The Cooper Vane is a security device installed on aircraft with built-in aerial stairs to prevent hijackers from escaping mid-air. It was inspired by a hijacker named DB Cooper who escaped using the rear aerial ladder of a Boeing 727 in 1971. The device is mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration and consists of a paddle-shaped metal piece attached to a spring that blocks the aerial ladder when the plane is in flight. Other security measures have also been implemented to reduce the vulnerability of commercial aircraft to hijacking.
A Cooper Vane is a security device that is installed in an aircraft with built-in sets of stairs, known as “aerial stairs.” Most aircraft no longer have aerial stairs, because they are designed to taxi to the terminals, and at small airports, airport staff will open a staircase for passengers to use. The Cooper Vane prevents the aerial ladder from snagging while the plane is in flight.
The inspiration for the Cooper Vane was a hijacker named DB Cooper, who hijacked a plane in 1971. After demanding money and a parachute, Cooper apparently climbed down the plane’s rear aerial ladder and escaped. Cooper and the money were never seen again, suggesting the ploy may not have been entirely successful, but observers noted that the Airstair on the Boeing 727, the type of plane Cooper hijacked, was particularly vulnerable to this type. of activity. Most main cabin doors would be extremely difficult to open in midair, but the rear stairs of the 727 series aircraft were ideal for midair escapes.
In 1972, there were numerous kidnappings, and some of them followed the Cooper model. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration mandated that the Cooper Vane had to be fitted to aircraft equipped with Airstairs. Some airlines chose to ditch Airstairs entirely in response to the problem, while others installed the device for aircraft protection.
The mechanism behind a Cooper Vane is relatively simple. It consists of a paddle-shaped piece of metal attached to a spring. When the plane is on the ground, the metal protrudes perpendicularly from the plane, making it possible to go up and down the aerial stairs at will. Once the plane is airborne, air pressure pushes against the device, forcing it against the aircraft’s fuselage. The Cooper Vane is positioned so that when flattened, it will block the aerial ladder from the outside. When the plane lands, the reduced airflow allows the device to come back out so the aerial ladder can be lowered.
Many other security measures have been implemented to make commercial aircraft less susceptible to hijacking. The Cooper Vane is just one of those security measures, and in a well-maintained modern aircraft, many other safeguards exist, such as locks on the doors leading to the flight deck. Commercial airlines try to reduce their vulnerability by combining mechanical measures with passenger control and an alert and well-trained crew. Kidnapping countermeasures have greatly reduced the number of annual kidnappings in nations that use them.
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