HOW AEROPLANE ESCAPE HATCHES WORK

Discover the engineering that allows an entire commercial aircraft to be evacuated in under two minutes

If you've ever been assigned a seat in the emergency exit row of an aeroplane, you are likely to have considered your role as lead evacuee as a member of the cabin crew details the responsibility. Although you are very unlikely to need to activate the escape hatch, being in this seat means you should read the instructions before takeoff. Escape hatches can't be opened until the pilot orders you to do so, and they are mechanically locked while the plane is in flight. When the plane is at cruising altitude and the cabin is pressurised, it is also physically impossible to accidentally open the hatch during flight. This is because the air pressure inside the plane is much higher than it is outside the aircraft. Such a large pressure difference exerts a force on the door that keeps it firmly closed.