Why are there no parachutes on passenger planes? Too much money spent. Salvation Chance Cost

When boarding a plane, everyone has ever thought about the safety of such a trip. And no wonder - historically, almost any air disaster immediately appears on the news channels. Cinema, of course, does not help with this either.

In fact, there are dozens of times fewer airliner crashes than car accidents or other accidents involving technology. However, this does not completely eliminate their existence. And in this case, it is really worth considering and paying attention to all the security measures that you are provided on board.

Some here are starting to worry about the question - why are there no parachutes? And in fact, why is not a single passenger aircraft equipped with them?

There are several reasons for this, and all of them can be divided into several categories:

Economic;
Technical;
Risk factors.

Economic reasons

Economic reasons are not the main ones, but still significant. To equip each passenger seat with a parachute, you need to spend a lot of money.

Regular checks of equipment, its updates, passenger briefing - each of these costs will not be covered even by an increased ticket price.

Economic inefficiency is one of the main reasons for this decision.

Technical reasons

There are several technical reasons:

There are no standard parachutes - each of them will have to be adjusted to fit individual passenger. Together with the obligatory briefing, it will take an unacceptable amount of time and effort.
Passengers with handicapped, pregnant women, small children, even a fully fitted parachute will not be an option. For such passengers, you will have to come up with your own way, and it is not an option that it exists.
Each parachute is additional weight and space. Any passenger aircraft has a maximum commercial weight, which includes both people and their luggage. With the addition of 300-500 parachutes on board, it will be necessary to reduce not only the allowable weight of luggage, but also the volume of hand luggage, since seats in the cabin are also limited.
The average flight altitude of a passenger liner is not less than 9-10 thousand meters above the ground. At a similar height, the temperature is about -40 degrees and there is practically no oxygen, thanks to the rarefied air. A passenger who leaves the board in such conditions will die.

Risk factors

Risk factors for placing parachutes on an aircraft can also be divided into:

Human;
Statistical.

Human factor:

Terrorists. Unfortunately, today terrorist attacks are a terrible reality that almost everyone is struggling with. the developed countries. This does not change the fact that they still occur and, despite a large number of precautions, aircraft during passenger traffic- one of the favorite places of terrorists.

If parachutes are installed on planes, this will give criminals the easiest way out of situations that does not require sacrificing their own lives. As in the case of the buyout policy, this will only pique their interest.

Pilots. Parachutes installed on board means installed parachutes in the cockpit, right? If this is true, then if the plane crashes, both pilots will have a chance to escape from the airliner before all the passengers. Even specialists cannot determine how a person will react in the face of the threat of death - behave like a professional, or will he panic when he has a means of exit at hand? All this is an unnecessary risk.
Passenger panic. The likelihood that one of the passengers will panic at the most inopportune moment or with simple turbulence is too high. If this person grabs his parachute and runs to open the door, a panic will begin, which is extremely dangerous.
Psychology of passengers. Professionals know that even with already paid jumps, a full course of training and a guarantee of safety, some part of the group refuses at the very last moment every time. When this happens under controlled flight conditions, instructors allow such people to remain on board until landing, because they know that panic in the air can lead to fatal errors and even death. In a crash, there will be no such luxury.

Statistical factor:

Aircraft crash statistics show that the vast majority of them occur either on takeoff or on landing. A parachute is unlikely to help here.
In the case of a successful jump from an airplane and opening a parachute - the probability of being in the middle of the ocean or any other non-residential areas - is too high. Add to this the urgent need for medical care, which you will most likely need and you can see how it goes.

Other Security Measures

This video presents other possible inventions and safety measures that are or are being considered for implementation in passenger airliners to ensure the safety of people.

Conclusion

In conclusion, several conclusions can be drawn:

IN passenger aircraft no parachutes for several unrelated reasons: economic, technical and risky. They all describe different situations, some of which, with due diligence, can be circumvented while others cannot.
In addition to parachutes, there are other, more real and essential safety measures and rules on board the aircraft, which, if you want to avoid unforeseen situations, you must definitely study and follow.

Perhaps, many people have a question why there are no parachutes for passengers on planes. 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 think that the whole problem is that airlines simply do not want to spend money on this means of rescue, since it is incredibly expensive to install additional equipment. 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 approximately 20 kg. Will all passengers agree to take much less baggage. It is also worth knowing what to put on a parachute in a few minutes ordinary person it simply won't work. It is unlikely that any of the passengers have ever put on all the equipment and jumped. And under the condition of turmoil, it is almost impossible to do it right.

In addition, it is necessary to pass a mandatory briefing, which lasts several hours. Do not forget about the different configuration of people. The plane can carry the disabled, the elderly and children. It is practically impossible to pick up parachutes for everyone, therefore, answering the question whether there are parachutes in passenger aircraft, it is obvious that their presence is impractical.

According to statistics, most accidents happen either during takeoff or landing. Everything happens very quickly and at a low altitude. Accordingly, the passenger will not even have time to put on a parachute in case of an emergency. Of course, you can object. A certain percentage of accidents still occur on 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 jump speed is half that. Also, depressurization should not be allowed, as this will almost immediately lead to the death of the people remaining in the cabin. But even if the passenger manages to jump out, there is Great chance the fact that at such a high speed you will simply hit the wing or be sucked into the turbine.

Of course, that's not all. At a high altitude air temperature is approximately -40 °C. Without special clothing, a person will simply freeze. In addition, there is a risk of landing in the ocean. That is why these life-saving accessories are not provided 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 such devices are not suitable for unprepared people, 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 also requires regular maintenance, care and replacement of 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?

Anyone who has ever flown an airplane is well aware that an ordinary passenger airliner is unlikely to be able to accommodate all the people and their hand luggage. Recall that any, even the simplest parachute, will take up as much space as a bag on wheels of medium size. Accordingly, the question arises of where to put it all. In the event that a parachute is placed under each seat, this will mean that there is no leg room, or the seats will not fully fold out. If additional luggage is placed upstairs, there will be nowhere to put your personal belongings.

How much will the plane weigh with parachutes?

So, even if extra bed there is, how much less will have to take things? Let's look at this issue in more detail. The simplest parachute weighs just over 15 kg, however, if we calculate the weight of all devices, then about 3,000 kg will be added to the mass of the aircraft d. 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 lies in the fact that for all people there are parachutes. The chance that everyone will be able to jump out is zero. In addition, the cost of tickets will increase by 30-40%. But despite this, companies will practically not recoup the cost of tickets, that is, in this case there will be huge waste, with virtually no payback.

Note that water life jackets will be much more practical, despite the fact that emergency landings in the sea or river occur incredibly rarely. 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 easier. Note that their price is about 10-20 dollars. There is also a high probability that the airliner, in the event of a landing on water, will not fall apart and will float.

Another means of salvation

We have already looked at why they don't give parachutes on planes, but many people might have the idea of catapults. They will not be given to everyone for the same reason, namely:

sub-zero 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 implement an idea with synchronously fired catapults with all the passengers. There is a very high chance that they will all be 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, emergency situation may be due to this factor.

Based on this, the use of a parachute or catapult - nothing more than a fantasy, which is almost impossible to realize. Of course, in a couple of decades everything can change, but at this stage it is so. If you study in detail the statistics of accidents involving aircraft, you can understand that such measures are not reasonable.

What are the chances of getting into a plane crash

Let's look at what are the chances of getting into an emergency situation on an airliner. So, according to the latest data, the chance of dying on a plane 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 will collapse at the house is also higher than that of dying on an airplane. Therefore, the desire to fly with a parachute or to 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 flying, all aircraft are carefully checked before flying. Nowadays, penalties for any emergency situations very large. No company wants to pay crazy money for insurance. Therefore, everyone approaches their work with great responsibility.

Can I bring 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, it is the same thing as the rest. But many experts are sure that the chance to use it is negligible. Therefore, we recommend not to scare other passengers with such a burden, as many may also have a fear of flying.

In contact with

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. For emergency landing there is no more time, no suitable surface below. The crew in a couple of minutes reduces the liner from 10 to 7 km and dampens the speed to the minimum possible (in the region of 300 km per hour) The passengers of the tail section leave the cabin through the tail ramp (no special air blow - this is how entire regiments are parachuted during the exercises. Passengers of 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 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 (a 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 exit 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.

Ecology of knowledge: Everyone certainly thought: what will happen if the plane starts to fall? Well, if you go into the water, life jackets will come in handy there. What if it's just on the ground? Where is the parachute? Why aren't they given a parachute on an airplane?

Fasten your seat belt, put on a life jacket, and don't forget your oxygen mask. Everyone who has ever flown an airplane knows about these security measures.

And everyone certainly thought: what will happen if the plane starts to fall? Well, if you go into the water, life jackets will come in handy there. What if it's just on the ground? Where is the parachute? Why aren't they given a parachute on an airplane? After all, so many lives could have been saved in all these catastrophes.

Aviation experts unanimously say that a parachute in an airplane is an unnecessary, expensive thing and generally out of the realm of fantasy. But aerophobes do not give up: they believe that parachutes can be installed on an airplane if you add more money for a ticket, 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 in an airplane? "Rustoria" found out everything.

Oleg Ivashchuk, Head of the Department of Dynamic Simulators at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

A parachute in a passenger plane is definitely superfluous. I'll explain why:

1. A passenger plane is a super-reliable machine;

2. Most accidents with passenger liners occur during takeoff and landing, that is, at minimum altitudes, when the parachute is simply useless (it does not have time to open);

3. When flying at an echelon, that is, at an estimated altitude of 10-11 thousand meters, a parachute is also useless: a person, leaving the aircraft, will simply die. After all, “outside the window” the temperature is -40 degrees, a rarefied atmosphere and there is practically no oxygen;

4. Finally, to carry with you, imagine a set of parachutes for 300-500 people - this is a lot of extra weight and little free space. There will be nowhere to store the luggage of happy holidaymakers.

5. And most importantly: parachutes are not carried for the safety of the passengers themselves. In case of turbulence (chatter), even the slightest, some of the 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 you need to save one or two people. For a large number passengers is unrealistic. This is very expensive, but it's not even the cost, but the fact that it is very difficult to implement in technical terms. After all, the ejection seat of a fighter is a complex mechanism, a kind of small rocket with a complex of systems for survival.

And for each person - if in the passenger version - it is necessary to provide a hole in the fuselage and skin, where this entire "capsule" will fly out. And the fuselage and skin of the modern passenger aircraft- a very strong design, excluding 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, pilot civil aviation, captain of the aircraft. He maintains 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 of protection against mechanical damage to a person by an oncoming flow.

The whole thing weighs about half a ton in total. 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: just using a parachute in a passenger plane simply won’t work, because it (the plane) flies very high and very fast.

Under no circumstances will a passenger be able to put on a parachute in the cabin, if something happens, let alone leave the aircraft.

To open the doors in an airplane at an altitude of 10-12 km, you will have to depressurize the plane, that is, let all the air out, otherwise the doors will not open. And if you do it, as in a fighter (when the door “shoots back”), then explosive decompression will occur, and this, in turn, is instant death.

In a fighter jet, the pilot sits in a protective helmet and an oxygen mask, and when the rescue system is activated, the oxygen system begins to supply air to the lungs of a person under excessive pressure (automatically), which ensures the vital activity of the body.

You understand that such chairs in passenger cabin excluded.

Further. The plane flies at a speed of about 800-900 km per hour, which means that getting out of the plane unharmed at such a speed is a utopia. A person, along with his parachute, will simply be torn to shreds by the oncoming air flow.

In a fighter, the rescue system ensures the safety of the human body by introducing a special deflector into the oncoming stream. This is a steel telescopic rod that is fired and fixed in front of the body and head of the pilot.

So, this deflector cuts through the oncoming flow and keeps the human body intact. Also, do not forget that a military pilot is always in a protective helmet.

Further. Even if rescue systems similar to military aircraft are installed in a civilian aircraft, the number of passengers that the aircraft can carry will be reduced by about 4-5 times, which means that the ticket will immediately begin to cost the same number 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 an ejection seat all the time tightly fastened and pulled, in a helmet and an oxygen mask!

And, perhaps, the most important thing. After all, it’s not only young girls and guys who are absolutely athletic and completely healthy fly: what about children, the elderly, hypertensive patients, who not only cannot physically endure the bailout itself, but even a decrease in atmospheric pressure below a certain threshold can become fatal for them?

The use of a parachute in its classical sense (a satchel on the back) is impossible by definition: you can’t force each passenger to put a satchel on their back and sit like that on the plane for 3-15 hours, right? And 99.9% of the people on the plane will not be able to perform the jump. They just never did it.

As for the parachute rescue of the entire cabin. At low altitude, during takeoff and landing, there is simply not enough altitude and time to apply the system. And in the event of a collision at the height of two aircraft, you yourself understand, all these parachute devices are already on the drum.

And being on the flight level in the plane itself, even with failed engines, is much safer than leaving this very plane (well, we already said above that it is from the realm of fantasy, to leave the plane at an altitude of 10 km).

Is it technically possible to take a parachute with you?

If you still decide to take a parachute with you, no one can forbid you to do so. You shouldn't laugh either.

“A parachute is the same thing as everything else. If by weight it passes as hand luggage, then there will be no problems, you can take it on board. It is better to clarify specific weight norms in advance with the airline, ”Rustoria was told in help desk Sheremetyevo Airport.

But still, taking a parachute with you on a trip is worth it only if you really want to scare other passengers, especially impressionable aerophobes. It will still not work to use the parachute for its intended purpose, our experts are sure.

So just fasten your seatbelt, get comfortable in your chair, and think about something nice. And from the porthole, fantastic views almost always open. Have a nice flight and soft landing! published

Everyone who has ever flown on airplanes has heard instructive instructions from flight attendants regarding safety during the flight. In this tirade, we hear about the rules for using a life jacket and oxygen mask. But no one says where it is emergency exit and how to evacuate from a falling aircraft in case of emergency.

Perhaps you have even asked a completely justified question more than once - why are parachutes not issued to passengers, because they could become a real hope for salvation in an emergency.

As justification, representatives of airlines can name one of the reasons why the issuance of this accessory is not provided for aircraft passengers.

Reason one

Aircraft - heavy duty vehicle. According to statistics, one airliner crash occurs in 20 million flights.

Reason two

Everyone who has ever made a parachute jump is already familiar with the complex mechanism of this accessory. IN emergency few passengers will be able to perform all the necessary manipulations to make the right jump and land safely. For this reason, companies do not see the point in issuing parachutes to passengers who still cannot properly use this accessory for rescue in a crash.

Reason three

Main part aircraft crashes happens during takeoff or landing of an aircraft, that is, at a low altitude. Based on this, we can conclude: it is pointless to use a parachute at low altitude, since it still does not have time to open before the fall.

Reason four

In order for the parachute rescue jump to be successful, it is necessary to evacuate from the tail section of the liner. However, most airships do not have enough doors and very narrow aisles at the rear, which will not allow all passengers to jump out of the liner in time in case of an emergency.

Why can't you jump from another part of the plane? Such a jump will end tragically, because a person can hit a wing or get into the engine compartment, which will also lead to instant death.

Reason five

A weighty argument in favor of refusing to issue parachutes to passengers of an airliner is the impossibility of safe evacuation at a high aircraft speed, reaching 800-900 km/h. To jump in such conditions, you will need a special suit.

The maximum speed limit of an aircraft at which a parachute jump can be made is 400-500 km / h, but such parameters are by no means relevant for passenger liners flying at high altitude.

Sixth reason

The plane flies at an altitude of up to 10,000 km, and even if you make a jump with a rescue backpack, there is no chance of a successful landing. A person will not be able to breathe without the use of an oxygen tank.

It should also be taken into account that low temperatures at high altitude, reaching -50, -60 degrees at any time of the year. For such extreme jumps, a special protective suit would be required, which could exclude instant freezing of the body and limbs.

Seventh reason

Cabin tightness. When flying at high altitude, it will not be possible to open the skydiving door due to the pressure difference. If for some reason depressurization nevertheless occurs, there will still be no chance of salvation. In the first minute, all passengers on the liner will die, unless they have time to react instantly and put on a protective mask. It is unlikely that someone will be able to quickly make such a decision in an emergency.

The futility of a parachute for aircraft passengers is justified

All of these reasons are well-founded arguments justifying the absence of parachutes for passengers on board the airliner. This accessory will not be able to save lives in an emergency, and issuing it only for the personal comfort of travelers, spending a lot of money on dexterity, is very unjustified and useless.

Also, the issue of equipping passenger seats with an ejection system, which is relevant for military fighter aircraft, is not considered. Such a complex consists of several complex mechanisms, with a total weight of up to 500 kg. If you equip the board passenger airliner such systems with the expectation of allowable weight, on board it will be possible to take no more than 15-20 people. This will lead to a significant increase in airfare.

You also need to understand that one ejection system is not enough to save a person during a crash. You will need a special helmet and a protective suit, and during the flight you will have to be stationary with your seat belts tightly fastened. It is unlikely that any of the passengers will like the flight on long distance in such difficult conditions.

We hope that now you will not have any disputable situations when deciding on the need to issue parachutes for passengers of an airliner. Now you know for sure that this accessory cannot save a person's life in the event of a plane crash.