wlfpckrs Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 For the first time after 4.5 years of flying my CTsw, I had the pilot-side door open in flight. Totally my fault. I forgot to latch it. On International Learn To Fly Day, I took a half-dozen people flying. I brag about using a checklist, but sometime between shuttling passengers in and out of my plane, turning the engine on and off, and giving everyone instructions, I forgot to latch my door. Just after takeoff, but too late to just drop back to the runway, my door popped open. That'll get the juices flowing! Slowing down the plane (but not too much), continuing to fly it, and trying to pull the open door shut with a harness on are not easy things to do all at once. I was finally able to reach out, grab the back side of the door, pull it shut and latch it. I then calmly said to my passenger, "That wasn't supposed to be part of the show." If she was nervous, she didn't show it.
Ed Cesnalis Posted June 20, 2011 Report Posted June 20, 2011 Confession is good for the soul I departed Van Nuys last year, northbound out of the Los Angles basin, a pretty serious place to be for a mountain guy like me. I had not latched the passenger door but i did lock it. I was solo and it didn't open until i was climbing out. The lock held and it wasn't a big event, i din't bother to turn on the auto pilot, i just waited for good clearance from everything and slid/stretched over and latched the door. After sliding back i did the unusual attitude recovery and flew home.
rookie Posted June 21, 2011 Report Posted June 21, 2011 It would have happened to me however during the run up I noticed the pilot side door vibrate. I fly from the right and missed it in pre-flight. Since then unless I'm getting in or out the door is LOCKED! al meyer
Jim Meade Posted June 21, 2011 Report Posted June 21, 2011 It would have happened to me however during the run up I noticed the pilot side door vibrate. I fly from the right and missed it in pre-flight. Since then unless I'm getting in or out the door is LOCKED! al meyer Can you open a locked door from the inside without a key? For safety egress reasons.
Jim Meade Posted June 21, 2011 Report Posted June 21, 2011 I didn't ask my question well. If one locks a door with the key from the outside and then walks around and gets in the airplane through the other door, can the key-locked door be opened from the inside?
CT4ME Posted June 22, 2011 Report Posted June 22, 2011 I didn't ask my question well. If one locks a door with the key from the outside and then walks around and gets in the airplane through the other door, can the key-locked door be opened from the inside? NO... at least not in my CTSW... tim
coppercity Posted June 22, 2011 Report Posted June 22, 2011 No, there is no access to the lock mechanism from the inside and that's why the key locks should not be locked for flight. Just in case you need to get out of that door you want the key lock released.
rookie Posted June 22, 2011 Report Posted June 22, 2011 Jim Guess I didn't state it correctly, I didn't mean key locking. Just always keeping the lever locked unless getting in or out. al,
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