.

G'day ;)

@Feather #3

I already did, couldn't find it.

slides and evac
 

try here:

http://www.aircruisers.com/

or look up the local regulatory sites for certification requirements

it's unlikely that here are any circustances where 60 kts will be encountered

There's a piece of film (sorry I haven't got it, nor a link to it) showing slides deployed in anger on a 747 which wound up wrapped round the fuselage due high winds. Not sure where, but West coast of the US, I seem to recall. Scary if you're trying to get off the a/c, frustrating if you're on the ground, trying to rescue people.

How can you set a wind limit for the use of slides? If you gotta get off the a/c 'cos it's ablaze, you gotta get off! Are we saying that if the wind is reported > a value, you don't deploy the slides? What else can you do, make everyone jump?

OR, do we say, if the wind is forecast to be > a value, WE DON'T FLY. That makes more sense to me.

Cheers,
TOO

Yes, this would be the answer.

The Odd One: PA845 (N747PA) at SFO on 30th July 1971. I've seen this video on a few occasions through the years, and it does make for interesting watching.

ok, here we are. Slides are tested with 25 kts.:rolleyes:

http://interstatetraveler.us/Referen...aphy/Shute.pdf

A good number of years ago a BA B747-200 evacuated in Lajes with what was believed to be a hold fire. It flew for over an hour before landing at Lajes (the only place it could go) in appalling weather, including (if memory serves) 50 gusting 60 knots of wind. There is astonishing video of the event taken by military personnel -the approach is something to behold (and was hand-flown as the turbulence caused the autopilots to drop out). The commander (who, I think, still does some training consultancy work) gives a superb presentation about the event. The slides deployed effectively and no-one was seriously hurt. It was not believed, at the time, that slides would be effective in such conditions.
There has also been academic work done in the Netherlands on slide use in high wind, though I don't have references to hand.

@Kit

Surely it depends on wind direction.

I'm fairly certain the Pan Am/SFO slide lifting was caused by an over-enthusiastic helicopter hovering too close and the downwash caused the slide twisting and subsequent injuries.
A slide is emergency equipment. To get off rapidly there are no other options. In most common circumstances, if half the slides are adversely affected by winds, the other half should be operating normally, therefore I think wind speed is not a factor. One might have an embarrasing interview with a flight manager if one declined to operate 'because you didn't think the slides would be usable!'.

hetfield,

My apologies - it was more or less straight across. The video really is inspiring.