ATPL Equipment Questions

A protective smoke hood, where fitted as emergency equipment, is generally designed to:

• Cover the full face and provide a continuous flow of breathable air or oxygen
• Cover only the mouth and nose, providing oxygen on demand
• Cover the full face, providing oxygen only on demand
• Cover only the mouth and nose, with a continuous flow

Explanation: A smoke hood is a full-face protective covering, sealing around the head to also shield the eyes from smoke and irritants, and supplies a continuous flow of breathable gas rather than demand-only flow, since a demand system typically relies on a seal and inhalation pattern that a panicked or smoke-affected user might not maintain reliably.

Equipment - Smoke Hoods

The crash axe carried on aircraft above a certain size is provided primarily to:

• Enable crew to gain access behind panels and soundproofing in order to fight a hidden fire
• Cut firewood in a post-landing survival situation
• Cut through the fuselage skin to create an escape route
• Restrain a disorderly or dangerous passenger

Explanation: A fire that has started behind a panel, in the soundproofing, or in another concealed area may not be reachable with a hand extinguisher until the crew can physically open up access to it. The crash axe exists specifically to let crew break through panels and insulation to reach and fight such a hidden fire, not as a general-purpose cutting or self-defence tool.

Equipment - Crash Axe