More Explosive Decompression

Last week we were discussing the possible effect of a bullet piercing
the skin of an airliner at altitude. Oddly enough, last night I saw a
promo for next week's "Mythbusters" show on the Discovery channel.
Apparently, they're going to be conducting some experiments to find
out exactly what effect a bullet will have on a pressurized airliner.

The hosts of the show usually do a pretty good job of simulating the
scenarios that they're investigating, so it should be interesting.
The airliner episode should air next Sunday night on the Discovery
channel.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

On Mon, 05 Jan 2004 11:02:30 -0800, John Galban wrote:

promo for next week's "Mythbusters" show on the Discovery channel.
Apparently, they're going to be conducting some experiments to find
out exactly what effect a bullet will have on a pressurized airliner.

I'll make a prediction, from what I've been told by ATP's the plane will
not have an explosive decompression, it will lose air of course, but it
won't blow apart.

I just have to remember to tune in Sunday and see the episode.

John,

Don't forget that the B-29 was pressurized. Those bombers took lots
of bullets through the pressure vessel during WWII and Korea. A
bullet does NOT cause explosive decompression, it just adds another
leak to an already very leaky fuselage/pressure vessel and generally
won't even cause a loss of pressurization. The outflow valves are
nearly a foot in diameter, so a dozen bullet holes aren't going to
change things very much.

The tests were run over 50 years ago, but everyone has forgotten the
results.

All the best,
Rick

(John Galban) wrote in message . com...
Last week we were discussing the possible effect of a bullet piercing
the skin of an airliner at altitude. Oddly enough, last night I saw a
promo for next week's "Mythbusters" show on the Discovery channel.
Apparently, they're going to be conducting some experiments to find
out exactly what effect a bullet will have on a pressurized airliner.

The hosts of the show usually do a pretty good job of simulating the
scenarios that they're investigating, so it should be interesting.
The airliner episode should air next Sunday night on the Discovery
channel.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

On 6 Jan 2004 14:36:31 -0800, (Rick Durden)
wrote:

John,

Don't forget that the B-29 was pressurized. Those bombers took lots
of bullets through the pressure vessel during WWII and Korea. A
bullet does NOT cause explosive decompression, it just adds another
leak to an already very leaky fuselage/pressure vessel and generally
won't even cause a loss of pressurization. The outflow valves are
nearly a foot in diameter, so a dozen bullet holes aren't going to
change things very much.

The tests were run over 50 years ago, but everyone has forgotten the
results.

All the best,
Rick

That's true Rick, they were. However I thought I read somewhere that
as the airplanes approached the Japanese coast, they depressurized and
donned oxygen masks in case they got hit by AA or fighter attack.

The pressurization allowed the crew to fly in relative comfort
(without needing bulky flightsuits or oxygen masks) given that the
flights often lasted up to 14 hours, for the majority of the flight.

Corky Scott

That's true Rick, they were. However I thought I read somewhere that
as the airplanes approached the Japanese coast, they depressurized

I don't know that for a fact about the B-29, but the similarly
designed B-36 (two crew compartments connected by a tunnel) was meant
to be depressurized when combat was imminent.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Corky,

Some crews did depressurize, some didn't. Those who didn't and took
hits found that they did not lose pressurization so the
depressurization practice faded out, as I understand.

All the best,
Rick

(Corky Scott) wrote in message ...
On 6 Jan 2004 14:36:31 -0800, (Rick Durden)
wrote:

John,

Don't forget that the B-29 was pressurized. Those bombers took lots
of bullets through the pressure vessel during WWII and Korea. A
bullet does NOT cause explosive decompression, it just adds another
leak to an already very leaky fuselage/pressure vessel and generally
won't even cause a loss of pressurization. The outflow valves are
nearly a foot in diameter, so a dozen bullet holes aren't going to
change things very much.

The tests were run over 50 years ago, but everyone has forgotten the
results.

All the best,
Rick

That's true Rick, they were. However I thought I read somewhere that
as the airplanes approached the Japanese coast, they depressurized and
donned oxygen masks in case they got hit by AA or fighter attack.

The pressurization allowed the crew to fly in relative comfort
(without needing bulky flightsuits or oxygen masks) given that the
flights often lasted up to 14 hours, for the majority of the flight.

Corky Scott