This question was asked on a phone in programme today.
Why on commercial aircraft to passengers always board from the left hand
side ? (even when there are doors on both sides).
I’m sure there’s an easy answer, it it just for uniformity ? especially when
boarding via passenger bridges.
By: TonyT - 4th October 2011 at 00:25
Door structure is strengthened, when ever you cut an hole in a fuselage such as windows it is a weak point the surrounding structure is beefed up, as with floor not really as said, depends on what it is used for, but as said the floor has to be crash tolerant, as indeed does the whole aircraft. Even when you see an emergency cut here panel, the structure is no different, it just means items like electrics, fuel etc has been routed around it to leave the structure clear behind it.. last thing you want is cutting through live electrics or fuel lines…….
If you see some of the older high houred 737, 747’s etc and look at the windows, because of pressurisation cycles weakening structure around windows that can lead to cracking they have a metal scab patch “belt” riveted along and over the window cut outs to beef the area up
By: Amiga500 - 3rd October 2011 at 20:42
Is the floor structure under/around door 1L (or 2L on occassions) reinforced to account for the increased usage?
Oh no no.
The extra load of a few people walking along the aisle would be nothing compared to the limit load case (a vertical crash commencing at 30 m/s I think – maybe!)
By: Arabella-Cox - 3rd October 2011 at 06:19
I would think so, though I don’t know for sure.
I’ve often wondered the same thing about those glass company vans that carry sheets of glass on just one side.
By: symon - 2nd October 2011 at 11:08
Is the floor structure under/around door 1L (or 2L on occassions) reinforced to account for the increased usage?
By: TonyT - 1st October 2011 at 11:27
Boarding is done on the left because the Captain sits on the left……. so has a visual as to what is going on I believe, Remember it is a standardisation going back to the start of aviation, today it matters less, but when in the past it would….
On Helicopters the main door, Sea King, Wessex etc and the winches are on the right.. Blackhawk etc, because on a helicopter, the Captain sits on the right………
By: AlanR - 1st October 2011 at 10:47
Thanks for the answers.
It would seem that a lot is down to tradition, as well as standardisation.
By: Arabella-Cox - 30th September 2011 at 06:35
Standardisation sounds the most likely explanation to me. It’s rather like asking why the UK drives on the left when almost every other country apart from the former dominions drives on the right.
By: LBA-EGNM - 29th September 2011 at 14:31
Here is the link to the thread i started a while ago asking the same question…
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September 29, 2011 at 12:21 pm