A Parachute Exit in the Escape Hatch???

[jamesinnewcastle]

Hi All

I'm studying the Rear Escape hatch on the MKI Stirling and after some time I am forced to the conclusion that there is a Parachute Exit actually included in the Escape Hatch???

Is this standard? Is it likely? Anyone shed any light on this?.

Here are the pics that lead me down this path - Firstly one showing the main hatch and an inner "Parachute Exit". There are clearly hinges and catches for an inner and outer opening but is the Parachute Exit so much better than lifting the main hatch? The main hatch has a mechanism that holds it open by holding onto the Latch Pin, the inner one doesn't though I guess it would fold back completely and the catch is probably just a ball catch as there is no handle visible.

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[jamesinnewcastle]

OK So if there is an inner escape route then it stands to reason that there must be a blooming great hole in the rear escape hatch?

Have a look at this pic...

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A very large hole!!

[jamesinnewcastle]

So any pics of this hole on an in service aircraft? This is the only one I could find.....

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You can see a rectangle in the right place and it looks as if the cover to the reconnaissance flare chute is open too. The rectangle is slightly offset as you would expect. Oddly the 'holes' show up as bright but if they were true holes they should look black? If there were a perspex or glass sheet over the holes then this would reflect light.

If the enormous hole were not covered then there would be drag and a freezing draft surely? All the other escape hatches are pretty normal - why is this one so different? It is actually only much use to the mid-under gunner.

This 'Exit' isn't present on later Marks.

Any one else find all this a bit odd? Any one have an explanation? Anyone have better pics? The more I study this aircraft the more holes appear! How odd to be able to stand over a hole in the fuselage and look at the ground below!


Cheers
James

[Stirling Project]

Hi James

Not seen those photos before (I think...)

I'd suggest that the hole is too small for a parachute exit and a more likely use would be for a 'scare gun', although I can't see any definitive mountings for one. I can't enlarge these pics from the website here so can't see any greater detail

cheers

John

[jamesinnewcastle]

Hi John,

You have the main one, but possibly not looked as closely as I have had to for my model!

There are no signs of a gun mounting in the full photos but it is a possible explanation. But why not open the whole hatch? It would be a much better view of your target and no added expense/complexity.


James

[jamesinnewcastle]

John

I think that the plating drawing also shows this 'hole' and one of the 'cut-away' diagrams for the MKI shows it too as a hole in the hatch.


James

[jamesinnewcastle]

The mysterious hole is clear on this drawing from the Pilots Notes for the MKI

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[jamesinnewcastle]

Further research! The Pilots notes state that the Parachute Exit is secured by two clamp handles, that means that the whole hatch was the 'Parachute Exit' as the smaller door certainly doesn't have any visible handle. And Johns theory that the smaller 'hatch' was too small to allow crew through supports that.

So the mystery is - what is the hatch for and why would you leave it open to the air?

Was it to dump leaflets out? The chutes are not suitable for that I wouldn't have thought, the larger chute has a large gap that would jam up with leaflets?

It's possible that there was a panel under the wooden slats of the small hatch which sealed the hole until the hatch was opened - however this pic appears to contradict that possibility as you can clearly see light through the hole.

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[Stirling Project]

I doubt that it'd be open to atmosphere James, it's more likely that the opening would have some perspex glazing; therefore could it just be for downwards observation??

John

[jamesinnewcastle]

Hi John

I could just be fantasising but on the first photo you can see a black line between the upper and lower parts of the edge of the frame which could just be the result of a Perspex window 'sandwich'. I don't think that the line is what you would normally see given the normal construction techniques used.

A Perspex panel would also explain the brightness of the rectangle in the photo as it would reflect any incident light

Cheers
James