Airplanes Don’t Have Keys?!

[Step N. Mud]

and then there was the 'Barefoot Bandit" seems like he learned how to fly a Cessna on the internet.

 

[soFlaNative]

Imagine sitting in the back of an airliner waiting to go when they say over the PA system "ladies and gentleman, there will be some delay because we can't find the keys to start this thing ..."

That might be why they don't need a key to start 'em.

They could ask for volunteers with a foot pump and a Zippo.
Or in the case of a turbo prop....

Still, a sad tale.

 

[billwill]

Very sad situation but that Dash 8 was sure doing some loops and non-airline maneuvers.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Firetrucks don't have keys either . . .

So if you’ve read the news today, you saw that someone stole an airplane. Flew around for an hour and a half then crashed.

Imagine that. And it never occurred to federal authorities that it was a possibility?

And of course the media is making a big deal over how easy it was.

 

[nachogrande]

FOR THAT KIND OF $...

No Sirius radio??? A kid from across the street (as a child) stole a tank & went on a joy ride around Germany (Vietnam era) while stationed there. Not sure if he did time for it but definitely a DD. He came to my window at the VAMC app 1983, shortly after we got computers, trying to fill narcotic rx's at multiple locations from Boston to LI, NY.

 

[charles_the_hammer]

My stepfather was a Marine Corps helicopter pilot, and after he got out of the corps he was a crop duster and commercial pilot. He flew 2 Gruman Ag Cats for a living and also owned a Cessna Centurion, a Cessna Skymaster, and Piper Chieftain. All of them "had keys".

 

[jag312]

Taxiing is easy. Taking off is easy. Flying is easy. Landing is what takes skill.

 

[LLOYD17]

F/A-18's (and every other military aircraft I've flown) don't have keys either. With a little knowledge, start-up is quite easy. There was a dude a while ago that even proved you could take off with the wings folded.

 

[Absalom]

Keys or key codes are usually needed to access the airplane and/or the cockpit on commercial aircraft at least since 9/11, but if planes are worked on by ground crew and maintenance, those locks are likely not engaged.

.... the problem I see is not actually flying the airplane but just getting it around on flightline as they require a lot more room than you think...

It was reported this morning that he was trained on the ground tractors that are used to push back the planes and move them around the tarmac, and used one to pull out the aircraft and position it before taxiing.

 

[rwsmith]

He got under.....

He got under the dashboard and hot wired it.


Do planes have hubcaps to steal??

Did anybody see that video of him making those crazy split-S dives toward the ground and then pulling out of it? In a plane not built for it pulling out like that might not be possible, or something could break in the process. He crashed himself in a somewhat remote place but that sure increases the danger of hurting somebody on the ground.

 

[Ματθιας]

The transcripts of the comms between the air traffic and the plane were, well, interesting...

It seems he was living his fantasy, then reality sets in for a bit, then delusions. It was like a child and an adult were fighting for control in his head.

 

[nicky4968]

For the same reason many aircraft use NiCad batteries and magnetos. Batteries must work below zero. Juice must be produced no matter what.

 

[steelslaver]

Taxiing is easy. Taking off is easy. Flying is easy. Landing is what takes skill.

Oh, once you get it in the air your going to land. Just how well you land is another story. Only SUCCESSFUL landing take skill.

 

[Absalom]

Oh, once you get it in the air your going to land. Just how well you land is another story. Only SUCCESSFUL landing take skill.

Well, but then there was the guy in the Mooney last year.

Defective exhaust system. He passed out from carbon monoxide poisoning in mid-flight and woke up after his plane had landed itself more or less intact in a field. The fresh air from broken windows cleared his head and his injuries were such he was able to walk out for help. So that counts as a successful landing

The guy should buy lottery tickets.

 

[03hemi]

I have 4 buddies that are Captains for Delta and they all concur that the flight crew and ground crew are the "weak links" and any terrorism would most likely come from that source.

 

[G-Mac]

The news media usually gets its mouth going before it has the facts, or just likes to ignore things like that if it makes the stories more dramatic.

EXACTLY! And that's why it earned the title "FAKE NEWS"!!!!!

 

[Muss Muggins]

So that counts as a successful landing

Just a point of parliamentary procedure, but the FAA defines a "crash" as an arrival anywhere but an airport runway, intact and as planned . . .

 

[Weimar]

tactical army vehicles don't generally have keys... they just don't...

 

[Weimar]

EXACTLY! And that's why it earned the title "FAKE NEWS"!!!!!

oh come on now.... REALLY.....