Originally Posted by
GBOAC
I was going to ask if slides were kept as spares on demand at LHR (albeit I presume time limited spares which have to be deployed and repacked every x years). Quite a stock as I'm guessing each aircraft type has several different slide types (including left and right for overwing slides).
Other than accidental deployment, what other reason would there be for changes of slides outside scheduled maintenance periods?
They should have stock at LHR (I've just spoken to an ex-BA engineer about this incident), especially for the 777 as they have so many of them. The alternative is waiting for a replacement to come from Cardiff or taking one from another aircraft. You're correct about the different types. Due to proximity of wings etc they can be set at an angle so people don't slide towards danger areas. In outward stations it'll usually be a case of begging, borrowing or stealing one from another airline but they all have agreements with each other regarding the use of spare parts.
Other than accidental deployment? Intentional deployment.