That's why when we take off or land we are asked to raise the porthole shade
"Please close the coffee table, return the backrest to an upright position and raise the sunshade." How many times have we [...]
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"Please close the table, return the backrest to the upright position, and raise the sunshade." How many times have we heard these phrases before landing ? Have you ever noticed that this request is made only, or almost only, by European airlines ? And certainly not if you fly to China or the United States ?
Evacuation procedures
The rule to raise the curtains during takeoff and landing is a standard in regulations in Europe; in contrast, it is not a requirement by other flight safety agencies outside the EU.
The main reason is that, in the event of an emergency, it will allow rescuers outside the aircraft to have a better view of the situation inside. Of course, this contingency only makes sense at those times, that is, when the crew will need to ensure that they can empty the aircraft in the shortest possible time, usually less than 100 seconds. In that case, being able to have a view of what is going on outside could also facilitate disembarkation operations, perhaps avoiding the use of a chute that is in a risky position and thus could create an additional hazard in a very hectic phase such as that of an emergency evacuation.
A second motivation is that, thanks to the light coming in through the portholes, our eyes will get used to the natural light present on the ground before we leave the aircraft.
Although all these reasons seem useful, the rule as mentioned is not an aviation standard and therefore no one will ask you if you fly between New York and Miami to raise the curtain. So it is not clear whether it is an additional expedient or an obsolete rule that by now could be repealed like the one concerning, for example, the use of cell phones on board.
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