Why passengers are not given parachutes. Are there parachutes in passenger aircraft. Too much cash outlay

Not everyone who made air travel knows that there are no parachutes for passengers on airplanes. This is due to the general irrationality of their use, which occurs for a reason. This is influenced by several factors.

In international aviation, there are rules according to which such rescue devices are not provided for in passenger aircraft, since this does not solve the problem, but only creates new ones.]

Height

The first reason is that in general, accidents occur during take-off and landing of an airliner. In both cases, the height is too low, at which the parachute simply has nowhere to open. Therefore, its presence will help little.

And at high altitude, even if it remains possible to open the parachute, then atmospheric problems arise - excessively rarefied air and very low temperature. Without a special suit, it is impossible to withstand such a load.

Inexperience

Few people have parachuted in their lives, and there is always a briefing before jumping. Therefore, not everyone can put it on and open it correctly. Airlines do not have the opportunity to spend time training passengers before flying.

Carrying capacity

Each model has a different indicator, the minimum is from 6 tons. A plane crash becomes more likely if the allowable load mark is exceeded or if it is at a critical level.

One parachute can weigh up to ten kilograms. Their total weight will negatively affect the carrying capacity of the aircraft, and in order not to exceed the permissible limits, it will be necessary to reduce the number of passenger seats and baggage allowance. In addition, each time you need to calculate how many such rescue devices you need to take on board.

Aircraft speed

The aircraft always flies at high speed, which in the case of parachuting from passenger aircraft creates several problems:

The first is that you need to jump from the tail compartment, so as not to hit the wing or hit the engine. But the doors on the plane are few, the aisles are narrow. The speed of the liner fall is too high, for such a time, many simply do not have time to get to the exit. Even in the event of an accident, most passengers will panic and a crush will begin. In addition, you have to open the door, which will violate the sealing of the cabin.
The second concerns lack of necessary physical training. Therefore, older people and children are most likely not able to jump out at all.

Also, all because of the same extra weight, the speed of the airliner slows down.

Panic

Many begin to panic as soon as they realize that an emergency has occurred. Such passengers cannot always be reassured; in this state they are not able to act according to the instructions of the flight attendants. And the use of parachutes requires organization. They are not universal and everyone needs to choose the right one for themselves. For children and disabled people with strollers, this is very difficult.

According to statistics, panic on board is inevitable when an emergency is declared, so storing and using parachutes is pointless.

42 answers

TheQuestion Partner Response

I do not agree with the flight director.

Technically, you can escape using a parachute. And you don’t even have to be able to do anything for this. And even from a height of 10 thousand meters. Provided that if the parachute is on a person, he is still pulled in the air and the ring.

But how will passengers be parachuted and in the air?

Who will provide and control this. And all this under stress, stampede and fear. If even in a calm state, when the flight is completed, passengers can’t leave the plane normally, they rush to the exit, create congestion.

The idea with parachutes aboard a passenger plane is a lot of unsolved technical and organizational issues. It is also economically extremely disadvantageous. But even if they are solved hypothetically, the benefit is still dubious, for example, in cases of flying above water.

And at what “accident” do I have to leave the aircraft at 10 thousand meters? It’s not very clear what the situation is. How to determine it. And such an abandonment will be unsafe. Those. there are chances to survive, as well as chances to die. It will be necessary to be wise with breathing. Leaving the device at that speed.

To comment

The military transport Il-76 drops 126 paratroopers with the forced opening of parachutes in two minutes. This can be arranged both from the side passages and from the tail ramp. Therefore, it is not difficult to organize a system for forcibly dropping passengers on a civil aircraft on the command of the FAC: a tail ramp; forced rail gathering of seats; parachute system of each seat. As a result, in a couple of three minutes the entire interior was reset.

1. The aircraft will lose more than one ton on the organization of this rescue system, which will entail a significant increase in the cost of transportation (reduction of payload).

2. Passengers do not wish to be fastened at the time of flight. And at the time of emergency evacuation, they will simply be thrown out of the chair, which will make the chair rescue system useless.

3. The cruising speed of the Airbus A320 is about 840km / h. Landing is allowed at speeds not exceeding 400km / h and at altitudes not exceeding 4000m. Otherwise, the landing party is injured due to overloads and a sharp change in pressure.

4. And the main thing: most disasters occur at low and very low altitudes. During take-offs, landings, in mountainous conditions and during moments of poor visibility. That is, where the reaction time is minimal. Only an ejection seat can save this moment.

And that is not in all cases.

Disasters occur at low altitudes, which completely kills the majority’s arguments here that there’s nothing to breathe at 10km. The pilot at the right time can reduce speed and throw passengers at the right height.
- Passengers are not fastened even when approaching the ground? (we are considering low-flight situations)

those. it is technically possible to throw away all passengers in a short period of time, but will a market economy and capitalism not allow the risks of death to be driven to relative zero?

Do not forget that the plane crashes. It may just be uncontrollable. Both engines, or the power supply system, can be disabled, and the same flaps have an electric drive. The pilot will not be able to reduce the speed to 300-400 km / h at the right time, keep it, the vector and altitude for as many as several minutes.

The conversation about the fact that all market strategies can be sent to tartarars, if we are talking about human lives, is quite legitimate. If there were no all kinds of impossibilities from a technical point of view - low altitudes, uncontrolled aircraft, etc.

The conclusion is that a rescue system for passengers can be made, even if it would not provide a 100% guarantee, but it would increase the chances of survival. And they do not do it not because of technical impossibility, but because airline owners put their profits above the value of the lives of passengers.

To comment

The life support system of a civilian aircraft does not imply the possibility of leaving it in the air. What will you get out through? It is impossible to throw the doors out in the air: because of the pressure difference, they are closed so that there is not enough force to open them (after landing, this is done using special devices that first depressurize the aircraft). But suppose that a falling airplane in the air suffered a depressurization (which is quite similar to the truth in the case of a flight that has now fallen in France). Also suppose that a hole was formed there through which people could jump out of the liner. But what would they breathe at an altitude of 10,000 meters? To parachute without an oxygen mask, the height should be no more than 4 kilometers. The Dusseldorf-Barcelona plane crashed at an altitude of about 2000 meters. Would have 150 passengers jumped in the time that the plane will fall 2 kilometers? No, we wouldn’t have time. Not to mention the fact that one must be able to use a parachute, and it is impossible to teach this for a short briefing, which the stewardess conducts before the flight. Paratroopers prepare for independent jumps for six months.

If safety weighs a lot, engines must be made more powerful and more economical. If it is impossible to open the door during take-off, it is necessary to make an opening roof in order to catapult and in masks. Someone did not want to buckle up - let only he die. And conduct courses for a paratrooper before this. But you have to make a real SAFE PLANE! Now what is security? That safety-jumble where it is indicated where to go in case of fire and it is impossible to open the door at a height? I WILL NOT GO TO GUARANTEED DEATH!

You can provide a rescue hatch in the aircraft.
- It is possible to provide a pressure equalization system in the aircraft.
- It is possible to provide oxygen masks for each passenger.
- You can provide automatic triggering of the parachute.
- It is possible to provide for automatic bailout of seats.

The first time I jumped with a parachute after a short briefing, I didn’t prepare for six months. I didn’t even prepare a day.

To comment

Because they will be useless. From the height at which planes fly, jumping is unlikely to survive - there is no oxygen or pressure for 10 km, and the temperature is extremely low - either you will cut down and you will not open the parachute (in the case of a prolonged jump with the opening at the last kilometer) or you will not immediately reach the opening "comfortable" height - there is nothing to breathe and -45 degrees will do the trick.

At the speed at which the planes fly, having jumped about eight hundred km / h, you are unlikely to survive - the oncoming air flow will be very powerful, shredding about the fuselage and tail, and the parachute and man. As far as I know (if I am mistaken, they will correct it), the speed of an aircraft during an ejection is usually limited to three hundred km / h.

Reducing the height, we increase the speed (remember the school, how the potential energy goes into kinetic) and if the plane is faulty, there’s not so much chance to quench this speed. If the plane is already falling, then it is definitely impossible to reduce the speed.

In addition, the forced disclosure system has even more stringent maximum speed requirements. And without it, and without training, and even from such a height where there is neither pressure nor oxygen, most likely passengers will lose consciousness after the jump and will not open. In accidents during take-off or landing, which are the most common, it will not help either. In bad weather too. In general, in 99%, parachutes will be useless, and they will take up space, weight, and they will also need to change the design of the doors, equalize the pressure before opening, and put in a forced opening system.

And if you give out also a serious sealed suit with an oxygen cylinder - then you still have to put it on. And it will weigh a lot, which will unreasonably raise the cost of flights. And even with him, do not forget that they do not jump at 800+ km / h.

If the plane is in distress while being at a sufficient height for a parachute jump, then not everything is lost for it and a less safe landing is very likely. Therefore, it will be safer for passengers to stay in the cabin.

If the plane is already in a situation where it is impossible to save it and a crash is inevitable, then uncontrolled speed and altitude will not allow jumping.

And finally, skydiving needs the right conditions and the right people. For example, even if passengers (among whom may be old people, children, disabled people, pregnant women) and figure out how to handle a parachute in the air, landing will be very traumatic. especially if you have to fall into the ocean, on a mountainside or in a dense forest.

so it’s safer not to issue parachutes in all respects

A fragment of an article from Lurk about plane crashes answers this question very well. Mat, as usual, is present.

15-20 square meters of rags with hand ropes can reduce the speed of falling from “scattered into meat” to “I'm gypsum on my back,” but do not rush to put the parashit in your hand luggage and arrange it as your favorite sheet — there is only one real chance to land when destroyed in the air, which in itself is already exotic, and in addition, surely a fresh oncoming breeze will either smear you on the structure before you move away from it, or just remember that you will forget about your rag due to lack of consciousness, or twist the slings. You will not be able to jump off the board, even the most emergency and obviously doomed, simply because of a number of objective reasons and barometric relays that the doors are equipped with. As long as the pressure inside and outside does not equal, you will open dick.

There is an answer to your question on Wikipedia, so I hope you don’t be offended if I copy it from there:

"In passenger aviation, parachute systems are not used to save the lives of passengers because they are completely useless for this purpose. Leaving the aircraft at the same time with a hundred paratroopers is not a trivial task even for trained paratroopers jumping from a normally controlled landing aircraft. Leaving the aircraft at a speed of 360-400 km / h is a jump of increased complexity, leaving at high speeds is carried out only during bailout, with special mechanisms to protect the pilot from injuries, which Dozens of people, mostly unprepared physically or psychologically for a jump, including old people and children, require at least a large amount of time and a special device to leave an air stream that flies at a known high speed. If there is a sufficient reserve of altitude and the aircraft is controllable, in most cases it can make an emergency landing with planning, which is the safest way to save. If there is no headroom, then there is no time to leave the plane. If the plane makes uncontrollable evolution, for example, it breaks into a tailspin, then even a trained person will often not be able to leave it.

To save small aircraft, such systems have been developed and are being successfully used (a parachute of 100 square meters and a weight of 13 kg, opened by squibs; about 200 pilots were saved). "

It’s not even about having enough time to send about 140 people through the back door of the Airbus at intervals of three seconds (20 people per minute, 7 minutes in total) and equip all the aircraft with the possibility of forcing the parachute to open (because not everyone in a state of shock can correct time and having assessed your position in the air, open the parachute). Even without taking into account altitude, temperature overboard, and other factors - how will all these people who are in the air land? They do not know how to get away from an obstacle, whether it be a forest or a mountain or a building. They do not know how to control a parachute. They don’t know how to hold their legs so that when they touch the ground they don’t get a hip fracture. They can’t even repay the dome. And this is even in a clean flat field without a breeze. And with the wind and on difficult terrain ... It’s easier to use one large emergency parachute for an airplane, as you once tried to do.

Still, it’s better to get a hip fracture than to cease to exist. If companies wanted to save this meager percentage, if people's lives were valued higher than profits, everything would have been done long ago. But it's expensive. This is for the relatives of the victims, such an accident is a tragedy, I for the company is a planned loss. For the rest, it’s commonplace or an occasion to try out on the topic of why it makes no sense to save the lives of those dying in accidents.

Once upon a time in one of the specialized Western magazines I saw a fairly well-developed project for rescuing passengers for medium and large aircraft (the project was considered by some European aircraft manufacturer). In the fuselage of the aircraft, it was supposed to have compartment compartments integrated in the composition similar to train cars. Each compartment-cabin equipped with a parachute system during an accident should automatically be sealed and thrown out along the rail guides through the rear ramp of the aircraft. Landing at a speed of decline in the region of 20-25 km / h was softened by inflatable shock-absorbing cushions-floats.

Military aviation has been dropping heavy tanks on parachutes for about 60 years. And with the use of modern materials, any airline can pull such a project.

To comment

Imagining how to safely evacuate passengers with parachutes is quite difficult. Suppose that there is a depressurization of the cabin at high altitude. Oxygen masks hang in front of the faces of passengers. There is a dangerous possibility of choice - put on a mask and buckle up or pull out a parachute from under the chair and run to the door? Another situation - something freelance happened and the commander for the speakerphone asks to be calm. There are immediately people who try to escape by parachute contrary to the orders of the team, which is likely to lead to panic and damage to the aircraft. Even in an ideal situation, when the plane does not fall and the altitude is low enough, it will not be easy to leave it - a crush in the doors will negate the benefits of parachutes. In addition, the design of passenger liners is simply not suitable for parachuting, and it is hardly possible to leave them safely through the side doors.

The reason is simple: it’s extremely difficult to “jump” from a passenger airliner at an altitude of 10,000 m, a temperature of -50 Celsius and a speed of 850 km / h. To do this, a parachute must be attached 1) an individual oxygen device 2) a protective suit 3) an emergency ejection device (catapult).

Otherwise, the combination of physical shock, temperature, and, most importantly, low partial pressure of oxygen overboard will kill you almost instantly.

All this equipment, being provided to each passenger, increases the mass of the aircraft and the complexity of its design so that it makes the aircraft unsuitable for operation as intended (it simply cannot take off).

But for 1-2 people to do this is quite realistic, which is the case, for example, in military aviation.

Parachutes in modern passenger airplanes are not issued because they alone cannot be a means of rescue in a rarefied atmosphere at an altitude of 10,000 m, a speed of 850 km / h and a temperature of about minus 50 Celsius. And they weigh well and take up plenty of space too.

Most disasters happen on takeoff or landing, where the parachute is useless. And at the enormous speed with which a modern airliner flies, it is not so easy to jump out, as it immediately presses the stream against the fuselage. The probability that the plane will fall is very small, and the ability to use rescue equipment is very limited - no one will carry an extra ton of unnecessary cargo during millions of flights.

Firstly, a parachute by itself is unlikely to save many passengers in the event of an accident. The vast majority of them happen either during take-off and climb, or during landing. In either case, parachutes are simply useless, because they simply do not have time to open on time, even if a person jumps with it. In such situations, it is much more reliable to stay inside and wait for the moment of impact in your chair, fastened and in the recommended safe position. Accidents at an altitude that is safe for jumping are disappearingly small, but even in this case, in addition to the parachute itself, a successful hopping preparation will be required for a successful rescue (airliners fly noticeably above ordinary parachute jumps, which beginners are allowed to do after half-hour coaching and training on the ground), which 99.9% of flying people simply do not have.

Secondly, to carry parachutes with you, which with a probability of 99.99999% (see point 1) simply will not come in handy even in the event of an accident (which are not often an occurrence in themselves) - superfluous (moreover, it is very significant if you take into account the weight of one parachute backpack and multiply by a couple of hundreds of passengers of an average liner) cargo, the transportation of which costs fuel, and therefore money. Therefore, one would have to (quite noticeably, as I said) raise the cost of tickets, which in the face of intense competition in the market is an extremely unfortunate and risky step.

They are not needed there. In an emergency, when the plane is shaking, it is impossible to evacuate, and how will you jump if the plane falls at a tremendous speed. Plus, there is practically no oxygen at a high altitude, you will land dead from strangulation if you don’t crash about anything, while opening the hatch there will be depressurization of the cabin, as well as 99% of people have never parachuted. There are a lot of reasons.

Because it is completely pointless.

If we analyze the crash, it turns out that there were essentially no situations where passengers could theoretically use parachutes. The largest number of accidents occur during take-off, approach, landing itself and the run of the aircraft in the runway. In flight at the echelon, only 6% of accidents occur. As a rule, they are accompanied by emergency depressurization, in which passengers either die from a pressure drop or lose consciousness from hypoxia.

But even if you imagine that a technical malfunction is occurring, and the crew understands that the plane will crash, but there is time to evacuate - to use a parachute you need to be in good physical shape, undergo training (first-time students and “on coupons” jump in tandem with the instructor, after briefing), given the panic and bustle, few will actually be able to take advantage. In addition, a passenger plane is simply not suitable for landing (which is still not possible at all altitudes, relatively speaking, it will be relatively safe from 3000 to 1000 m) Setting up a landing ramp will “eat” up to a third of the useful volume of the cabin, parachutes will take a significant place, and the probability of necessity and opportunity is a fraction of a percent. At the same time, the price of tickets will double only due to a reduction in cabin space + system development, R&D, implementation, crew training, etc.

I take this opportunity to remind you that air crashes are an extremely rare occurrence. The likelihood that a passenger boarding a plane will die in a plane crash is approximately 1/8,000,000. If a passenger lands every day on a random flight, he will need an average of 21,000 years to die.

Please write the word “parachute” in the site’s search bar (top right icon with a magnifying glass) (this is how this word is written, read the answers already written on this topic, and try to use the search before writing a question.

A parachute will not save you, as mentioned above, but a capsule that descends smoothly on parachutes is very even ... We have long learned how to drop from cargo aircraft: trucks, armored personnel carriers, tanks, etc., T-90 tank weighs 46 tons, and Boeing 737 - 66 tons (empty), throw out engines, fuel, baggage and other nonsense, add a lot of passengers (150 people * 70 kg \u003d 10.5 tons) and you will understand that everything is very real!

But businessmen do not value human life, therefore it is cheaper for them to pay insurance payments than to make an expensive reconstruction, incur losses, in turn, this will increase the price of tickets at times, and therefore will result in loss of customers

A plane crash does not occur at cruising speed and with a standard ceiling. Most likely between the cause of the accident and the understanding by the crew and passengers that the accident occurred, the aircraft will lose speed and altitude. So a protective suit and an oxygen cylinder are definitely not needed. The main problem is how to leave the salon. If the pilots have time before the fall to stabilize the plane and take at least 3-4 km altitude and fly in this mode for about 20 minutes - the main part of passengers with parachutes can be saved, provided that the parachutes are equipped with automatic opening and an altimeter. Because many passengers will simply be in a fainting state and a state of affect. The chances of escape, while maintaining calm and endurance, are high (if the plane is stable and there is time to evacuate). If the accident crashed the plane into pieces in the air or the fall was not controlled, the plane in a tailspin and on board panic - there are no chances. For example, a Malaysian side that hit a rock a couple of years ago could evacuate most people if there were parachutes. Regarding the take-off weight of the aircraft - each model is specific and its value is not a secret. The weight of the cargo that the board takes on the flight depends on the distance and the weight of the fuel for this distance, which in total does not exceed the take-off weight of the machine. Each aircraft also has a reserve of both take-off weight and strength. Providing the weight of 300 hundred parachutes is not a problem. The problem is that the plane will take on less cargo or fuel. Skydiving also requires skills and knowledge of technology. Including safety in the air. Most likely some percentage of passengers will not be able to use a parachute after the jump. But some percentage will survive solely thanks to the parachute. If you can save at least one life during a plane crash - you should already take parachutes on board.

Because, firstly, parachuting from an airplane is not easy in itself. Even in the ideal case, a small low-speed aircraft, specially designed for dropping paratroopers, with the simplest forced opening parachute, such as D5, pre-instruct and train beginners. And everything becomes much more complicated for airplanes, for jumping, in principle, not adapted.

Where, in your opinion, should three hundred unprepared passengers jump out? And for what time?

Secondly, even if we theoretically solved the first problem, each parachute is a kilogram of 15-20 extra weight per passenger, regardless of whether he is used or not. This means more expensive tickets, as a parachute plane will take less baggage and fewer passengers.

Finally, thirdly, the main accidents in the case of passenger aircraft occur during take-off and landing, when there is simply no time for “parachute”. I hope I do not have to consider the case of altering passenger seats in ejection?

How do you imagine that? Does the liner lose altitude, time goes by seconds, and instead of trying to save the side, the crew will depressurize the hull and try to push the passenger there with a parachute? In addition, at least people lose consciousness from the pressure drop, or even give God their soul. There is a project which provides in case of a plane crash a whole capsule on parachutes to save passengers. By the way, the Ukrainian invented. I think the idea has potential.

P / S. For a second, the liner imagined falling at a gigantic speed at an unknown angle, flying over incomprehensibly than what, and the flight attendants put on some kind of crazy person, they speak with God, and overboard. And then like that, bam, and suddenly the stalled engine starts to intermittently but work, the liner is leveled and gains height. And the conductors so looked at each other and said- "Oops, a mistake came out ..."

\u003e\u003e Why have not yet come up with parachutes for airplanes or for seats in them?

How did you come up with? Everything has already been invented!

Here's a movie about a parachute for an airplane (Cirrus):

Here's a movie about parachutes for chairs:

A parachute for a large passenger aircraft turns out to be unrealistically large, and airplanes crash extremely rarely during normal training and certification of pilots (in the USA, for example, since February 2009 not a single passenger plane of the US airline has crashed, and only one passenger died from the blade when the engine was destroyed in 2018 year). The ejection seat is a danger in itself - many pilots after ejection are "written off" due to spinal injury. And these are trained military, selected for health, and not random passengers.

Because even professional parachutists in emergency situations cannot safely leave the slow-flying airplane, well-known to them, intended for jumping, and partially die.

Ordinary passengers flying with a plane not intended for jumping will not be able to use a parachute or even safely open the doors during the flight.

If you click on the “magnifier” icon in the upper right corner and enter the word “parachute”, you will find many answers to the similar question you asked earlier. All possible answers are already listed there, use it.

This will heavily weight the aircraft with passengers and baggage, which will affect the price of the ticket. Plus the chances of salvation will not add much, because everyone will not be able to quickly leave the board in any case .... and for non-emergency cases parachutes are not needed ..

In modern passenger liners, neither the crew nor passengers have parachutes. The reason is not the ability to use them, as they wrote above, and not at a low height (you don’t have time to open it). The reason is atmospheric pressure and aircraft design.When take off, the doors / hatches of the aircraft are automatically blocked by a barometric lock, i.e. crazy passenger, pulling the door handle, will not be able to go out into the cloud. As for pressure, at a height of 10km the force that presses on the door is approximately 4t. A window portholes have several strong layers. Generally, parachutes are useless because after takeoff, you don’t leave the plane. Just enjoy the flight. The crew is professional and takes care of you in any situation.

Firstly, it will sufficiently increase the volume and weight of the chair, and the passenger capacity will be less. Secondly, it is expensive - to build a catapult in every chair and recycle the ceiling mechanisms. Tickets will cost a lot more because of this. Thirdly, disasters in which one would have to catapult happen so rarely that there is no need to take such high security measures. And, for example, if a disaster happens on the water, the passenger will not have the opportunity to put on a life jacket, and not everyone can swim. The probability of death in this case will be even higher, I think.

Not. The reason is as simple as three rubles - the passenger will not be able to take advantage of it. For parachuting, you need not only a parachute, but also the skills and experience of using it, plus you need the opportunity to use it, i.e. acceptable height and the ability to exit the cabin. The vast majority of accidents occur during take-off / landing, which means the parachute is useless in this situation.

Because for a parachute jump, minimal preparation is required - this time (even just to fasten this satchel). Because the design of the liner does not provide for the possibility of leaving it with a parachute - these are two. In principle, this is already enough, and it makes no sense to even try to equip passenger liners with parachutes.

I will supplement the previous answers: suppose that the plane began to fall flying at the usual cruising altitude, how long can it take before it touches the ground? Minute maximum. Suppose there are 200 passengers on the plane. In a minute they will not have time to leave the salon and jump out through the only (as far as I understand) door, moreover, panic and flea will begin, and then you understand everything yourself. Therefore, in this situation, it will be safer to fasten your seat belt and hope for the best. :)

Because in order to jump with a parachute, you need to have some knowledge and skills. Without preliminary training and educational program, this parachute can only do harm.

There are certain requirements for the safety of aircraft and certain rescue strategies based on how the aircraft is arranged according to these requirements.

While it is believed that the salvation of the aircraft is that all the forces of the crew were applied to the landing. To save during the destruction of the aircraft no matter where (on take-off, during landing, in flight) no one will succeed either with a parachute or without a parachute. And if the plane is not destroyed, then it is more efficient to land it. So the crew can save everyone at all. And often this happens. They plant on roads, on water, without engines, without a chassis.

It would seem a completely logical and simple solution, which, probably, occurred to every person who had ever flown. What are the reasons why there are no parachutes for passengers in airplanes? Is it all about airline greed?

Most "couch experts" reduce the issue to finance. Like, it’s simply unprofitable for air carriers to install additional equipment, as this will lead to more expensive flights and loss of customers. Moreover, companies are even interested in the death of all passengers in the event of a disaster, because this reduces the amount of insurance payments.

Of course, parachutes are not cheap, and to equip them with each passenger seat will fly a pretty penny. However, will this make people more comfortable? Firstly, it’s extra weight. Are there many who want to replace hand luggage with a parachute? And if some of the passengers agree, and the rest are against? Solve the issue by secret ballot?

Secondly, to put on a parachute is not a backpack to fasten on a back. Just one briefing will take a couple of hours. Agree, will you listen to him before each flight? Many straps must be tailored exactly to fit. This means that issuing each passenger with a standard parachute is not an option. It is necessary to think separately of options for children, pregnant women, the disabled ... Ideally, you need to wear a parachute before the flight, adjust, and fly without removing it. Can you imagine this picture?

Thirdly, a logical question arises: should parachutes be issued to crews of passenger aircraft? If not, it turns out, it’s kind of unfair, to take their chance of salvation from them. And if so, then who can guarantee that at the most critical moment the pilots will not jump out, leaving the falling ship?

And just imagine what a present it would be for terrorists. You can no longer search for suicide bombers willing to carry the bomb on board and explode with everyone. After all, at any time you can jump out.

But, let’s say, passengers agree, for their own safety, to endure such inconveniences and subject themselves to another risk. But here the following question arises:

Will a parachute save on an airplane

As we already wrote in the article, the vast majority of air crashes happen during takeoff and landing. Everything happens at too low a height for a jump, and in such a short time that you do not have time to wear clothes, but even think about a parachute.

Oh yes, we agreed that we were flying with already dressed parachutes. In addition, not all accidents occur directly near the ground. Well, imagine a situation that critical malfunctions happened on, and this is 10,000 meters. Then the passengers will have a few minutes to evacuate. To understand how much this is, just watch the next video.

In total, it took almost a minute and a half for people who were calm and ready for the experiment, who knew that they were not in danger, to leave the passenger plane through emergency exits. And how much will it take for the same number of people, in a panic, to jump from a 10-kilometer height with the parachute that they see for the first time in their life?

Skydiving instructors know that often it’s hard even to convince a person who consciously decides to jump and pay money for it to jump out for the first time. Not everyone will decide on this. In addition, there will be a moral dilemma for the daredevils, because the children and the elderly who remain in the cabin will inevitably die as a result of the depressurization of the cabin.

Say, so what, let it be better to save at least part of the passengers than no one? Well, then let's see what fate awaits those who decide to jump. Movement speed - about 1000 km / h, overboard 50 degrees below zero and lack of oxygen. Even if by some miracle you are not smeared against the wing, pulled into the engine, you do not suffocate and do not freeze, it is not a fact that you will be delighted with what awaits you after landing. The probability of being in the middle of the ocean is much higher than on the threshold of a hospital, which would be so useful to you after such an adventure ...

Then, maybe, to all passengers to wear at once, when boarding, not only a parachute, but also a wetsuit, an oxygen cylinder, and take a dry pack for 3 days and a survival kit? Or is it already too much? Or here's another idea - a catapult. In case of danger, the pilot presses the button, and hundreds of smiling people fly up into the sky in comfortable chairs, with parachutes above their heads and glasses of champagne in their hands ...

Why there is no catapult in passenger aircraft

Yes, actually, for the same reason why passengers are not given parachutes: unsuitable conditions for survival overboard, plus the severity and high cost of the structure.

Imagine hundreds of catapults fired simultaneously and parachutes deployed? They will all mix up and one big pancake will fall to the ground. In addition, even if you do not make an individual hatch for each passenger, and build something like a common shootable roof, this will significantly reduce the strength of the fuselage.

Thus, all such “remedies” are nothing more than fantasies that are unworkable. At least for now. That is why there are no parachutes or catapults on airplanes. If you look at the statistics, you will understand that such measures are not adequate to the potential danger. At any time, the roof may collapse on you, but you do not constantly go in a helmet. So fly calmly and ... enjoy the flight.

As a person who is afraid to fly, I always wondered why passenger planes do not have parachutes under the seats. In the event of a fire or engine failure, I think the chances that the jump will be successful are higher compared to an emergency landing. A very small number of people survive after landing in the water, even if we consider that the seats are used as a flotation device, but this can not serve as an excuse why people will not survive during a parachute jump.

I understand that at first glance, this seems like a good enough idea. I admit, the thought of sitting aboard a doomed plane racing into the abyss awakens Walter Mitty in each of us. After all, even a one percent chance of survival is better than not having it, is it? Unfortunately, even 1 percent seems quite optimistic. To understand why, ask yourself a few questions:

What is the likelihood that the accident will happen exactly when the parachute may really be needed? After analyzing 49 years of fatal air crashes, Boeing concluded that 12 percent of the crashes occurred on the ground, 20 percent during take-off or during climb, and 36 percent during descent or landing.

From which it follows that only less than a third of fatal accidents occurred at the time of the flight when the use of the parachute was probably possible. And this, if you do not take into account such possible scenarios of instant death, such as, for example, a collision with a mountain or an explosion in the air, such as with a Boeing 747 (TWA 800) over New York.

What is the likelihood that the average passenger will be able to correctly use the parachute? If you have already made parachute jumps, then you know that it is not so simple to remove parachute equipment. At the same time, we are well aware that many passengers have problems even with seat belts. What about children, babies, the elderly, the disabled, or just worried people? Let's add chaos to this when everyone is trying to do it all in a cramped cabin without any prior training in emergency conditions. Isn’t this really the case?

Even if everyone miraculously handled the equipment, how would they get out of the plane? Due to the difference between internal and external air pressure, the doors of passenger aircraft cannot be opened at a height. If you try to do this, then due to the above-mentioned differences in pressure, passengers can be thrown out or with a high degree of probability smudge around the cabin, suck in turbines or burn in the exhaust. In truth, DB Cooper probably miraculously avoided these dangers in 1971, when he descended with a parachute from a Boeing 727, which he hijacked. He was the only passenger left on a slow-moving vessel with an emergency exit located at the rear, so he had enough time to prepare. But this only slightly resembles the emergency scenario in question.

You object: “But I still want to have my 0.001 percent!” Very well, then let's do a little cost-benefit analysis.

How much will this tiny chance of success cost?A typical Boeing 737-800 accommodates 150 passengers and a crew of possibly six. An army parachute of the T-11 model could probably be purchased at a price of about $ 600, but remember that we are dealing with untrained users, therefore, we will probably need emergency parachutes, as well as parachutes with automatic disclosure, the cost of which starts from $ 2,000. In addition, you will need lockers for storing parachutes, extra space, ongoing maintenance and inspection, and periodic replacement. Consequently, it is safe to say that the cost of such equipment for one aircraft will exceed $ 500,000.

Where to place parachutes?All air travelers are well aware that passenger aircraft can hardly accommodate all passengers and their luggage. At the same time, each parachute takes at least as much space as a bag on wheels. Where then to store them? If under the seat, this means that there will be no room for legs, or the seats will not be laid out, if at the top there will be no space for hand luggage.

How about the weight? Parachutes of the T-11 model weigh about 16 kilograms (37 pounds), so even if we do not take spare parachutes into account, the airplane will add about 2630 kg (5800 pounds) of weight. To release so much weight, you need to eliminate about 26 passengers and their luggage. The good news is that this frees up space for other people's parachutes. The bad news is that ticket prices are likely to increase by at least 20 percent to cover lost revenue from “disappeared” passengers.

In short, we are talking about huge costs with little to no payback. In comparison, swimming cushions and life vests for landing on water are the limit of practicality. Of course, landing on water does not happen so often, but they do occur - evidence of this is the legendary landing of US Airways 1549 in 2009 on the Hudson River without death by captain Chesley Sullenberger. Pillows and vests are inexpensive and easy to use, and the hope that the plane will float on the surface of the water and is in a stable position when you leave it is confirmed by experience.

Perhaps, many had a question why there are no parachutes for passengers in airplanes. After all, it would seem that this is a very simple and logical solution for saving people in the event of an accident. Most people believe that the whole problem is that the airlines simply do not want to spend money on this rescue tool, since installing additional equipment is incredibly expensive. However, not all so simple. Even if parachutes are installed, they will greatly increase the weight of the airliner.

Note that the weight of the device is about 20 kg. Will all passengers agree to take much less baggage? It is also worth knowing that putting on a parachute in a few minutes will not work for an ordinary person. It is unlikely that any of the passengers ever ever put on all the equipment and hopped. And given the turmoil, doing it right is virtually impossible.

In addition, it is necessary to undergo mandatory instruction, which lasts several hours. Do not forget about the different configuration of people. On the plane can be disabled, old people and children. Choosing parachutes for everyone is almost impossible, therefore, answering the question of whether there are parachutes in passenger aircraft, it is obvious that their presence is inappropriate.

According to statistics, most disasters occur either during take-off or during landing. Everything happens very quickly and at low altitude. Accordingly, the passenger does not even have time to put on a parachute in case of emergency. Of course, you can object. A certain percentage of accidents still occur at high altitude. But in this case, another problem arises.

The fact is that the plane flies at a speed of approximately 800 km / h, and the recommended speed for a jump is two times less. Also, depressurization should not be allowed, as this will almost immediately lead to the death of those remaining in the cabin. But even if the passenger manages to jump out, there is a high probability that at such a high speed you will simply be hit by a wing or sucked into a turbine.

Of course, this is not all. At high altitude air temperature approx. - 40 ° C. Without special clothes, a person will simply freeze. In addition, there is a risk of landing in the ocean. That is why these rescue accessories are not provided for in passenger airliners.

What is the approximate cost of this tiny chance?

Modern airliner accommodates approximately 200 people. Simplest parachute costs $ 700. It must be remembered that for unprepared people such devices will not work, since parachutes with automatic opening will be required, and their price is already twice as high. In addition, you need a place to store all this equipment. It is also required to regularly service, care for and replace parachutes. Accordingly, the price of an airliner with such a kit will be approximately $ 450,000. If we add here the price of equipment, etc., the amount will be simply huge.

How and where to place parachutes?

Everyone who has ever flown a plane is well aware that a regular passenger airliner is unlikely to be able to accommodate all people and their hand luggage. Recall that any, even the simplest parachute, will take up as much space as a bag on medium-sized casters. Accordingly, the question arises where to put it all. If the parachute is placed under each seat, this will mean a lack of legroom, or the seats will not fully fold out. If you place extra baggage at the top, there will be nowhere to put your personal belongings.

How much will a parachute airplane weigh?

So, even if there is additional space, how much less will you have to take things? Let's look at this issue in more detail. The easiest parachute weighs a little over 15 kg, however, if you calculate the weight of all devices, then about 3,000 will be added to the mass of the aircraftin order to allocate so much space, it is necessary to eliminate about 30 people with their luggage.

Of course, in this case there is good news, which is that for all people there are parachutes. The chance that everyone will be able to jump is zero. In addition, the cost of tickets will increase by 30-40%. But despite this, companies will practically not pay back the cost of tickets, that is, in this case there will be enormous waste, with practically no payback.

Note that water life jackets will be much more practical, despite the fact that emergency landings in the sea or river are incredibly rare. But there is a living example - a unique landing in the Hudson River, which occurred in the early 2000s. Surprisingly, none of the passengers died. That is why the option with a pillow looks more reliable and simpler. Note that their price is about 10-20 dollars. There is also a high probability that the airliner, in case of landing on water, will not fall apart and will float.

Another means of salvation

We have already considered why they don’t give parachutes in airplanes, but many may have an idea with catapults. They will not be given to everyone for the same reason, namely:

minus temperature overboard at high altitude;
huge weight of the structure;
high cost, which will affect the price of tickets.

Probably, it is hardly possible to realize a venture with synchronously fired catapults with all passengers. It is very likely that they will all get confused with each other. Also, do not forget that you will need to make a hatch for each passenger separately. This, in turn, will reduce the strength of the fuselage by several times and, accordingly, an emergency situation may arise due to this factor.

Based on this, the use of a parachute or catapult - no more than a fantasy, which is almost impossible to implement. Of course, in a couple of decades, everything can change, but at this stage it is. If you study in detail the statistics of accidents involving an aircraft, you can understand that such measures are not reasonable.

What are the chances of getting into a plane crash

Let's look at the chances of getting into an emergency situation on an airliner. So, according to the latest data, the chance of dying on an airplane is 1 in 20 million. At the same time, the chance of dying in a car accident is 1 in 9,200. By the way, the chance that the roof of a house will collapse is also higher than to die in an airplane. Therefore, the desire to fly with a parachute or introduce a catapult into the seat may simply be a manifestation of a phobia for flying. To get rid of it, you can turn to any psychologist.

Note that you should not be afraid of flights, all planes are carefully checked before flying. Nowadays, fines for any emergency situations are very high. No company wants to pay crazy insurance money. Therefore, everyone approaches their business with great responsibility.

Can I take a parachute with me?

Many passengers are interested in the question of whether it is still possible to take a parachute with you on a flight. The answer is yes. After all, this is the same thing as the rest. But many experts are sure that the chance to use it is negligible. Therefore, we recommend that you do not frighten such a burden of other passengers, as many may also have a fear of flying.

In contact with