The Ditching Button

[ASpilot2be]

I think the only thing that can take a 747 down is volcanic ash. But then you can fire them back up on your way down.

Actually, from what I hear you shouldnt be able to fire them up. The ash gets inside the engine and melts, then cools. The ash then becomes rock hard.

The only reason the KLM flight was able to start their engines back up is because the air was so cold that the melted ash became so brittle that it broke apart and cleaned its self.

Atleast thats what I was told in class today.

 

[Lee D]

Just sitting on the overnight watching Castaway. Any way during the crash scene, pretty sure one of the crew reaches up and while hitting a switch says something about the ditching button. I thought that was interesting. I have no idea if it is correct or not for the MD11.

Oh, no ditching button on the Brasilia.

 

[mattp1803]

Haha, you know Jake, when someone's giving me $2000/hr sim time for free for 2.8 hours, im not gonna say "OOH, can we fly ORD-DEN?!?! haha

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now that looked like fun!

 

[Hacker15e]

Would the thing have even worked with both engines failed?

Without bleed air from two running engines, how would any pressurization effect have even been possible?

Most importantly, the fact that the jet floated for, what....three days, shows that the button doesn't mean much.

 

[staglia]

The article was an interesting angle. I'm not even sure if there's a ditching procedure on the 757/767 because, in most circulstances, you've got a long time to think about it when you're drifting down over the ocean.

But on takeoff and initial climb... Hmm.... I guess I'll have to look!

My landlord is a FO on the 75/76 and just got back from his recurrent cr in DFW. He said the last "fun" item of the day placed him on runway 4 at LGA (he knew what was coming after that - loud thuds/shutters and all!)... So (assuming "Southernjets" likes their cr's with a nod towards current events) checklist or no, looks like a new adventure awaits in the sim box in the coming months, Mr Taylor.

 

[IrishSheepdog]

Would the thing have even worked with both engines failed?

Without bleed air from two running engines, how would any pressurization effect have even been possible?

Most importantly, the fact that the jet floated for, what....three days, shows that the button doesn't mean much.

I am not up on Airbus systems, so take what I say with a grain of salt. However, I'd imagine a ditching button would have an electrical override for the valves described in the link above. So basically, electrical power would close not only the outflow valves but also the other valves that were mentioned.


I can't see a reason why Airbus would design the airplane to have a ditching button for single-engine operations (i.e. requiring a pneumatic source), considering the most likely scenario to cause a ditching is a dual engine failure. I might PM FinsUp to see if he can shed light on this question.

 

[IrishSheepdog]

Question on that... We do a lot of single-engine taxiing. Is it possible to single engine taxi a 74?

Do you have a weight limitation on single-engine taxi? I know Continental does on their B757/B767/B777 fleet. It has something to do with fuselage stress.


I know I've seen a B747 due an outboard taxi before at ORD, but I believe the airplane was empty.

 

[mrivc211]

Haha, we almost needed it on my SFO-OAK run haah

That flight took me 2.5 hours in a CRJ. Can u say fffllllloooowwwwwww!!

 

[Polar742]

I know I've seen a B747 due an outboard taxi before at ORD, but I believe the airplane was empty.

At my company, there are guideline weights for 2 and 3 engine taxi for the whale.