29.03.2018, 06:52
Why in passenger aircraft no parachutes? A question that worries everyone who has ever encountered a fear of flying or during it. Turbulence, and other factors willy-nilly suggest thoughts "and if the plane crashes, if we all die ...". The next thought that visits our consciousness and fantasy is: “If I had a parachute, I would have jumped out and escaped.” So why are passenger liners still not equipped with parachutes? In the event of an accident, it would be possible to organize everyone to collect and “dump” from the airlock. However, not all so simple.
There are international rules according to which a parachute is not issued in passenger aircraft, as it is inefficient and unprofitable. Unprofitability refers to the extra weight that will have to load the aircraft. One parachute weighs 10 kg on average. The aircraft can carry between 70 and 700 passengers at a time (depending on the aircraft model) plus crew. It's not hard to count extra weight will be from 700 kg to 7 tons! Each aircraft has its own carrying capacity, and if equipped with parachutes, several passenger seats will have to be left free, and this is a big loss for airlines.
Inefficiency is understood as the fact that at the time of the crash in panic, turmoil, weightlessness and other interference, an unprepared person will not be able to properly put on a parachute and centrally, without panic, get to the place of "dumping". In addition, the pilot and staff are also not issued with parachutes, so the crew is not tempted to save their own lives and leave the crashing plane with passengers.
Let's imagine that we are flying in a passenger plane with parachutes. Suddenly arises an emergency situation, the pilots can not cope with it and the plane is rapidly falling.
Situation 1
We know how to use a parachute and were able to put it on, but the plane is thrown from side to side so much that we simply cannot get to the exit. In fact, it would be difficult for even professional paratroopers to get out of a falling plane. Not to mention us unprepared passengers.
Situation 2
We are wearing a parachute, the plane continues to fall, and we miraculously made it to the safest door at the end of the plane. If you get out of other doors, when you jump, you can crash on the wing or get into the engine. So, we open the door, and here another trouble awaits us: air and speed.
As everyone knows, a passenger plane flies at speeds up to 1000 km/h. At this speed, the air becomes like a concrete wall. If you jump out of an airplane without a certain physical preparation, you will simply break and turn out. This is especially true for the elderly, women and children.
What about air? Airplanes fly at an altitude of about 10-12 km. According to research, at an altitude of 4 km, a person needs additional oxygen. At an altitude of already 8 km, without an oxygen cylinder, a person simply will not survive. It is unlikely that you will be able to jump out at such a speed and height, grabbing an oxygen tank along the way.
Situation 3
You got to the door and opened it - depressurization! With depressurization at an altitude of about 10 km, a person lives no more than 30 seconds.
Situation 4
You were still able to get out of the plane, overcome the monstrous pressure, the blow of air, the temperature of minus 60 degrees in the absence of oxygen. And here again the test - below the taiga, winter, bears, wolves, the ocean, the desert, the field, high-voltage lines, rabid boars and other troubles. Surviving in this case will be a great luck.
Of course, there is a chance to survive! People are so arranged that they will fight to the last even for the smallest chance to survive. However, do the airlines agree with our position? Unfortunately not, they believe that the chance of salvation is so negligible that cutting their income by 30% is too high price which they are not willing to pay for this chance. In addition, the survivors will sue the airline for much more than compensation to the families of the victims.
By the way, a method has long been invented in which all passengers can be saved in the event of an aircraft crash. The cabin with passengers and the cockpit are a capsule, which, in the event of a crash, can detach from the rest of the aircraft and descend to the ground with parachutes. They, in turn, are automatically revealed in this situation - and everyone is saved! Visually it looks like this:
This is also not profitable for airlines, again the survivors will sue. So technically this option is real and there are opportunities for implementation, but no one wants to re-equip their fleet and pay compensation to survivors. This is the whole point of the problem.
positive moment
According to the results of a study of air accidents conducted over a period of 20 years, in 570 accidents, only 5% of all passengers from the total number on board died. That is, out of 53 thousand people who survived the crash, 51 thousand survived.
Don't forget that 90% of air crashes are takeoffs and landings. It is unlikely that you will need a parachute at a height of 20 meters.
Everyone who at least once used it probably asked himself the question of why the passengers of the aircraft are not given parachutes. Agree, it is rather strange that before the start of the flight, the flight attendant necessarily conducts a briefing on the safety rules in flight, talks about how to use the oxygen mask, where it is and how to get it. In addition, they will tell you where it is and how to put it on. But no one will mention how to properly put on a parachute and where the emergency exit is located. How so? Why don't passenger planes have parachutes? There are life jackets, but no parachute!
Do you need a parachute on an airplane?
First of all, it is generally accepted that a passenger aircraft is a heavy-duty and ultra-reliable machine. According to crash statistics air transport occurs in only 1 in 20 million flights, while car accidents have a 1 in 9,200 rate. This is one of the main answers to the question of why there are no parachutes for passengers on airplanes. In addition, there are a sufficient number of more specific and well-reasoned objections. There are several reasons for this, and they are certainly clear to those who have ever skydived 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 a rescue backpack. “But the other 40% are in air accidents,” you say. - So why don't they give parachutes on planes? It could have saved 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 - never. This is another reason - why there are no parachutes in airplanes. 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, strong physically and morally, then what can we say about children, pensioners, the disabled, or just about passengers who easily give in to panic? They cannot master such a “trick” a priori.
The third argument: why there are no parachutes in planes
Even if we assume that the plane will not take off until every passenger learns how to use a parachute correctly, for example, only those who have completed special courses will sell tickets, many aircraft would have to be fundamentally redesigned.
The fact is that you can jump out of the plane only from its rear, tail section. Otherwise, you run the risk of “slamming” on the wing or getting into the engines, where a 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 instant evacuation. a large number passengers. This is another reason why airplanes do not have parachutes. It is easy to imagine what kind of crush will begin in the cabin of a falling aircraft. In addition, the plane falls very quickly, and the vast majority of passengers simply do 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, not everything is so simple, and here we come to the main argument on the question of why parachutes are not issued on airplanes. The fact is that the "cruising" speed of the aircraft at flight level, that is, at the altitude where it flies in normal mode, is 800-900 km / h, and the maximum speed that a parachutist can withstand without a special suit or chair is 400 -500 km/h. Simply put, you will simply be "smeared" with a stream of air, but that's not all...
Fifth argument
One of the main reasons why passenger planes do not have parachutes is the flight altitude.
The maximum height at which a person can breathe calmly without the use of special equipment in the form, for example, is 4 thousand km, while the flight altitude at flight level is 8-10 thousand kilometers. This means that even if you manage to safely jump out of a falling plane, there will be practically nothing to breathe, of course, if you prudently did not take an oxygen tank with you.
Another reason why airplanes don't have parachutes is the temperature outside. At the altitude where they usually fly passenger aircraft, 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 that is possible in a matter of seconds, or even freeze to death.
Reason six
Another reason why airplanes do not issue parachutes is that the cabin is notoriously airtight during flight. At the altitude where passenger liners fly, due to the difference in pressure inside and outside, it is almost impossible to open the aircraft door. However, suppose that a depressurization occurred as a result of an accident - if this happened at an altitude of 10 thousand km, then all passengers will 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 have not affected you, imagine what awaits you below: taiga, desert, icy boundless ocean, or just a utility yard of some tractor factory. Simply put, the chance that you will land without breaking anything, and in the place where you will be found as quickly as possible by people who can provide the first medical care, negligibly small. So the use of parachutes in passenger aircraft is simply impractical.
How much will this tiny chance cost
Nevertheless, especially stubborn aerophobes still do not stop asking: “Why don’t they give out parachutes in passenger planes?”.
We have already dealt with 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 relying on "maybe", and all aircraft began to be equipped with parachutes. We believe:
- Each parachute weighs approximately 5 to 15 kg, depending on the model and the weight it can lift. This means that the aircraft will be able to take on board 15-20% fewer passengers - instead of them, parachutes will fly. The cash equivalent of these same percentages will be redistributed to the price of the remaining tickets, because the company cannot give up its profit.
- In addition, the cost of the parachutes themselves, or rather, their rental, will be included in the tickets. 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 technical 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 attendants, whose salaries will also be included in the price of tickets.
Thus, the price of a ticket for a regular flight skyrockets so much that, most likely, there will be few people who want to buy it. Well, you must admit, who wants to fly from Moscow, for example, to Simferopol for 100-150 thousand rubles?
But what about the ejection system?
So, why they don’t issue parachutes in passenger planes, we seem to have figured it out, but you can equip each seat with an ejection system, as in fighter jets. Or not? Let's figure it out.
The rescue systems installed in fighters represent a whole rescue complex, consisting of a seat, an oxygen and parachute system, and a special mechanism for protecting the pilot from the oncoming air flow. The whole complex together weighs approximately 500 kg. Thus, if the TU-154 can usually take on board 180 passengers, with the use of the ejection system, their number will be reduced to approximately 15. Imagine how much the ticket will cost, because the amount of kerosene that the plane “eats up”. 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 all the time of the flight, helmets tightly fastened to the seat - an unpleasant prospect. And then, each chair must be a separate sealed capsule, otherwise, if one chair was “shooted out”, all the others would be damaged by the explosion of the squib. In short, we would have to design a completely new vehicle capable of providing all of the above conditions.
It would seem that a completely logical and simple solution, which, probably, occurred to every person who has ever flown at least once. What are the reasons why airplanes do not have parachutes for passengers? Is it just the airlines' greed?
Most "couch experts" reduce the essence of the issue to finance. They say that it is simply unprofitable for air carriers to install additional equipment, since this will lead to an increase in the cost of flights and the 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? First, it's extra weight. Are there many who want to replace hand luggage on a parachute? And if some of the passengers agree, and the rest are against? Solve 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. Do you agree to listen to it before each flight? A lot of straps should be adjusted exactly to size. This means that giving each passenger a standard parachute is not an option. It is necessary to think separately about options for children, pregnant women, the disabled ... Ideally, you need to put on a parachute before starting the flight, set it up, and fly without taking it off. Can you imagine this picture?
Thirdly, a logical question arises: should the crews of passenger aircraft be given parachutes? If not, it turns out, it seems, 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?
And yet, just imagine what a gift it would be for terrorists. You can no longer look for suicide bombers who are willing to carry a bomb on board and explode along with everyone else. After all, at any moment you can jump out.
But suppose the passengers are willing, for their own safety, to endure such inconveniences and expose themselves to other risks. But here comes the next question:
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 not only to wear, but even to think about a parachute.
Oh yes, we agreed that we were flying with already dressed parachutes. In addition, not all accidents happen directly near the ground. Well, let's imagine a situation that critical problems happened at, and this is 10,000 meters. Then the passengers will have a whole few minutes to evacuate. To understand how much it is, just watch the following video.
In total, it took almost a minute and a half for people who were calm and ready for the experiment, knowing that they were not in danger, left the passenger plane through emergency exits. And how many will it take for the same number of people, in a panic, to jump from a 10-kilometer height with a parachute that they see for the first time in their lives?
Skydiving instructors know that it is often difficult to persuade even a person who deliberately decided to jump and paid 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 remaining in the cabin will inevitably die as a result of depressurization of the cabin.
You say, so what, it's better to save at least some of the passengers than none? Well, let's then see what fate awaits those who dare to jump. The speed of movement is about 1000 km / h, 50 degrees of frost overboard and a lack of oxygen. Even if, by some miracle, you are not smeared on the wing, you are not dragged into the engine, you do not suffocate and freeze, then 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 the hospital, which would be oh so useful to you after such an adventure ...
Then, maybe, all passengers should put on immediately, upon landing, not only a parachute, but also a wetsuit, an oxygen cylinder, and take dry rations for 3 days and a survival kit with them? Or is it overkill? 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 over their heads and glasses of champagne in their hands, soar into the sky ...
Why are there no catapults in passenger planes?
Yes, in fact, for the same reason why parachutes are not issued to aircraft passengers: unsuitable conditions for survival overboard, plus the severity and high cost of construction.
Can you imagine hundreds of catapults fired and parachutes deployed at the same time? They will all get mixed up and one big pancake will fall to the ground. In addition, even if you do not make an individual hatch for each passenger, but build something like a common roof that can be fired off, this will significantly reduce the strength of the fuselage.
Thus, all such "means of protection" are nothing more than fantasies that are not feasible. At least on this moment. That is why there are no parachutes and catapults in airplanes. If you look at the statistics, you will understand that such measures are not adequate to the potential danger. At any moment, the roof can collapse on you, but you don’t constantly wear a helmet. Therefore, fly calmly and ... enjoy the flight.
Imagine - you climb aboard a super duper huge modern ocean liner and notice that there are no life jackets. It is reasonable to ask the friendly captain who meets passengers at the gangway about the reasons for the absence - what do you hear that A: a modern ocean liner is a super-duper reliable unit and sinks extremely rarely. B. The height of the board of our liner is 30 meters. Decide to jump from it - you will break on the water or, having lost consciousness from the blow, 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 will live hell for more than 10 minutes. Well, and many more points. Reasonable? Why not! But only at the same time, no one will ever refuse to issue vests on any reliable ocean liner. For: the liner can sink with calm and warm water and other conditions when a life jacket is absolutely necessary. Similarly, in the case of air crashes, there are conditions when a parachute can definitely save the life of most passengers. This is, for example, a fire on the train. There is no time for an emergency landing, no suitable surface below. In a matter of a couple of minutes, the crew reduces the liner from 10 to 7 km and reduces the speed to the minimum possible (in the region of 300 km per hour). 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 liner in the air (terrorist attack, collision with another liner, fatigue changes in the design).As a rule, a bomb explosion on board kills only those directly close to the wu -anyone at all -because going in luggage compartment) the aircraft is destroyed quickly, but not instantly. It unfolds in the air - both speed and height fall. Most of the passengers are simply in the air and there is no longer a need to leave the plane (explosion over Sinai, Lockbury, cases of aircraft being shot down by missiles by mistake). Even collisions in the air - contrary to the opinion that "everything is already soft-boiled" - actually rarely occur head-on. As a rule, one aircraft 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 fights for life for ten minutes (the disaster over Lake Constance). In all these cases, the passengers fly alive until they hit the ground. The horrors of instantaneous decompression - death from pressure drops - suffocation - freezing at altitude - can be counted on the fingers - and the main causes of death for passengers in such cases are a severe blow to the ground. Exactly what the parachute should save from. A modern rescue parachute weighs one and a half kilograms - it occupies a volume two times smaller than the smallest school bag and will not complicate any airline with "excess weight and volume." Converting any aircraft for its accelerated escape through the ramp and hatches in the floor - will not cost much money - unlike semi-fantastic searchlights with shooting the entire cabin or its equipment with special turbines. . At least - most of the passengers are aerophobes and the company that will have such planes and parachutes on board will become almost a monopoly - even if the ticket price is 20-30% higher than its competitors. That is, the absence of parachutes on passenger liners is an elementary saving on safety.
How often, in moments of frightening turbulence, we were visited by thoughts of parachutes, the presence of which in an airplane would add to our confidence in our safety. Surely the question of why, after all, planes are not equipped with parachutes in case of an accident, excites many travel enthusiasts. But in fact, there are several reasons for this. Let's try to understand in more detail.
Aircraft reliability
No matter how often the news about another plane crash is full, a passenger plane is a very reliable car. Statistics show that the probability of dying in an accident, for example, is much higher than in an airplane: 1:5,000 versus 1:11,000,000.
Unsustainable conditions overboard
With a standard climb, the temperature overboard 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 the plane while wearing a parachute can cause unnecessary panic among especially impressionable passengers. So, for example, getting into a turbulence zone can be perceived by some people as a call to action, which will make the flight unbearable for many.
Most accidents happen during takeoff or landing.
Majority emergencies happens at the time of takeoff and landing of the aircraft, which means that parachutes in this case will no longer help.
Panic prevents you from being organized
In life-threatening situations, only a few will be able to control panic, properly put on a parachute, proceed in an organized manner to the place of the jump, and use the device properly.
Too much money spent
The cost of sets of parachutes for 100-500 people on each flight will be very impressive, which will inevitably lead to higher airfare. In addition, the total weight of the aircraft will increase, and passengers will have nowhere to put their luggage, since parachutes will also require a lot of space.
