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It's also happened to me once that something was dropped and got wedged behind the rudder pedal, blocking its movement. Tiny GA aircraft and we noticed it durin
by wkat4242 3y ago
It's also happened to me once that something was dropped and got wedged behind the rudder pedal, blocking its movement. Tiny GA aircraft and we noticed it during the start-up check (when you check the full range of the flight controls). The checklist did its job. But if it had dropped during flight it could have been really dangerous.
I can imagine it can happen even in more professional circles.
- HPsquared 3y agoI wonder if the controls could be designed to resist this kind of thing. Only becoming more common with everyone having bulky phones etc in pockets. Maybe they could design rudder pedals without "pinch points" for objects to fall into, and yoke/stick without any potential pinch points nearby.
- wkat4242 3y agoTrue, good point. But it's very very hard to do that on an aircraft because space is at a huge premium. You simply don't have infinite space around the pedals. Or other controls for that matter. For example a clipboard could fall on the center pedestal and flip one of the gazillion switches. Luckily most important ones have barriers around them, or other safeguards like the need to lift up the lever before moving it.