Aviation
Ask the pilot: Can the windows really be opened?
Age: 51
Career: Marie took her private pilot’s license in the US at age 17. She continued flight training at Bromma Flygskola in Stockholm and started at Linjeflyg in 1989 as first officer on an F28, followed by Boeing 767s and 737s at SAS. Captain on a Boeing 737 since 2012.
Home base: ARN
Flies: Boeing 737
Flight hours: 14,000
Hello,
When I was boarding my flight, it looked like a window in the cockpit was open. Can these really be opened?
Tony
Yes. On most passenger aircraft models, some cockpit windows can be opened. On the Boeing 737, for example, there are two windows that can be opened, one on the captain’s side and one on the co-pilot’s. The entire window assembly, including the frame, slides inwards. When the window is closed and locked, it is sealed shut.
The main reason for having opening windows is for the pilots to be able to use them as exits in case of an emergency if the cockpit door is blocked. On some newer aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus 350, it’s not possible to open the windows. Instead, there’s have an emergency escape hatch.
As a pilot on the Boeing 737, I find it handy to be able to open a window to communicate with ground staff and also to get documents, for example fuel receipts. And sometimes it’s also nice to open the window to get some fresh air!
Flight Captain Marie Stridh
Published: August 21, 2017
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