Ecology of knowledge: Everyone has certainly wondered: what will happen if the plane starts to fall? Well, okay, if you go into the water, life jackets will come in handy. What if it’s just on the ground? Where is the parachute? Why aren't they given a parachute on the plane?
Fasten your seat belt, put on your life jacket, and don’t forget your oxygen mask. Anyone who has flown on an airplane at least once knows about these safety measures.
And everyone certainly wondered: what would happen if the plane started to fall? Well, okay, if you go into the water, life jackets will come in handy. What if it’s just on the ground? Where is the parachute? Why aren't they given a parachute on the plane? After all, so many lives could have been saved in all these disasters.
Aviation experts unanimously say that a parachute on an airplane is unnecessary, expensive, and generally from the realm of science fiction. But aerophobes do not give up: they believe that parachutes can be installed on an airplane if you add more money for a ticket, to involve the best engineering minds of the country, and in general - this already exists on military aircraft!
There is even a parachute with which you can successfully jump from the 7th floor. So why can't you install a parachute or a flying capsule on an airplane? Rustoria found out everything.
Oleg Ivashchuk, head of the dynamic simulator department at the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
A parachute on a passenger plane is definitely superfluous. I'll explain why:
1. A passenger plane is an extremely reliable machine;
2. Majority emergency situations with passenger airliners it happens during takeoff and landing, that is, at minimum altitudes, when the parachute is simply useless (it will not have time to open);
3. When flying at flight level, that is, at an estimated altitude of 10-11 thousand meters, a parachute is also useless: a person, leaving the plane, will simply die. After all, “outside the window” the temperature is -40 degrees, the atmosphere is thin and there is practically no oxygen;
4. Finally, carrying with you, imagine, a set of parachutes for 300-500 people is a lot excess weight and little free space. There will be nowhere to put the luggage of happy vacationing tourists.
5. And most importantly: parachutes are not carried for the safety of the passengers themselves. In case of turbulence (turbulence), even the slightest, some suspicious passengers will grab these same parachutes and run with them to the exit in an attempt to open the doors.
And so - no parachute - no reason to worry! Happy flying!
Oh yes, capsules are the realm of fantasy. For military aircraft, this is relevant when it is necessary to save one or two people. For a large number of passengers this is unrealistic. This is very expensive, but the point is not even the cost, but the fact that it is very difficult to implement technically. After all, the ejection seat of a fighter jet is a highly complex mechanism, a kind of small rocket with a complex of systems for survival.
And for each person - if in the passenger version - it is necessary to provide a hole in the fuselage and skin, where this entire “capsule” will fly out. And the fuselage and skin of a modern passenger plane- a very durable design, eliminating any voids or holes, and capable of withstanding aerodynamic, weight and thermal loads when flying at speeds of about 900 km/h.
Alexey Kochemasov, civil aviation pilot, aircraft captain. He runs a popular blog under the nickname “Pilot Lyokha”
Why do you need a parachute if you can’t use it?
Military aircraft (fighters) have parachutes, but these are not just parachutes, but entire rescue systems. The system includes an ejection seat, an oxygen system, a parachute system and a system for protecting against mechanical damage to a person by the oncoming flow.
The whole thing collectively weighs about half a ton. I think it makes no sense to talk about how this system works, since it will take about 20 A4 pages.
It is known that the vast majority of accidents occur during takeoff and landing. So: simply using a parachute on a passenger plane simply won’t work, because it (the plane) flies very high and very fast.
Under no circumstances will the passenger be able to put on a parachute in the cabin, should something happen, much less leave the plane.
To open the doors on an airplane at an altitude of 10-12 km, you will have to depressurize the airplane, that is, let all the air out, otherwise the doors cannot be opened. And if you do it like in a fighter plane (when the door “shoots back”), then explosive decompression will occur, and this, in turn, will result in instant death.
In a fighter plane, the pilot sits in a protective helmet and an oxygen mask, and when the rescue system is activated, the oxygen system begins to supply air to the person’s lungs under excess pressure (automatically), which ensures the vital functions of the body.
You understand that such seats are excluded in the passenger compartment.
Next. The plane flies at a speed of approximately 800-900 km per hour, which means that getting out of the plane unharmed at such a speed is a utopia. A person and his parachute will simply be torn to shreds by the oncoming air flow.
In a fighter aircraft, the rescue system ensures the safety of the human body by introducing a special deflector into the oncoming flow. This is a steel telescopic rod that is fired and fixed in front of the pilot’s body and head.
So, this deflector cuts the oncoming flow and keeps it intact human body. Also, do not forget that a military pilot wears a protective helmet at all times.
Next. Even if we install rescue systems similar to military aircraft in a civilian aircraft, the number of passengers that the aircraft can carry will be reduced by approximately 4-5 times, which means that the ticket will immediately begin to cost the same amount of times more.
Are there many passengers willing to fly from Moscow to Sochi for 100,000 rubles one way? Moreover, you need to be in the ejection seat tightly fastened and pulled in all the time, wearing a helmet and an oxygen mask!
And, perhaps, the most important thing. After all, not only young girls and boys, absolutely athletic and completely healthy, fly: what about children, old people, hypertensive patients, who not only cannot physically endure the ejection itself, but even a decrease in atmospheric pressure below a certain level can become fatal for them?
The use of a parachute in its classical sense (a backpack behind the back) is impossible by definition: you wouldn’t force every passenger to put a backpack on their back and sit like that on the plane for 3-15 hours? And 99.9% of people on the plane will not be able to perform the jump. They just never did it.
As for rescuing the entire cabin by parachute. At low altitude, during takeoff and landing, there is simply not enough altitude and time to use the system. And when two planes collide at altitude, you know, all these parachute devices don’t give a damn.
And at the flight level, being in the plane itself, even if the engines have failed, is much safer than leaving this very plane (well, we already said above that it’s out of science fiction to get out of the plane at an altitude of 10 km).
Is it technically possible to take a parachute with you?
If you decide to take a parachute with you, no one can stop you from doing so. You shouldn't laugh either.
“A parachute is a thing like anything else. If by weight it goes like hand luggage, then there will be no problems, you can take it on board with you. It is better to check specific weight standards in advance with the airline,” the information service at Sheremetyevo Airport told Rustoria.
But still, you should take a parachute with you on a trip only if you really want to scare other passengers, especially impressionable aerophobes. It will still not be possible to use the parachute for its intended purpose, our experts are sure.
So just fasten your seat belt, sit back and think about something pleasant. And there are almost always fantastic views from the porthole. Have a nice flight and soft landing! published
“I prefer trains to our planes.
Falling off the top shelf is nonsense!
It’s much scarier from the sky without a parachute.”
Why don't airliners carrying thousands of people across the sky have parachutes? After all, it is quite logical to acquire them for the safety of passengers. What if there is an accident, an engine failure? Parachutes will save passengers! But everything is not so simple and easy. IN passenger planes there are not and will not be parachutes for both travelers and crew members. Why? There are several explanations.
Extra parachute
A civil airliner is a reliable and especially durable machine. This opinion of experts is justified by the statistics of plane crashes. An aircraft accident occurs in one in 20 million cases (car accidents occur in one in 9,000 cases).
According to the results of studies of air crashes, out of 570 accidents, only 6% of passengers died from total number people on board. And out of 50,000 people in an emergency on the plane, 48,000 people survived.
Incorruptible statistics claim that in 95% of air tragedies, the plane crashed during landing and takeoff. At an altitude of 15-20 meters from ground level, a parachute becomes useless and will not save you during a free fall. He won't have time to open up. But what about the remaining 5% of disasters? If they occur in the air, a parachute will help!
Where to place a huge number of parachute bags in the cabin? Will this bring comfort to people when flying? Will they agree to take a parachute and give up carry-on luggage? Even if we provide a place for general storage of parachutes on the plane, this is unlikely to be a way out of the situation.
In the chaos of the crash, when passengers are panicked, there will be a stampede, people will not get to the parachute bags and will not have time to put them on themselves to escape. But, if the majority of passengers vote “yes” and decide that in order to save several lives it is possible to suffer inconvenience and expose oneself to the risk of being crushed by the crowd, other arguments will come into the balance, confirming the inappropriateness of the decision.
Theory, practice and safety
Are you sure you can jump out of a passenger plane with a parachute? Put it on correctly, fasten it, get to the emergency exit and open it in the air in time? You can't escape from a falling plane by parachute! On the way to the saving and so safe land, the passenger in the crashed liner faces many dangers:
Difficulties with a parachute
Putting on a parachute bag is not hiking backpack attach. Instruction on how to use a parachute takes 4-5 hours, and with the practical part it takes all 10. Does everyone have time before the flight to listen? useful recommendations? Also remember that:
- The straps of a parachute bag, when put on the human body, must be perfectly adjusted to the person. It is too difficult for an inexperienced person to put on a parachute correctly on their own.
- We will have to develop individual parachutes for pregnant women, children of all ages and the disabled.
- The parachute is worn on the ground and is not removed during the entire flight. How can you fit it on civilian aircraft?
- Is there any confidence that flight attendants and crew members will not quit their jobs at a tragic moment and jump out first, saving lives and forgetting about the other passengers?
But, even if a person has put on a parachute correctly, before a life-saving exit he is faced with the impossible shaking of an airliner in distress. When a plane falls, it is thrown extremely violently to the sides; it is impossible to calmly walk along the aisle at this moment. What about hundreds of people?
It is impossible to evacuate everyone instantly
If you think that you can jump from an airplane from any door or even squeeze through a window, you will be mistaken! The only way to safely leave the falling airliner is the tail section of the aircraft. Otherwise, the jumping passenger will end up smeared on the wing or, even worse, get caught in the engine.
If you've ever flown on an airplane, remember how narrow the aisles are between the seats. This main reason the appearance of a crush among the passengers of the ill-fated flight. And a stampede will definitely happen when all the people immediately rush to the life-saving emergency exit. Do not forget that a plane in distress is falling rapidly (190-200 km/h). Most people won't make it to the back of the plane.
Flight speed and altitude
Let's imagine that you managed to handle the parachute pack and were among the first near the emergency exit. Shall we be saved? No! The cruising speed (speed at the lowest fuel consumption) of an airliner flying at flight level (a given flight level) averages 800-900 km/h. At this speed, the air outside the side turns into a “concrete wall”.
Dangerous speed. The maximum speed that a person can withstand without a spacesuit or protective seat is 450-500 km/h. Jumping out of an airliner flying at a speed exceeding safe levels, the passenger will instantly die (he will be turned inside out and crushed by the air flow).
Deadly air. What about the air itself? According to the results of experiments conducted by doctors, a person already at an altitude of 3.5-4,000 kilometers needs additional oxygen into the body. And at an altitude of 7-8,000 km from ground level, no unprotected person will survive. On average, airliners take off and fly at an altitude of 10-12,000 kilometers.
Deadly temperature. Each parachute will have to be equipped with an oxygen cylinder. And even if you jump safely from a falling ship with a parachute and an oxygen tank, you will encounter external temperature conditions. At the altitude of a flying airliner, the temperature outside is on average -60⁰ C. In a matter of seconds, an unprotected person, finding himself in such temperature conditions, will freeze to death
Danger of depressurization
Another explanation for why people on airliners are not given parachutes is depressurization. The aircraft is reliably sealed throughout the flight. A person does not come into contact with the air that he sees through the porthole window. In flight, due to the difference in external and internal pressure, it is physically impossible to open the door to the cabin.
If depressurization of the aircraft cabin occurred at an altitude of 10,000 kilometers (average flight level), passengers live no more than 20-30 seconds. During this time, no one will have time to put on a mask, a parachute and reach the emergency exit in order to be on safe ground.
"Safe" land
Imagine the scenario where you succeeded in everything: put on a parachute, arm yourself with an oxygen cylinder, navigate through the raging passengers of the plane in a crush, and get to the coveted tail of the plane. Overcome monstrous speed, air force and pressure and jump from the falling winged colossus.
Swaying smoothly under the unfolded plane, we realize with relief that we survived the plane crash. What awaits below? Where was the plane at the time of the crash? Over the ocean with bloodthirsty sharks and bottomless water, over snow-capped mountains shrouded in cold winds and severe frosts? Or over a hot desert, where there is no one but the scorching sun and hot sand? 
Before each flight, you should take a survival course in critical situations, learn to swim across oceans, climb without equipment, and deal with bears and wolves (and sharks and crocodiles as well) with your bare hands. But man is a winner in life, and he survived even under such conditions.
There is still a chance, we love to live. And we will fight for the tiniest chance to live in this world. Do you agree to this? life position airline owners? For them, aircraft parachute equipment is too much of an expense.
The cost of a chance at salvation
The economic aspect decides the fate of any idea. The ineffectiveness of equipping airliners with parachutes is not so bad. The main reason for the inexpediency of such a step is unprofitability. Why aren't they providing parachutes? Let's do the calculations:
Each parachute (without additional oxygen equipment) carries 10-15 kilograms. This means that a “parachute” flight will be able to take on board 25-30% less live weight (that is, without 1/3 of passengers). Instead, parachute packs will fly.
The monetary difference will be distributed among the remaining tickets, which will significantly affect their cost. In addition, the price will include the rental of the parachutes themselves. That is, the ticket price will consist of:
- Parachute costs.
- The monetary difference between the shortage of passengers.
- Prices for their regular technical checks (parachutes are necessarily checked for suitability and serviceability, and they are repacked if not used for a long time).
- Salaries of full-time personnel involved in checking, packing parachutes and briefing passengers before the flight.
In this case, the price of an air ticket will skyrocket so much that hardly anyone will want to buy a plane ticket costing 150-200,000 rubles to get from Moscow to Crimea. This is why planes are not equipped with parachutes.
What about the ejection system? An excellent analogue of a parachute, safe and suitable for any passenger! Equip each seat with a built-in catapult and fly safely without fear for your life! A frivolous utopia breaks against an insurmountable wall of obstacles and reasonable explanations:
The ejection system that is installed in fighter aircraft is a very complex device. This is a large rescue complex, equipped with a chair, oxygen and parachute systems, protection from speed, pressure and temperature.
To be able to use the rescue system, the traveler had to sit for the entire flight in this sealed capsule, fastened with all straps and straps. Dressed in special protective overalls and a helmet. The weight of such equipment reaches 200 kg. In this case, the average board, capable of carrying 180 passengers, will be able to accommodate only 12-15 people on board. How much will the ticket price increase? It will become astronomical!
Keep in mind that when the ejection system is activated, the squib explodes. Shooting one capsule will damage neighboring ones. This means that it is necessary to provide for such a final result when installing cabins. What becomes the reason for the re-equipment and global change in the entire design of the aircraft, taking into account the holes where the capsules will fly out in the event of a critical situation.
That's why airplanes don't have parachutes. This is too expensive financially, unprofitable for the passengers themselves, impractical and deadly. And it doesn’t add optimism when a nice flight attendant at the entrance hands you a parachute pack and wishes you a “good landing.”
You have to put up with it and trust that you won't have one bad chance out of 20 million successful flights. Look at the world more simply!
Anyone who has used it at least once probably asked themselves the question of why airplane passengers are not given parachutes. Agree, it is quite strange that before the start of the flight, the flight attendant always gives instructions on the safety rules in flight, talks about how to use an oxygen mask, where it is located and how to get it. They will also tell you where it is and how to put it on. But no one will mention how to properly put on a parachute or where the emergency exit is. How so? Why don't passenger planes have parachutes? There are life jackets, but no parachute!
Is there an extra parachute on the plane?
First of all, it is generally accepted that a passenger aircraft is a super-strong and super-reliable machine. According to statistics, air transport crashes occur in only 1 case out of 20 million flights, while car accidents account for 1 in 9200. This is one of the main answers to the question of why there are no parachutes for passengers on airplanes. In addition, there is also sufficient quantity more specific and reasoned objections. There are several reasons for this, and they are certainly clear to those who have ever jumped with a parachute or are purely theoretically familiar with the mechanics of the process.
The first reason why airplanes do not have parachutes for passengers
According to statistics, more than 60% of air transport crashes occur during landing, takeoff or climb - that is, at extremely low altitudes, when the parachute is generally useless - it simply does not have time to open, and you will “flop” on the ground along with your life-saving backpack. “But the remaining 40% comes from accidents in the air,” you say. - So why don’t they provide parachutes on airplanes? After all, this could save at least a few lives.” This is where other arguments come into play.
Reason two
Tell me honestly, how many times in your life have you put on a parachute? Most likely, the majority will answer - not even once. This is another reason why there are no parachutes on planes. The fact is that the average passenger is simply unable to put on and secure a parachute correctly the first or even the second time, especially in conditions of panic and nervousness. Moreover, if this statement is true for healthy people, physically and mentally strong, then what can we say about children, pensioners, disabled people or just passengers who are easily panicked? A priori, they cannot master such a “trick”.
The third argument: why there are no parachutes on planes
Even if we assume that the plane will not take off until every passenger learns how to use a parachute correctly, well, for example, tickets will be sold only to those who have completed special courses, the design of many aircraft would have to be completely redesigned.
The fact is that you can only jump out of an airplane from its rear, tail part. Otherwise, you run the risk of “smacking” on the wing or getting caught in the engines, where the person will instantly be twisted into small “noodles.” The design of the vast majority of aircraft provides for rather narrow passages and an insufficient number of doors for the immediate evacuation of a large number of passengers. This is another reason why airplanes do not have parachutes. It is not difficult to imagine what kind of crush would begin in the cabin of a falling plane. In addition, the plane falls very quickly, and the overwhelming number of passengers simply will not have time to get to the exits.
Fourth argument
Still, let’s assume that you know how to put on a parachute, and you were the first at the emergency exit. Now you will definitely be saved, right? No, it’s not that simple, and here we come to the main argument regarding the question of why parachutes are not provided on airplanes. The fact is that the “cruising” speed of an aircraft at flight level, that is, at the altitude where it flies normally, is 800-900 km/h, and the maximum speed that a parachutist can withstand without a special suit or seat is 400 -500 km/h. Simply put, you will simply be “smeared” by the air flow, but that’s not all...
Fifth argument
One of the main reasons why passenger planes do not have parachutes is the altitude.
The maximum altitude at which a person can breathe calmly without the use of special equipment, for example, is 4 thousand km, while the flight altitude at the flight level is 8-10 thousand kilometers. This means that even if you manage to safely jump out of a falling plane, you will have practically nothing to breathe, of course, unless you prudently took an oxygen cylinder with you.
Another reason why planes don't have parachutes is the temperature outside. At the altitude where passenger planes usually fly, the air temperature at any time of the year is minus 50-60˚С, and this suggests that a person who finds himself there without special protective equipment will freeze everything possible in a matter of seconds, and then he will freeze to death.
Reason six
Another reason why parachutes are not issued on airplanes is that during the flight the cabin is known to be airtight. At the altitude where passenger airliners fly, due to the difference in pressure inside and outside, it is almost impossible to open the door of the aircraft. However, suppose that as a result of the accident there was depressurization - if this happened at an altitude of 10 thousand km, then all passengers would lose consciousness or even die within 30 seconds. It is unlikely that during this negligible time someone will have time to put on a parachute and get to the exit.
But even if we assume that you have an unrealistically strong guardian angel and all of the above reasons did not affect you, imagine what awaits you below: the taiga, the desert, the icy endless ocean, or just the utility yard of some tractor factory. Simply put, the chance that you will land without breaking anything, and in a place where people capable of providing first aid will find you as quickly as possible, is negligible. So the use of parachutes in passenger aircraft is simply impractical.
How much will this tiny chance cost?
Nevertheless, particularly stubborn aerophobes still cannot stop asking: “Why don’t they issue parachutes on passenger planes?”
We have already sorted out the technical side of the process a little, now let's talk about the economic component. Suppose that the whole world got into the habit of hoping for “maybe”, and all airplanes began to be equipped with parachutes. We count:
- Each parachute weighs approximately 5 to 15 kg, depending on the model and the weight it can lift. This means that the plane will be able to take 15-20% fewer passengers on board - parachutes will fly instead. The cash equivalent of these same interests will be redistributed into the price of the remaining tickets; the company cannot give up its profits.
- In addition, the tickets will include the cost of the parachutes themselves, or rather, their rental. This is due to the fact that they first need to be purchased and periodically changed (parachutes also have an expiration date).
- The next line of expenses is inspection and installation. Before each flight, it would be necessary to check the suitability and serviceability of each parachute; in addition, many models require repacking even when they were not used (once a month or six months). To do this, airlines will have to maintain a whole staff of service personnel, whose salaries will also be included in the price of tickets.
Thus, the price of a ticket for a regular flight soars that there are likely to be few people willing to buy it. Well, you see, who would want to fly from Moscow, for example, to Simferopol for 100-150 thousand rubles?
What about the ejection system?
So, we seem to have figured out why they don’t issue parachutes on passenger planes, but it’s possible to equip every seat with an ejection system, like in fighter jets. Or not? Let's figure it out.
The rescue systems installed in fighter aircraft are a whole rescue complex, consisting of a seat, an oxygen and parachute system and a special mechanism to protect the pilot from the oncoming air flow. This entire complex collectively weighs approximately 500 kg. Thus, if a TU-154 can usually take 180 passengers on board, with the use of an ejection system their number will be reduced to approximately 15. Imagine how much a ticket will cost, considering the amount of kerosene that the plane “eats.” does not depend on the quality of the cargo - in other words, the plane does not care whether it is carrying catapults or people.
In addition, in order to use the ejection system, passengers would have to be in special suits, helmets, tightly fastened to the seat for the entire flight - an unpleasant prospect. And then, each chair must be a separate sealed capsule, otherwise when one chair was “shot”, all the others would be damaged by the explosion of the squib. In short, a completely new vehicle would have to be designed that could provide all of the above conditions.
Imagine - you board a super-duper huge modern ocean liner and notice that there are no life preservers. It is reasonable to ask the friendly captain who meets passengers at the gangway about the reasons for the absence - to which you hear that A: a modern ocean liner is a super-duper reliable unit and sinks extremely rarely. B. The height of the side of our liner is 30 meters. If you decide to jump from it, you will crash on the water or, losing consciousness from the impact, you will choke. Q. If there is such a fucking storm that sinks a liner like ours, you will simply be smashed against the side with all your vests and even boats. Even if you find yourself safely in the water, its temperature is about zero and you won’t survive for more than 10 minutes. Well, and many more points. Reasonable? Why not! But only in this case, no one will ever refuse to issue vests on any reliable ocean liner. For: the liner can sink in calm and warm water and other conditions when a life jacket is absolutely necessary. Likewise, in the case of plane crashes, there are conditions when a parachute can definitely save the lives of the majority of passengers. This, for example, is a fire on a train. There is neither time nor a suitable surface below for an emergency landing. In just a couple of minutes, the crew reduces the plane from 10 to 7 km and reduces the speed to the minimum possible (around 300 km per hour). Passengers in the tail section leave the cabin through the tail ramp (no special air shock - this is how entire regiments are parachuted in exercises. Passengers in the bow section - through a special hatch in the bottom with an inclined chute and an external fairing (the smallest changes in the design of the aircraft). Option number two is the destruction of the airliner in the air (a terrorist attack, a collision with another airliner, fatigue changes in the design). As a rule, a bomb explosion on board kills only those closest to you. to woo - no one at all - because it happens in the luggage compartment) the plane is destroyed quickly - but not instantly. It turns around in the air - both speed and altitude drop. Most passengers simply end up in the air and there is no longer any need to leave the plane (the explosion over Sinai, Lockbury, cases of airliners being shot down by missiles by mistake). Even collisions in the air - contrary to the belief that “everything is already soft-boiled” - in fact rarely occur head-on. As a rule, one plane cuts the hull of another with its keel. The cut one randomly flies to the ground in whole pieces, and the one that was left without a keel and hydraulics still struggles for ten minutes for life (a disaster over Lake Constance). In all these cases, passengers fly alive until they collide with the ground. The horrors of instant decompression - death from pressure changes - suffocation - freezing at altitude - can be counted on one hand - and the main reasons for the death of passengers in such cases are a brutal blow to the ground. This is exactly what a parachute is supposed to save you from. A modern rescue parachute weighs one and a half kilograms - it takes up half the volume of the smallest school backpack and will not burden any airline with “extra weight and volume.” Converting any aircraft for its accelerated exit through a ramp and hatches in the floor will not cost much money, unlike semi-fantastic projects with the shooting of the entire cabin or its equipment with special turbines. . At the very least, the majority of passengers are aerophobes, and a company that will have such planes and parachutes on board will become practically a monopolist, even with ticket prices 20-30% higher than competitors. That is, the absence of parachutes on passenger airliners is an elementary saving on safety.
Fasten your seat belt, put on your life jacket, and don’t forget your oxygen mask. Anyone who has flown on an airplane at least once knows about these safety measures.
And everyone certainly wondered: what would happen if the plane started to fall? Well, okay, if you go into the water, life jackets will come in handy. What if it’s just on the ground? Where is the parachute? Why aren't they given a parachute on the plane? After all, so many lives could have been saved in all these disasters.
Aviation experts unanimously say that a parachute on an airplane is unnecessary, expensive, and generally from the realm of science fiction. But aerophobes do not give up: they believe that parachutes can be installed on an airplane if you add more money for the ticket, involve the best engineering minds in the country, and in general - this already exists on military aircraft!
There is even a parachute with which you can successfully jump from the 7th floor. So why can't you install a parachute or a flying capsule on an airplane? Rustoria found out everything.
Oleg Ivashchuk, head of the dynamic simulator department at the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
A parachute on a passenger plane is definitely superfluous. I'll explain why:
1. A passenger plane is an extremely reliable machine;
2. Most emergency situations with passenger airliners occur during takeoff and landing, that is, at minimum altitudes, when the parachute is simply useless (it will not have time to open);
3. When flying at flight level, that is, at an estimated altitude of 10-11 thousand meters, a parachute is also useless: a person, leaving the plane, will simply die. After all, “outside the window” the temperature is -40 degrees, the atmosphere is thin and there is practically no oxygen;
4. Finally, carrying with you, imagine, a set of parachutes for 300-500 people means a lot of extra weight and not enough free space. There will be nowhere to put the luggage of happy vacationing tourists.
5. And most importantly: parachutes are not carried for the safety of the passengers themselves. In case of turbulence (turbulence), even the slightest, some suspicious passengers will grab these same parachutes and run with them to the exit in an attempt to open the doors.
And so - no parachute - no reason to worry! Happy flying!
Oh yes, capsules are the realm of fantasy. For military aircraft, this is relevant when it is necessary to save one or two people. For a large number of passengers this is unrealistic. This is very expensive, but the point is not even the cost, but the fact that it is very difficult to implement technically. After all, a fighter jet’s ejection seat is a highly complex mechanism, a kind of small rocket with a complex of survival systems.
And for each person - if in the passenger version - it is necessary to provide a hole in the fuselage and skin, where this entire “capsule” will fly out. And the fuselage and skin of a modern passenger aircraft is a very durable structure, eliminating all sorts of voids and holes, and capable of absorbing aerodynamic, weight and thermal loads when flying at speeds of about 900 km/h.
Alexey Kochemasov, civil aviation pilot, aircraft captain. He runs a popular blog under the nickname “Pilot Lyokha”
Why do you need a parachute if you can’t use it?
Military aircraft (fighters) have parachutes, but these are not just parachutes, but entire rescue systems. The system includes an ejection seat, an oxygen system, a parachute system and a system for protecting against mechanical damage to a person by the oncoming flow.
The whole thing collectively weighs about half a ton. I think it makes no sense to talk about how this system works, since it will take about 20 A4 pages.
It is known that the vast majority of accidents occur during takeoff and landing. So: simply using a parachute on a passenger plane simply won’t work, because it (the plane) flies very high and very fast.
Under no circumstances will the passenger be able to put on a parachute in the cabin, should something happen, much less leave the plane.
To open the doors on an airplane at an altitude of 10-12 km, you will have to depressurize the airplane, that is, let all the air out, otherwise the doors cannot be opened. And if you do it like in a fighter plane (when the door “shoots back”), then explosive decompression will occur, and this, in turn, will result in instant death.
In a fighter plane, the pilot sits in a protective helmet and an oxygen mask, and when the rescue system is activated, the oxygen system begins to supply air to the person’s lungs under excess pressure (automatically), which ensures the vital functions of the body.
You understand that such seats are excluded in the passenger compartment.
Next. The plane flies at a speed of approximately 800-900 km per hour, which means that getting out of the plane unharmed at such a speed is a utopia. A person and his parachute will simply be torn to shreds by the oncoming air flow.
In a fighter aircraft, the rescue system ensures the safety of the human body by introducing a special deflector into the oncoming flow. This is a steel telescopic rod that is fired and fixed in front of the pilot’s body and head.
So, this deflector cuts the oncoming flow and keeps the human body intact. Also, do not forget that a military pilot wears a protective helmet at all times.
Next. Even if we install rescue systems similar to military aircraft in a civilian aircraft, the number of passengers that the aircraft can carry will be reduced by approximately 4-5 times, which means that the ticket will immediately begin to cost the same amount of times more.
Are there many passengers willing to fly from Moscow to Sochi for 100,000 rubles one way? Moreover, you need to be in the ejection seat tightly fastened and pulled in all the time, wearing a helmet and an oxygen mask!
And, perhaps, the most important thing. After all, not only young girls and boys, absolutely athletic and completely healthy, fly: what about children, old people, hypertensive patients, who not only cannot physically endure the ejection itself, but even a decrease in atmospheric pressure below a certain level can become fatal for them?
The use of a parachute in its classical sense (a backpack behind the back) is impossible by definition: you wouldn’t force every passenger to put a backpack on their back and sit like that on the plane for 3-15 hours? And 99.9% of people on the plane will not be able to perform the jump. They just never did it.
As for rescuing the entire cabin by parachute. At low altitude, during takeoff and landing, there is simply not enough altitude and time to use the system. And when two planes collide at altitude, you know, all these parachute devices don’t give a damn.
And at the flight level, being in the plane itself, even if the engines have failed, is much safer than leaving this very plane (well, we already said above that it’s out of science fiction to get out of the plane at an altitude of 10 km).
Is it technically possible to take a parachute with you?
If you decide to take a parachute with you, no one can stop you from doing so. You shouldn't laugh either.
“A parachute is a thing like anything else. If it weighs the same as hand luggage, then there will be no problems; you can take it on board with you. It is better to check specific weight standards in advance with the airline,” the information service at Sheremetyevo Airport told Rustoria.
But still, you should take a parachute with you on a trip only if you really want to scare other passengers, especially impressionable aerophobes. It will still not be possible to use the parachute for its intended purpose, our experts are sure.
So just fasten your seat belt, sit back and think about something pleasant. And there are almost always fantastic views from the porthole. Have a nice flight and soft landing!
econet.ru
