Are Boeing Aircraft Safe???

Wild Cat · Post by **Wild Cat** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:04 am

I heard on the radio last night that there were a group of pilots complaining about the safety of boeing aircraft.
Apparently, the emergency doors are opened through explosive devides inside. Now these charges arent very strong, just enough to open the doors. But does this make them dangerous? apparently there is also the possibility that they can be remote detonated outside of the cockpit. These pilots feared that terrorists could manipulate some controls in order to destroy the aircraft in midair. There are thousands of boeing aircraft.
I dont know if this is only boeing aircraft, could be airbus.

Your thoughts.

pika · Post by **pika** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:15 am

Explosive doors?

Hedley · Post by **Hedley** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:18 am

Does your car have airbags?

How often do you service and replace them? They do live in a very extreme environment (very hot, very cold, vibration, salt).

If they accidentally deploy, which will surely result in you losing control of your vehicle, are you happy about only having 3 feet laterally between you and the oncoming vehicles in the other lane, with a 120 mph closure speed?

double-j · Post by **double-j** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:55 am

boeingboy · Post by **boeingboy** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:21 am

Completely untrue.

There are no explosive devices to open doors. They use a small cylinder of compressed gas. It assists the door in opening. Some overwing exits and the inboard spoilers use a small cartridge but it amounts to about the same thing as a firecracker.

Airbus uses the same thing.

I think what you heard is a NW 747 captain that went nuts saying Boeing had built the 747 to intentionally explode by hiding explosive charges on it.

ahramin · Post by **ahramin** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:18 pm

As boeingboy said.

However, military jets have been using explosive hatches for decades without problem.

bandit1 · Post by **bandit1** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:49 pm

IF IT'S NOT BOEING, I'M NOT GOING!!!

mellow_pilot · Post by **mellow_pilot** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:31 pm

I know a guy who was flying back seat in a Canuck when the canopy accidentally blew on downwind. He said that when that much exposive goes off that close to your head, you may lose control of some bodily functions.

That sort of thing could be embarrasing normally, but when it's minus 30 out... well, it's just hard to explain to the ground crew why you won't get out of the plane before they tow it into the hangar.

pika · Post by **pika** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:47 pm

Did you mean last two decades?

complexintentions · Post by **complexintentions** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:26 am

Because it relates to Boeings, explosives, and Strategic Air Command...

One of my instructors on my last course was a former B52 captain. During the height of the Cold War SAC had to have bombers ready 24/7, on his base the first plane had to be wheels-up within 6 minutes of the scramble...

His B52 didn't use APU or ground air for engine start, it actually used explosive cartridges that would start turbine rotation. The triggers were next to the ladder going up to the cockpit. So his job as captain would be as they went up the ladder to the cockpit, to trigger the explosives, by the time they were in the seats the engines were spooled up enough to introduce fuel/ignition!! Don't know if this was for all eight engines.

Also, at times they would use the (gas-fuelled) wing-mounted rockets for extra thrust on takeoff, for very heavy takeoffs. (!!) The rockets had the capability to be refuelled inflight from the a/c fuel tanks.

Those were the days.

I have no idea what that moron is talking about explosives in the Boeings, boeingboy is correct.

twinpratts · Post by **twinpratts** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 9:29 am

This one time... in Band camp...

Three Holer · Post by **Three Holer** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:05 pm

As far as I'm concerned, Boeing products are as safe as any aircraft can possibly be. Pretty impressive product engineering (and superb ongoing maintenance) when you consider some of the Boeing machines I've flown are approaching 75000 hours air time! I'm sure there are many out there with well over 100000 hours.

ahramin · Post by **ahramin** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:44 pm

Well, i do have one concern about boeing:

The guy with the title "Head of Safety" is not a safety guy. That is a PR office on generating good public safety opinions. Obviously they must have a real safety department, i just don't like the head of safety being a talking head.

costermonger · Post by **costermonger** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:05 pm

complexintentions wrote:His B52 didn't use APU or ground air for engine start, it actually used explosive cartridges that would start turbine rotation. The triggers were next to the ladder going up to the cockpit. So his job as captain would be as they went up the ladder to the cockpit, to trigger the explosives, by the time they were in the seats the engines were spooled up enough to introduce fuel/ignition!! Don't know if this was for all eight engines.

I remember reading about 60's era fighters performing something called a "black powder start." Sounds.. interesting.

W5 · Post by W5 » Sat Mar 10, 2007 2:58 pm

Cartridge starts.

v1rotate · Post by **v1rotate** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 5:52 pm

Weakest thread ever.

oldtimer · Post by **oldtimer** » Sun Mar 11, 2007 3:56 pm

They used to start piston Boeings (and others) with an explosive charge. looked like a shotgun charge. Saw it done in a movie and James Stewart would never lie. Flight of the Pheonix was the movie.