Floatplane door open in flight

[ozone]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -1.2675452

Oh no! Not a door open in flight! How the hell is this actually news worthy??

[Krimson]

Oh no!

Look at the terror on their faces!

[photofly]

Fellow passenger Steve Sxwithul'txw, who flies Harbour Air frequently...

Can someone post a guide to how to pronounce that name please? (No, not "Steve", the other name.)

[1000 HP]

What exactly are they thinking?

[GyvAir]

The gentleman in the black vest being interviewed (I couldn't even begin to guess how you would pronounce it either) looks and sounds very much like he's prepping the story for lawyering up. That photo of the laughing passengers posted along side his orchestrated story sure isn't going to help his case much if that's what he's thinking!

[iflyforpie]

Fellow passenger Steve Sxwithul'txw, who flies Harbour Air frequently...

Can someone post a guide to how to pronounce that name please? (No, not "Steve", the other name.)

Sweethult according to a YouTube video of his.....

It seems the English have no monopoly on adding redundant, useless, and illogical letters to words....

[GyvAir]

How the hell is this actually news worthy??

The CBC Radio host on board was itching for some camera time?

http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/steve-sxwith ... 34/a22/263

[single_swine_herder]

Rather than poo-pooing the reporters,take a lesson from your clients .... the travelling public upon whom we depend for our wages and profits.

To them, this is a big enough deal to erode confidence in our product to a greater or lesser degree.

The average guy doesn't look at a door opening in flight as "no big deal."

[BobBates]

This door opening reminds me of how to close a door on a Beaver if it opens in flight, right from the pilot's seat.
No matter which door. I will explain it if nobody else does by tomorrow. And nobody touching it.
Bob

[iflyforpie]

Flaps down?

[I_Heart_Seaplanes]

OMG! I need to hold this door closed so no one falls out.....but first, lemme take a selfie

[GyvAir]

Rather than poo-pooing the reporters,take a lesson from your clients .... the travelling public upon whom we depend for our wages and profits.

To them, this is a big enough deal to erode confidence in our product to a greater or lesser degree.

The average guy doesn't look at a door opening in flight as "no big deal."

I don't think anyone here is downplaying the incident. Of course doors shouldn't pop open in flight. Of course it reflects badly on the industry and the operator.
What I object to is the very transparent effort by one passenger to trump up the passengers' perceptions of the incident into some sort of near-death experience for all on board. And also to his trying to paint the operator as being insensitive because the pilot and manager discussed what happened and "started coordinating a response to us" before talking to the passengers. He's grandstanding for some sort of personal gain, in a manner that's out of proportion to the actual seriousness of the incident in my opinion.

[Rowdy]

Who here has had a door pop open in an old unpressurized airplane before?

[Big Pistons Forever]

This door opening reminds me of how to close a door on a Beaver if it opens in flight, right from the pilot's seat.
No matter which door. I will explain it if nobody else does by tomorrow. And nobody touching it.
Bob

Open the Pilots door about 2 inches. The low pressure created in the cabin will suck the other door closed.

[AirFrame]

Who here has had a door pop open in an old unpressurized airplane before?

(raises hand)

[snoopy]

I once had a passenger open the right rear door in an Otter in flight. Apparently he was too hot and figured he could just open the door of his own accord and cool off!

Cheers,
Kirsten B.

[Illya Kuryakin]

Flew an Aztec all one summer with a latch that worked sometimes. Would pop every fifth flight or so. Had the crew door on a HO pop on takeoff. Had a twin Comanche door open. Piper locks suck. Had a pickup truck smack the rear (of the two) cargo door on the Racer. Removed it, and flew the week with it on board as freight. What an absolutely terrifying experience. LOL
Illya

[Krimson]

Try using the doors on a 152 as airbrakes with flap 40. There's some fun.

[Illya Kuryakin]

Try using the doors on a 152 as airbrakes with flap 40. There's some fun.

That's short strip SOP!
Illya

[Illya Kuryakin]

I once had a passenger open the right rear door in an Otter in flight. Apparently he was too hot and figured he could just open the door of his own accord and cool off!

Cheers,
Kirsten B.

Knowing you like I do, you must have had a kindle of kittens!
Illya

[iflyforpie]

Try using the doors on a 152 as airbrakes with flap 40. There's some fun.

That's short strip SOP!
Illya

And the short strip SOP to get the plane out said strip involves a flat deck.... ....or a long line....

[BobBates]

This door opening reminds me of how to close a door on a Beaver if it opens in flight, right from the pilot's seat.
No matter which door. I will explain it if nobody else does by tomorrow. And nobody touching it.
Bob

Open the Pilots door about 2 inches. The low pressure created in the cabin will suck the other door closed.

Correct, except it seems to work best if you give your door a sudden push as you open it. Then the other door will close solidly.

Bob

['CauseTheCaravanCan]

haha, "but first...lemme take a selfie," that's funny.

what a world.

[pdw]

It was a bit scary when the door popped open (to the second notch) on an occasional climb-out in the '68 Skyhawk, and also the associated pressure drop felt in the eardrums. Likely depends heavily on how much pressure is building up inside the fuselage (thinking here about the cargo doors that have opened on occasion).

There is external pressure reduction in a climb by about one hPa every two seconds at 1000ft/min, approx 30-35ft of altitude gain for each hPA lost, sometimes a bit more. The cabin intake air scoop also produces some increase in interior barometric pressure which in turn likely increases pressure on the door latch when that pressure is too slow to escape / equalize to outside ... usually during initial steeper climb.

Here the intake air is soon bing well heated so the baby isn't cold. After the take-off the track turns west to lower pressure at Nanaimo (into strong downwind there at first / more rapid decreasing pressure gradient already in that direction). A significant surface windchange / headwind is met somewhere around mid-channel ("about 10 minutes" into the 20 min flight ... including water taxi ?) where any extra updraft/climb-increase could easily spike that inside/outside pressure differential. So makes sense a door can burst open with a spike in cabin pressure if the unpressurized aircraft has a latch that already had experienced its share of wear.

[GyvAir]

LOL
OK. Now I KNOW you've just been taking the piss out of us all this time, pdw!