Has anyone ever considered attaching a parachute to the actual airplane?

Question

Has anyone ever considered attaching a parachute to the actual airplane?

Answer 1

That would have to be a really big parachute... those planes are huge... and at the speed they are going? I don't think it would work.

Answer 2

Where have you been?  It's already done, at least for the smaller single engine aircraft.

Answer 3

never thought of it before, and why would i think about it? and why in the world would i even go do something like that?... you're silly crazy!!.. =)

Answer 4

It's called a Cirrus....

Answer 5

Most land based fighter aircrafts have brake chutes.

Or in case you are referring to parachutes meant to soften the impact in case the aircraft is in trouble, then there are several small aircrafts that have it.

It is not quite practical in larger aircrafts because of the dimensions required and forces involved.

Answer 6

That has been done in the case of small, single engine craft. The parachute is mounted in a tube on the top of the plane and is opened by a small explosive charge. It would not be practical for airliners because of their size and speed.

Answer 7

There are some small single engine aircraft that have parachutes attached to them - one bing the Cirrus. Most of the single engines aircraft that have them are aerobatic aircraft.

Answer 8

already been done

it was a Small plane

if the engine stalled

the chute caught and saved the plane itself

Answer 9

They are correct it has been done (((F♥A)))

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/im...

Answer 10

Indeed this has been done, although the aim or purpose for attaching a parachute is not explained by the questioner.

It is done for two purposes:

a) to reduce the sinking speed, in the unlikely case of a loss of wing-lift. This is so that the landing-impact will be comparatively slow and less likely to damage the aircraft or its passengers and crew. However for large civil aircraft the use of parachutes would require a really big weight penalty to be bourne and the advantage is so small that it is not usually done. Small civil aircraft and some military ones can and do benefit fron the use of a parachute in this way when an emergency landing becomes the only option.

b) to act as a high-speed brake during ground-roll after landing. This is a very practical idea and has been adopted by many aircraft manufacturers of military aircraft. However brake design has improved over the years and it is not all that common today.

In both cases the parachute must be released at a specific time in the flight and it must be designed to un-pack itself, to  deploy and to slow the aircraft without being torn by the big forces due to the high speed at the start. The solution to this problem is one reason why such a parachute system is heavy and unpopular for big aircraft.

Some of the un-manned air-vehicles which come in smaller sizes use this method instead of the more regular landing gears and so it is well worthwhile to consider it for them.