[TiredOldHack2]

If this is the new normal…. I don’t want to fly.

I mean, they’re doing their best under difficult circumstances, but so much of this social distancing is theatre. Board the aircraft by sections – yes, that makes sense is you assume there’s a risk of getting everyone on board at the same time. But de-planing by sections? OK, yes, some sort of sense but then everybody on our flight was crammed, cheek by jowl, into an airport bus.

What’s the point?

Worst horror story comes from my older brother who has just returned from Crete. Deplaning from the Easyjet flight, they started moving the forward seat occupants out first and then the pilot came on the intercom and ordered everyone in the rear of the plane to move forward ASAP.

Why? Because they’d stashed the baggage in the aft hold and with everyone still in their seats there was a sudden risk of the aircraft tipping up onto its tail.

[anyonebutba]

[postquote quote=1010324][/postquote]

Having been crew for 20 years the baggage being the aft hold would be irrelevant, the aircraft is built to take bags in either hold…as for the aircraft tipping on its tail , that made me laugh !!!!!!

2 users thanked author for this post.

Inquisitive, cwoodward

[Ah,Mr.Bond]

The only time an aircraft is at risk tipping up on it’s tail is if it is a Boeing 747-Combi with the last quarter of the cabin as a separate cargo bay. Even then they have a long pole to shove up its bum to stop this. What was Easyjet carrying? Gold bars?

[anyonebutba]

[postquote quote=1010359][/postquote]

lol quite, easyjet doesnt carry any cargo, or at least they never used too. but yes nowadays poles are readily available for the rear end so tipping is a thing of the past 🙂 unless of course Karen from facebook knows better haha

[SimonS1]

[postquote quote=1010359][/postquote]

I don’t think so.

Frontier Airlines Airbus A320 tail-tipped while passengers were stepping out

3 users thanked author for this post.

TiredOldHack2, Frederic, DerekVH

[Alsacienne]

Deplaning from the Easyjet flight, they started moving the forward seat occupants out first and then the pilot came on the intercom and ordered everyone in the rear of the plane to move forward ASAP.

But Easyjet deplane using both front and rear doors don’t they usually … especially if the arrival airport uses stairs rather than a front jet bridge.

Whilst I won’t say that this sounds very unusual given that Easyjet have very clear and sensible protocols in place to protect customers and crew from COVID, it does seem surprising. Would the empty hold not have to have some ballast added to help with weight and balance both in the air and on the ground?

[fqtvgla]

When BA densified their short-haul aircraft it did tip the balance of the aircraft. More than once I have been on flights when we were asked to remain seated until the baggage was offloaded.

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TiredOldHack2, Frederic

[ontherunhome]

I flew KLM 747 Combi to PVG, once a long time ago. We had to wait over half an hour before we could leave the aircraft, a scargo needed to be unloaded to maintain balance.Only time I have had this problem.

[TiredOldHack2]

Thanks for that alarming pic. I did think it unlikely and an Easyjet excuse for something else but….

[FormerBA]

Any aircraft can tail tip in the right ( wrong ) circumstances.

The centre of gravity when empty of everything is generally at or slightly forward of the engines. Clearly if you put excess weight aft of the engines you reach a tipping point and indeed this is how it leaves the ground. The point where the forward motion is sufficient for the wing to provide lift is the point when the pilot rotates and changes the angle of the tail-fin to force the tail down – just enough – to allow the wing to lift the aircraft off the ground.

This is the point of aircraft weight and balance. Aircraft like the DC 10, Tristar etc and which had tail engines, were notorious for the ability to tail tip.

Concorde did not have tail-fin or stabiliser and the delta wing did the work combined with the very high take off speed.

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EU_Flyer

[Author]

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