TWA Switches

B767Driver · November 30th, 2005, 08:40

While I was thinking about Howard Hughes...here's some more interesting trivia. If you've ever flown for TWA...or have flown an airplane once owned by TWA...you will instantly recognize something amiss once you sit down in the cockpit. All of the switches are upside down!

Most airlines design their switchology so that down is on....and up is off (for those airplanes that still have swithces and not push/latch buttons).

Hughes didn't like this concept and thought that a switch in his airplane should be similar to a switch in his house. Up is on...and down is off. So were the instructions to the folks making his airplanes.

I flew 727's at TWA then FE'd on it at DL. I can't tell you how odd it is to transition from the same airplane with upside down switches. If you think you are turning the lights on...you are turning them off. The same way with the packs and bleeds. It's quite an interesting dynamic.

DE727UPS · November 30th, 2005, 13:56

I FE'd them at UPS. What sucked was we had about 10 Ex-TWA's and the rest were standard. UPS got smart and standardized and EFISized them in the mid-90's. You had to be careful with the AC meters being where the essential power was....

OldTownPilot · November 30th, 2005, 23:11

From my limited knowledge of airliner switches on the CRJ (in order to brake ride) I have noticed the switches being backwads from normal ones.

Except for the hydraulic pumps, we use the two inner switches, the one on the left, down is on, while the on on the right, up us on. so to turn the pumps on I grab both and turn CCW (oppisite of a normal valve). Most every thing else except for the lights are push buttons.

Man...engineers are a messed up bunch...all the more reason not to join them.

goredbirds · December 2nd, 2005, 13:28

Yet another reason I appreciate the push buttons in the ERJ

November 30th, 2005, 08:40	#1
B767Driver Old Skool Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,859	TWA Switches While I was thinking about Howard Hughes...here's some more interesting trivia. If you've ever flown for TWA...or have flown an airplane once owned by TWA...you will instantly recognize something amiss once you sit down in the cockpit. All of the switches are upside down! Most airlines design their switchology so that down is on....and up is off (for those airplanes that still have swithces and not push/latch buttons). Hughes didn't like this concept and thought that a switch in his airplane should be similar to a switch in his house. Up is on...and down is off. So were the instructions to the folks making his airplanes. I flew 727's at TWA then FE'd on it at DL. I can't tell you how odd it is to transition from the same airplane with upside down switches. If you think you are turning the lights on...you are turning them off. The same way with the packs and bleeds. It's quite an interesting dynamic.

December 2nd, 2005, 13:28	#4
goredbirds Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: St. Louis Posts: 59	Yet another reason I appreciate the push buttons in the ERJ __________________ My name is Inigo Montoya...

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November 30th, 2005, 13:56	#2
DE727UPS Old Skool Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 6,517	I FE'd them at UPS. What sucked was we had about 10 Ex-TWA's and the rest were standard. UPS got smart and standardized and EFISized them in the mid-90's. You had to be careful with the AC meters being where the essential power was....

November 30th, 2005, 23:11	#3
OldTownPilot Old Skool Join Date: May 2005 Location: BGR (Bangor, ME) Posts: 2,927 Blog Entries: 4	From my limited knowledge of airliner switches on the CRJ (in order to brake ride) I have noticed the switches being backwads from normal ones. Except for the hydraulic pumps, we use the two inner switches, the one on the left, down is on, while the on on the right, up us on. so to turn the pumps on I grab both and turn CCW (oppisite of a normal valve). Most every thing else except for the lights are push buttons. Man...engineers are a messed up bunch...all the more reason not to join them.