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. Because: 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 (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 occupies a volume half the size of the smallest school backpack and will not complicate any airline." overweight 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 its competitors. That is, the absence of parachutes on passenger airliners is an elementary saving on safety.
It would seem to be a completely logical and simple solution, which probably occurred to every person who has flown at least once. What are the reasons why airplanes do not have parachutes for passengers? Is it just the greed of the airlines?
Most armchair experts reduce the issue to finances. They say that it is simply not profitable for air carriers to install additional equipment, since this will lead to higher prices for 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 equipping each passenger seat with them will cost a pretty penny. However, will this make people more comfortable? Firstly, this is additional weight. Are there many people who want to replace their hand luggage with a parachute? What if some passengers agree, but the rest are against? Resolve the issue by secret ballot?
Secondly, putting on a parachute is not like putting a backpack on your back. The briefing alone will take a couple of hours. Would you agree to listen to it before every flight? Many straps must be adjusted to the exact size. This means that giving each passenger a standard parachute is not an option. It is necessary to separately think through options for children, pregnant women, people with disabilities... Ideally, you need to put on a parachute before the flight, set it up, and fly without taking it off. Can you imagine this picture?
Thirdly, there is logical question: Should parachutes be issued to passenger aircraft crews? If not, it seems to be unfair to take away their chance of salvation. And if so, then who can guarantee that at the most critical moment the pilots will not jump out, leaving the falling ship behind?
And just imagine what a gift this would be for terrorists. You no longer have to look for suicide bombers willing to carry a bomb on board and explode along with everyone else. After all, you can jump out at any moment.
But let’s say passengers agree, for the sake of their own safety, to endure such inconveniences and expose themselves to other risks. But here the next question arises:
Will a parachute save you on an airplane?
As we already wrote in the article, the vast majority of plane crashes happen during takeoff and landing. Everything happens at too low a height for a jump, and for such short time that you won’t have time not only to put on, but even to think about a parachute.
Oh yes, we agreed that we were flying with parachutes already dressed. In addition, not all accidents occur directly near the ground. Okay, let’s imagine a situation where critical problems occurred at , and this is 10,000 meters. Then passengers will have just a few minutes to evacuate. To understand how much this is, just watch the following video.
In total, it took almost a minute and a half for calm and ready-to-experiment people, who knew that they were not in danger, to leave the passenger plane through the emergency exits. How long will it take for the same number of people, in panic, to jump from a 10-kilometer height with a parachute, which they see for the first time in their lives?
Skydiving instructors know that it is often difficult to persuade even a person who has consciously decided to jump and paid money for it to jump out for the first time. Not everyone will decide to do this. In addition, the daredevils will face a moral dilemma, because the children and elderly people remaining in the cabin will inevitably die as a result of depressurization of the cabin.
You say, so what, it’s better that at least some of the passengers are saved than none? Okay, then let's see what fate awaits those who decide to jump. The speed is about 1000 km/h, outside there is 50 degrees below zero and there is a lack of oxygen. Even if by some miracle you don’t get smeared on the wing, aren’t pulled into the engine, don’t suffocate or freeze, it’s not a fact that you’ll be happy with what awaits you after landing. The likelihood of finding yourself in the middle of the ocean is much higher than on the threshold of a hospital, which you would really need after such an adventure...
Then, maybe, upon landing, all passengers should immediately put on not only a parachute, but also a wetsuit, an oxygen tank, and take with them a packed lunch for 3 days and a survival kit? Or is this already too much? Or here’s another idea - a catapult. In case of danger, the pilot presses a button, and hundreds of smiling people in comfortable chairs, with parachutes above their heads and glasses of champagne in their hands, soar into the sky...
Why are there no catapults on passenger planes?
Yes, in fact, for the same reason why airplane passengers are not given parachutes: the conditions outside are unsuitable for survival, plus the heaviness and high cost of the design.
Can you imagine hundreds of catapults firing and parachutes opening at the same time? They will all get mixed up and one big pancake will fall to the ground. In addition, even if you don’t make an individual hatch for each passenger, but 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 unrealizable. At least on at the moment. That's why airplanes don't have parachutes or catapults. If you look at the statistics, you will understand that such measures are not adequate to the potential danger. The roof could collapse on you at any moment, but you don’t wear a helmet all the time. Therefore, fly calmly and... enjoy the flight.
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. 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 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 large quantity 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 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 life 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 you 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
“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. Passenger planes do not and will not have 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 plane crashes, out of 570 accidents, only 6% of the total number of people on board died. 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 it huge amount 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 like putting on a hiking backpack. Instruction on how to use a parachute takes 4-5 hours, and with practical part and 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! Cruising speed(speed at the lowest fuel consumption) of an airliner flying at the flight level (given flight level) is on average 800-900 km/h. At this speed, the air outside the side turns into a “concrete wall”.
Dangerous speed. Maximum speed The load 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 an option when you succeeded in everything: put on a parachute, arm yourself with an oxygen cylinder, and through the passengers of the plane, raging in the crush, 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 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!
How often, in moments of frightening turbulence, have we thought about parachutes, the presence of which on the plane would add to our confidence in our safety. Surely the question of why planes are not equipped with parachutes in case of an accident worries many travel enthusiasts. But in fact, there are several reasons for this. Let's try to figure it out in more detail.
Aircraft reliability
No matter how often the news about another plane crash is full of news, a passenger plane is a very reliable machine. Statistics show that the probability of dying in a road accident, for example, is much higher than in an airplane: 1:5,000 versus 1:11,000,000.
Unlivable conditions outside the aircraft
During a standard climb, the temperature outside is from −40 to −60°C, and there is practically no oxygen; in such conditions a person cannot survive even with a parachute.
The presence of parachutes will cause unnecessary panic on board
The possibility of leaving a plane while wearing a parachute can cause unnecessary panic among particularly impressionable passengers. For example, entering an area of turbulence may be perceived by some people as a signal to take action, which will make the flight unbearable for many.
Most often, accidents occur during takeoff or landing.
Most emergency situations occur during the takeoff and landing of the plane, which means parachutes will no longer help in this case.
Panic prevents you from acting in an organized manner
In life-threatening situations, only a few will be able to cope with panic, put on a parachute correctly, proceed to the jump site in an orderly manner and use the device as expected.
Too much money spent
The cost of parachute kits for 100–500 people on each flight will be quite impressive, which will inevitably lead to higher prices for air tickets. In addition, the total weight of the aircraft will increase, and passengers will have nowhere to put their luggage, since storing parachutes will also require a lot of space.