Emergency slide
An evacuation slide (English evacuation slide ) is a chute for the rapid evacuation of an aircraft in emergency situations and is mainly used in the aviation uses. It is required for all commercial, passenger-carrying aircraft where the door openings are so high that the passengers cannot reach the ground unharmed in an emergency.
construction
Depending on the type of aircraft, the escape slide is installed in the lower part of an aircraft door or in the fuselage under the door and, in an emergency , is usually automatically inflated when the door is opened with the aid of a pressurized gas container . The gas from the gas pressure container is supplemented up to 3 times by means of an aspirator with ambient air by means of the Venturi effect . There are single-lane and double-lane slides . Most slides can also be used as life rafts after being ditched . To protect against sun and rain, a tarpaulin can be stretched over the slide, which serves as a roof. Many emergency slides have a rope next to the inflatable slide , which rescue workers can use to get into the aircraft after an emergency landing.
Similar systems are used for use on ships, see Marine Evacuation System (MES).
A similar system is the rescue hose , which is mainly used for evacuating buildings.
handling
The crew members of all airlines are trained in how to use the escape slide through constantly repeated emergency exercises. Precise rules for the procedure are intended to prevent the aircraft from being endangered by unintentional deployment of an evacuation slide. The automatic release mechanism is activated by the cabin crew before take-off at the instruction of the cockpit or, in the case of a few airlines, the purser and deactivated again after landing. The instructions for this read, for example, “Cabin attendants, all doors in flight” or “Cabin attendants, all doors in park” or also: Cabin Crew, door slides armed / disarmed, or Cabin Crew, yellow door selectors automatic / manual. When the release mechanism is activated, the flight attendants also attach a yellow / orange-colored stripe that is visible from the outside across the window of the door so that no one opens the door from the outside and inadvertently unfolds the slide. However, this does not apply to modern aircraft, including Airbus. If the car door is opened from the outside, the escape slide is mechanically deactivated on these types. Manual inflation is also possible. To do this, after an emergency landing and opening the door, the release handle located at the bottom of the door frame is pulled (also different depending on the aircraft type). It takes just a few seconds to deploy, unfold and inflate the emergency slide.
To be able to evacuate more effectively, people jump into the slide. In the past, it was imperative to take off your shoes beforehand. Today this is no longer the case with all airlines. Shoes with heels could damage the slide and pose a risk of injury to the wearer himself. It is also recommended to take off nylon tights beforehand, as they can melt due to the high sliding speed and the heat generated by friction. The result would be skin burns.
Airplanes without emergency slides
Aircraft like the Embraer 145 , the Bombardier CRJ or the De Havilland DHC-8 do not have evacuation slides, as all exits are a sufficiently short distance from the ground. As a gangway, these aircraft often have their own, short, retractable stairs at the main entrance.
History of the emergency slides
The first escape slide was constructed by the American company Air Cruisers in the 1930s . This company was founded by James F. Boyle, who was also the manufacturer of the "Mae West" life jacket , which was widely used by American troops during World War II. Before the inflatable types hit the market, some aircraft had canvas evacuation slides. It took a relatively long time for the crew to set up these slides.
