goofyone:
That's an interesting idea, breaking the plane up into modules and deploying chutes for each module. I actually think that sounds achievebale, only maybe it'll require redesigning the typical passenger plane. Perhaps breaking up the giant craft into coaches like you have on a train, after of course some work on the aerodynamics. If you can break up a Boeing 737, for example, into a number of modules and then have those deploy their own independent chutes after detaching them from the parent, you could actually make this idea work.

If you think the slowing down at high speed will cause fatal injuries to some of the passengers, then consider what ramming into the ground at the same speed will cause the same occupants. Automation in passenger airplanes has experienced incredible advances recently and it shouldn't take much to have these planes conduct diagnostics which will trigger the chute recovery systems even at high speed. There might be resulting injuries or fatalities, but there is much more greater chance of saving both plane parts and human lives.

And as for expense, I do agree. Plane tickets will definitely become more expensive. If governments got involved however, cost could be greatly subsidized. After all, it's all in the effort to protect the lives of their citizens. If you ask me, I think sufficient engineering, political and scientific will could actually see this happening.


And just to note, I've got a strong feeling many of the world's future systems won't look so far away from what we see on present Batman and Avengers movies.

i doubt star war is very good case study some tech are already in existence but the concept back then is way of the mark i tell you

I have a question for all the commenters contributors on this thread even though is it is entirely off topic.

Please how many of you here are Nigeria educated, at least to the first degree level? I was observing the other day that most nigerian degrees -unaugmented by personal interest and self education - seem to be practically useless to their holders when it comes to idea synthesis and REAL problem solving. I really want to be wrong.

.

xcapizt:
I have a question for all the commenters contributors on this thread even though is it is entirely off topic.

Please how many of you here are Nigeria educated, at least to the first degree level? I was observing the other day that most nigerian degrees -unaugmented by personal interest and self education - seem to be practically useless to their holders when it comes to idea synthesis and REAL problem solving. I really want to be wrong.

hmm.. I still can't correlate it with this topic... What do you mean?

xcapizt:
I have a question for all the commenters contributors on this thread even though is it is entirely off topic.

Please how many of you here are Nigeria educated, at least to the first degree level? I was observing the other day that most nigerian degrees -unaugmented by personal interest and self education - seem to be practically useless to their holders when it comes to idea synthesis and REAL problem solving. I really want to be wrong.

Here. Educated in Nigeria first degree, for the most part.
Nevertheless, I'd argue the problem you point to is quite real. But then, who would want to synthesize ideas or solve real problems without any personal interest in the same problem?

Mordyb:
i doubt star war is very good case study some tech are already in existence but the concept back then is way of the mark i tell you

Can't really get what you mean. But if it is that technologies represented in earlier movies were way off mark, I wouldn't really agree. I think the human mind can imagine the technologies of the future capably. Some of these they talk about, some they represent in movies. Regarding Starwars, i think R2D2 is a good example.

tdayof:
hmm.. I still can't correlate it with this topic... What do you mean?

Oh, my bad, I thought I wrote in my initial post that it was going to be an off topic question. The question is not about Aviation, it's about the value of Nigerian education. I was just impressed by the brainstorm session that the thread turned in to and especially about the quality ideas generated so far. Most of the constraints mentioned I didn't even imagine.

I figured if the average Nigerian graduate of a technical field can be this creative on a good day then we are not doing so bad now, are we?

This also crossed my mind weeks ago

LewsTherin:

The Airforce One kind of safety pod? It's a matter of numbers. How many people are you going to put in a pod? How much space will the pod take? How much space is left for passengers, cargo and fuel?

You see, I feel human technology went the wrong way when we took airplanes over airships after the Hindenburg disaster. Now if we were still using airships - large 1,000 passenger airships, these are big enough to hold pods like life boats for all the passengers, pods that can deploy with their own parachute systems.

if you are talking about the airship then you should also consider its speed. The fastest airship won't go faster than 500km/hr. That would take about 1week to travel from nigeria to the U.S. In this modern world airships are out of the question.

goofyone:

Interesting direction of thought. If we were still using airships and had greater control over burning Helium/Hydrogen, I bet there'd be much fewer crash disasters as the giant airship itself can glide to safety in case of an emergency.

what about the time it will take to travel over long distances? Airships are safe but too slow compared to the type of speed we are accustomed to on regular airplanes.

whocanbewho:
if you are talking about the airship then you should also consider its speed. The fastest airship won't go faster than 500km/hr. That would take about 1week to travel from nigeria to the U.S. In this modern world airships are out of the question.

They only had to develop on the technologies of the airship. You think if we had airships to go on, we wouldn't still have aircrafts as fast as these of the modern age?

Meanwhile, at 500km/h you are actually spending less than a day for the above-mentioned trip.

In a nutshell, Nothing is impossible for technology.........But if you consider the cost of putting these ideas together and maintaining it, then you will also have to consider the affordability. If these kind of technology is implemented then, a flight from Lagos to Abuja will cost NGN300,000. There re possibility`s i must agree... but cost and safety is also a constraint. When i talk about safety, i mean that the more moving parts and joints that you have in a design makes it more prone to failure. Just my simple take. I appreciate the dude that talked about altitude also.

shamecurls:
In a nutshell, Nothing is impossible for technology.........But if you consider the cost of putting these ideas together and maintaining it, then you will also have to consider the affordability. If these kind of technology is implemented then, a flight from Lagos to Abuja will cost NGN300,000. There re possibility`s i must agree... but cost and safety is also a constraint. When i talk about safety, i mean that the more moving parts and joints that you have in a design makes it more prone to failure. Just my simple take. I appreciate the dude that talked about altitude also.

hnnn are we putting into consideration that all this can work only for midair crash?

[quote author=tdayof post=33271099]hnnn are we putting into consideration that all this can work only for midair crash? [/quote


I concur with you

goofyone:
After recent flying experiences, I've been wondering why passenger planes don't have parachute systems? When I was younger, I used to consider handing out parachutes to each passenger on an airplane. They could then leap out of the planes and deploy these chutes in case of emergency. But then the flaw in this sort of thinking is quite obvious. There may not be enough time to file more than 287 persons to the door of the airplane and have them leap to "safety".

However, I don't get what's stopping airplane manufacturers from designing a giant chute to ferry the whole plane to a safe location? Wouldn't this really help to save lots of lives?

Except you are very skilled in sky diving you would never make it when the conditions to dive are perfect.. Also there's an altitude that you can safely parachute out from and at the levels that airplanes fly, there's little or no oxygen at such feet and anyone diving out is just on a suicide path. You may even be blown away into the aircraft engine and grilled like tomatos.

Also, you even would cause more damage to the aircraft by opening any exit at such altitude and speed. The inside is filled with compressed air (oxygen) and opening any exit would kill almost all passengers, makes the plane more harder to navigate and so on. You are more safer seated and wearing your belt than walking up and down trying to jump. If a loose nut or bag from the overhead does not knock you unconscious or dead you may just be tossed out. Lol.


In essence, except you are flying a small plane and at several hundreds of feet, using a parachute is outright death and leaves no room for survival in a passenger or commercial airliner.

You need to look at the rescue aspect also. Let's imagine a plane travelling from Lagos to Abuja has a mid air issue around ilorin. You don't expect all the passengers to jump out at the same time. Look at how hard it would be to rescue people who have literally fallen from the skies along hundreds of kilometers ? Even plane crashes that happen in a single batch has debris spanning kilometers let alone one with people jumping out at every kilometre. Doesn't make sense you would agree.

For all other tech fan boys and sci fic gobblers who have commented with all the "noble" and fanciful ideas. Aircraft accidents are very rare and over 80% are due to human errors. We would achieve more investing into more training of pilots, aeronautic engineers; building stronger engines and installing better weather measuring instruments than all these fanciful ideas which are almost impractical and would cost an arm and leg to implement. Getting more leg room is even enough issue with most airliners let alone creating a "pod like" compartment for excavations.

onegig:
Except you are very skilled in sky diving you would never make it when the conditions to dive are perfect.. Also there's an altitude that you can safely parachute out from and at the levels that airplanes fly, there's little or no oxygen at such feet and anyone diving out is just on a suicide path. You may even be blown away into the aircraft engine and grilled like tomatos.

Also, you even would cause more damage to the aircraft by opening any exit at such altitude and speed. The inside is filled with compressed air (oxygen) and opening any exit would kill almost all passengers, makes the plane more harder to navigate and so on. You are more safer seated and wearing your belt than walking up and down trying to jump. If a loose nut or bag from the overhead does not knock you unconscious or dead you may just be tossed out. Lol.


In essence, except you are flying a small plane and at several hundreds of feet, using a parachute is outright death and leaves no room for survival in a passenger or commercial airliner.

You need to look at the rescue aspect also. Let's imagine a plane travelling from Lagos to Abuja has a mid air issue around ilorin. You don't expect all the passengers to jump out at the same time. Look at how hard it would be to rescue people who have literally fallen from the skies along hundreds of kilometers ? Even plane crashes that happen in a single batch has debris spanning kilometers let alone one with people jumping out at every kilometre. Doesn't make sense you would agree.

Nice argument. But i thought i was clear enough that individual parachutes wouldn't make any sense. I'm more in favor of a single parachute for the aircraft body itself.

goofyone:


Nice argument. But i thought i was clear enough that individual parachutes wouldn't make any sense. I'm more in favor of a single parachute for the aircraft body itself.

and how would that work? In cases of emergencies, you have less than a 90 seconds time frame to do anything meaningful. How do you intend getting hundred plus people to a base compartment coupled with the turbulence that you would have to contend with.

I am not disappointed with the 'massive' turnouts of comments

I believe engineering-wise, this is possible

But is it feasible, I will say no

If you factor in d speed at which a plane is travelling, it's weight & the altitude when crisis strike