keys to a plane

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There was a reference in the Dassault Falcon crash thread to "throw the keys"...here's today's dumb question. How is a plane physically secured? Is there a keyhole in the door?

Who has keys?

Is there a key involved with firing up the plane?

Pardon my ignorance but I hope and pray I'm not the only one who simply doesn't know.
 
Depends a lot on the plane, I suppose. On the 172 that I learned on, there was a keyhole in the door and required a key to start the aircraft. Same with my grandpa's old Bonanza. It's probably different with jets (no key to start- rather a start-up sequence), though I'd hazard a guess that most well-kept planes have keylocks on the doors.
 
Little planes have keys like a car. Airlines you can walk right up to and start.

Two things getting in the way. Cockpit door has lock, but often kept open on the tarmac. Then the preflight, which your average mouth breather couldn't comprehend looking at hundreds of buttons.

Security through obscurity mostly
 
Originally Posted by dwendt44
Military jets are not secured in any way other than being on a military reservation.

When I was in Scouts in the early 90's I remember some branch of the military bringing out Hummers to an event.

I believe they started without a key... just a red switch on the dashboard.
 
technically, since small prop planes use a magneto ignition, it would take nothing to just jumper the key switch and just prop-start it.
 
Originally Posted by CincyDavid
There was a reference in the Dassault Falcon crash thread to "throw the keys"...here's today's dumb question. How is a plane physically secured? Is there a keyhole in the door?

Who has keys?

Is there a key involved with firing up the plane?

Pardon my ignorance but I hope and pray I'm not the only one who simply doesn't know.


I think that poster intended that as a figure of speech:)
 
Originally Posted by CincyDavid
There was a reference in the Dassault Falcon crash thread to "throw the keys"...here's today's dumb question. How is a plane physically secured? Is there a keyhole in the door?

Who has keys?

Is there a key involved with firing up the plane?

Pardon my ignorance but I hope and pray I'm not the only one who simply doesn't know.


I've never flown an airplane that required keys of any kind to get it started and in the air.

Boeing used to have a cockpit door key (common to every single Boeing, and I used to have one) but the post-9-11 doors, with their reinforcement, don't have the universal key any more.

The universal key wasn't that effective anyway - just kept the casual people out of the cockpit.
 
Classic Gulfstream jets often have a Medeco or other pick resistant lock on the mechanical main entrance door. Once you are in, just fire everything up and go. No key.

The Gulfstream flagship, the G650ER has an electrically opened door. With the control panel access door locked. But there is a lot more to the security. Since the door is electric, it's entirely possible and very easy to disconnect the battery that opens/closes the door. It cannot be manually opened. But more interestingly, it's flight controls are fly-by-wire and won't work unless certain procedures are followed in the cockpit. And, no it's not just a matter of following the checklist.

Put simply, if you don't have a G650 type rating, you are not flying the aircraft.
 
No need for keys if you hand prop but always use chocks to prevent run-a-way plane...

HandProp1.jpg


HandProp3.jpg


HandProp2.jpg
 
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