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After the pilot climbs up the boarding ladder and gets into the cockpit, can he retract the ladder and close the ladder door automatically, or does a crewman on the ground have to perform these operations?

Thanks,

Bob

The ladder has to be manually raised and the door manually closed by the ground crew.

<img src="http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/457/bgnrjsiiw81q1gc.jpg" border=0>

Gravity....its not just a good idea, its the law.

The ladder has to be closed from the ground. It can be opened from the ground or the cockpit. Sometimes when you open it you have to hit it at the same time you press the buttn b/c cometimes it sticks. It it <i>supposed</i> to open and the ladder pop out and free-fall all the way at the push of a button, but it doesnt always. To close it you raise and stow the ladder and when you are closing the door you hit the button again to make the latch go in and not force it with the door. To open it from the cockpit there is a button next to the canopy jettison handle, it does the same thing as the button on the ground, just actuates the ladder door solenoid.

Liberalism is a mental disorder.

LOL, M&M we must have been typing at the same time.

Liberalism is a mental disorder.

Thanks for the info!

Bob

Just to add to what jack said, the door is supposed to fall automatically with up to 20 knots of wind blowing down the nose. It is actually a carded item in the Basic Post Flight / Pre Flight checklist, and is supposed to be a grounding condition if it doesnt. That of course would be in a perfect world which Jack will tell you doesnt exist.

"By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a peerage or Westminster Abbey !" Nelson the Immortal Memory

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YGBSM !

20 knots of wind!?!?!?!?! Jeeez! It's hard enough to rig the spring to make it pop all the way open for it to pass an FCF.
A perfect world does not exist.

Liberalism is a mental disorder.

No perfect world...ask the guys at Pope about ladder doors and the IG inspectors at the last ORI.

Coach

How do you do a Ground check for 20 KNOTS on a BPO/PRF inspection?
I just remember they were are "PAIN" to change out the switch without the Gun out.
Plus that indicating pin on the Latch was supposed to be "RED" and most of them were covered with Graphite or WD-40.

The 23rd TFW had a policy that the button in the cockpit was
"Hands-off" for the pilots unless it was an emergency or XC due to the accidents that occured with some Crewchiefs getting NAILED!

tubed,square or plastic Ladders were a trip.

Goose

LIVE FREE OR DIE!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

There was this time at an airshow. I was in the cockpit with a B1 stand on the right side of the jet for the kiddies to come up and look. The ladder was up and the door closed. One of the people up top asked me ifin I could open the ladder from the cockpit and I did. Damn near knocked the pilot standing below silly because the door almost smacked him in the face.

"By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a peerage or Westminster Abbey !" Nelson the Immortal Memory

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YGBSM !

When i was at Nellis there was a tech rep who was the Guru on A-10's. I think his name was Vic? He told me back in the early days they were toying with an explosive bolt to jettison the ladder. He said the idea was for the pilot to be able to land on a highway somewhere get fuel or whatever climb back up blow the ladder and the airflow would close the door on rollout! He said there were many problems with it not working right so they ditched it!
Anyone else heard of this??

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>...toying with an explosive bolt to jettison the ladder.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>
Was this the same explosive bolt system used to jettison a dammaged engine? <img src=newicons/Whatever_anim.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

The Second Amendment: America's original homeland security.
Ya just can’t take life too seriously, because you aren’t going to get out of it alive anyway.

_________________
\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

You could stow the ladder and get in, have someone give you a boost or stand on something,up the wheel pod,get on the wing then walk down the backbone hold on to the Canopy lower yourself into the cockpit.
You do it when your TDY and short on ladders to pull off your Covers,you'd just do it in reverse.

But I think I would toss my helmet bag up first.

I was scared doing it the 1st time but after awhile it got easier.

But I have enough sense now not to do it and you "Young Pup's" I wouldnt try it,thats pretty dangerous .

Goose

LIVE FREE OR DIE!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Damn Goose.......Think I can say...........Been There Done That to this one as well! LMAO

Think I shimmied a pod or two and walked the backbone once or twice myself! For Shame For Shame!

And Yes I also have been victim of the damn ladder door popping at the wrong time!

Had a "Crooked Creek" bird Whack me in the forehead once while still working transient alert at Aviano! Damn that left a mark for almost a month!

The other thing I'd add, is I got "NAILED" by the Ladder at NTC walking up to jet when the pilot "POPPED" the door I caught it right in my "FACE",it knocked me to the ground and out for a few seconds I guess,I know they kept me away from the pilot when I got up.
I spent 6 hours in the ER at GAFB while they brought in a Oral Surgeon my lips where busted open,my nose bleeding and my front teeth hurt like HELL!!!!
They sticthed up my lips and then took X-ray's of my teeth, and you could see the metal embedded in them,they took out what they could but for more then 15 years all my X-rays showed spec's of metal in my front teeth because they didnt want to scrape off the enamel.
Chief Shep was there along with "Rocky" (Dunning)a few more old RED TAILS who come here once in awhile where there.

They couldnt believe they didnt fall out, but I've never had a cavity in 43 yrs.

Matter afact the VA found those records and asked me about it a few months ago.

So brush with Crest everyday and drink alot of Milk.

Goose

LIVE FREE OR DIE!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

It was always amusing to watch new troops come to the Hog whether they be pointy heads or weapons troops or even new crew chiefs for that matter. They always had trouble remembering which foot to climb out first with. Saw a couple people nearly hit the ground because they didn't know what that shiny black stripe painted on the side of the jet was for.

Remember the light weight square aluminum ladders? The story is that the AF wanted Fairchild to replace those "boarding" ladders because they were substandard. Fairchild showed that the requirements were for an escape ladder, not a boarding ladder. The boarding ladders were support equipment that hooked over the canopy rail (I'm sure everyone is familiar with these). The AF had to fund replacement for the heavy round ladders that don't kick out so easily. Can anyone verify this story? <img src=icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_question.gif border=0 align=middle>

You can tell a Hogdriver by his boots...the left boot is beat to S*%t because the spring bar for the ladder door cuts up the toe as he gets out of the jet.

Coach

Well if those Square metal ones were "substandard" I guess the plastic
"Mattell" ones were for play<img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

Those were a trip,it felt like a "toy' when you stepped on one or stowed it.

Goose

LIVE FREE OR DIE!

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"