Dear friends and followers, welcome back to my channel.
Today I'll be answering a question, which was sent in by one of my Instagram followers
"Joe, do airliners have an ignition key?"
That question is justifiable and made me smile, so let's get right to it.
[Intro]
Okay, let's work from bottom to top, starting with gliders.
Gliders are first and foremost locked up in hangars or car trailers,
and most of them don't have a lock at all,
so to enter the cockpit you grab the release handle through the fresh air window
to unlock the glass dome,
and as most gliders don't have a motor, they don't have a ignition key.
Now let's look at the Cessna 172 for example. These planes are very often parked outside,
and are accessible to anybody who's working or just wandering around at the airfield,
so therefore it makes sense to have a key, which locks the doors and other hatches
to make it at least more difficult for thieves to enter the cockpit.
And there is a market out there selling alarms for these aircraft.
Trust me, airplane do get stolen once in a while, so but the key's purpose is not only to lock the doors;
it is also used as an ignition key to start the engine, because most airplanes in the general aviation
category have an electric starter motor, similar to the one in your car,
so by turning the key, it acts like a mechanical switch, connecting the battery with the starter motor.
And other than that, during engine run-up procedure you have to check the two
magnetos of the engine ignition system by using the key.
Moving up to little business jets like a Cessna citation
Also, have a key which opens the main door which unfolds stairs to enter the cabin and some cargo compartments are also
accessible with that key, but there is no ignition key to start up the engines. I know some executive jets
have a key to start up the electrical system, but only to make it a little more tamper proof.
Now let's look at how you would enter the cabin of the Jetliner.
That's it! No key!
Now let's look how you would start the engine of an airliner.
(radio)
Again, no key.
Now you may ask, "how can that be safe?" Now first of all, airliners are parked and secured at controlled airports with
24-hour Surveillance. Any unapproved movement of the plane would be registered by local security and cause for alarm.
So how do you secure the aircraft in the case where its parked nowhere near a gate position, for example?
You use so-called seals. Seals are numbered Sprocket stickers which you can stick over any door or latch.
So as a thief, you would have to open the door
break the seal, and there is no way that you can put that sticker back together again.
So once you're arrived at the aircraft you compare the number of the seal and check if it's damaged in any way and
after entering the aircraft that cabin crew will perform a thorough search of the
aircraft before the first passenger comes on board.
So, to answer my follower's question...
No, Airliners don't have a key to start the engine or to lock the doors.
But smaller aircraft, which are more likely to be parked outside at uncontrolled airfields, have locks on doors
and hatches or maybe even their flight controls are locked with a padlock
to prevent thieves from
breaking in and just flying off.
And, if you have some spare time on your hands,
go online, and check if you can find the TV series "Airplane Repo."
It's a fun little show where pilots repossess all sorts of airplanes from Piper Cubs to Business Jets
which were either stolen or the owner couldn't pay the debt of their plane, or is in some sort of financial trouble
and somehow, these guys never need a key. Make sure to check it out!
So thanks for tuning in! Make sure to perform a "touch-and-go" at my Instagram account.
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So you won't miss out the future videos. See you next week. All the best!
Your Captain Joe.