Originally Posted by
ConnieDee
Sounds like bad design with regard to the door handle and the slide handle being close together and requiring similar motions. BTW, I've been wondering where the slides actually are stowed - are they in the door? What about in the E-170? I stared at the safety card and couldn't figure out where the slide was stowed. I always look at the cards because on some planes it appears that the life raft could escape out to sea unless the line is manually looped and attached to the tie-down ring.
I’m not sure about the E170. ButOn most doors the slides are stowed in the door itself, that’s the hump on the bottom of the door. when you arm the door it physically inserts the girt bar(attached to the slide) into fittings on the floor of the entryway. On some window exits the slide is inside the fuselage itself.
When used as a raft, you can detach the side from the gift bar to float away but it is still tethered by a line. There’s a knife in a pocket of the slide that the FAs can use to cut the line from the aircraft.