Cooper vane

Cooper vane
Diagram showing how D. B. Cooper left the hijacked airplane; now, the Cooper vane makes this impossible.

A Cooper vane (also sometimes called a "Dan Cooper switch" or "D.B. Cooper device") is a mechanical aerodynamic wedge that prevents the ventral airstair of an aircraft from being lowered in flight.[1] Following three hijackings in 1972, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered that Boeing 727 aircraft be fitted with Cooper vanes.[2] The device was named for famed airplane hijacker D. B. Cooper, who used the rear stairway to exit a Boeing 727 in flight and make his escape via parachute.

The cooper vane in place on the aircraft

The Cooper vane is a very simple device consisting of a spring-loaded paddle connected to a plate. When the aircraft is on the ramp, the spring keeps the paddle perpendicular to the fuselage, and the attached plate does not block the stairway. As the aircraft takes off, the airflow pushes the paddle parallel to the fuselage and the plate is moved underneath the stairway, preventing it from being lowered. Once the airflow decreases on landing, the spring-loaded paddle returns to its initial position, thereby allowing the stairs to be lowered again. Although this device was intended to prevent hijackings aboard the 727 and other aircraft with a ventral airstair, many airlines sealed the airstair entirely, never to use it again.

References

  1. ^ Malcolm Gladwell (October 1, 2001). "Safety in the Skies: How far can airline security go?" (PDF). The New Yorker: pp. 50. http://www.gladwell.com/pdf/safetysky.pdf. 
  2. ^ Bruce Schneier (2003). Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly about Security in an Uncertain World. p. 82. ISBN 0387026207. http://books.google.com/books?id=wuNImmQufGsC&dq=%22Cooper+vane%22&cad=0. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Vane — is a surname, and may refer to:* Ben Vane * Charles Vane * Charles Vane Tempest Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry * Charles Vane Tempest Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry * Christopher Vane, 1st Baron Barnard * Edith Vane Tempest Stewart,… …   Wikipedia

  • D. B. Cooper — A 1972 F.B.I. composite drawing of D. B. Cooper Other names Dan Cooper Occupation Unknown Known for …   Wikipedia

  • D. B. Cooper — Fahndungsbild aus dem Jahre 1972 von D. B. Cooper D. B. Cooper (alias „Dan Cooper“) ist das Pseudonym für einen Flugzeugentführer, der am 24. November 1971 über dem Pazifischen Nordwesten über der Gebirgskette der südlichen Kaskaden aus einer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • D.B. Cooper — D. B. Cooper Pour les articles homonymes, voir Cooper. Un portrait robot de D. B. Cooper élaboré par le FBI en 1972 D. B. Cooper (aussi connu sous le nom de Dan Cooper) est un pseudonyme donné à un célèbre pirate de l’air qui, le… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • D. B. Cooper — 45°57′N 122°39′W / 45.95, 122.65 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Thomas Vane —     Thomas Vane     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Thomas Vane     The place and time of his birth and death are not known; but he was educated at Christ s College, Cambridge, and took the degree of Doctor of Divinity in that university. Having taken… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Gladys Cooper — dans les années 1910 Données clés Nom de naissance Gladys Constance Cooper …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Norjak — Fahndungsbild aus dem Jahre 1972 von D. B. Cooper D. B. Cooper (alias „Dan Cooper“) ist ein Pseudonym für einen berüchtigten Flugzeugentführer, der am 24. November 1971 über dem Pazifischen Nordwesten, irgendwo über der Gebirgskette der südlichen …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Airstair — An airstair is a passenger staircase that is built in to an airliner often, though not always, on the inside of a clamshell style door. The stairs can be raised or lowered while the aircraft is on the ground, allowing passengers and ground… …   Wikipedia

  • Boeing 727 — de Syrian Air Rôle Avion de ligne moyen courrier Constructeur …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”