Why commercial plane cannot provide parachute in every passenger?

Question

Why commercial plane cannot provide parachute in every passenger?

Answer 1

First off, the vast majority of accidents happen at take off or landing, where a parachute is useless. there is not enough altitude or time to use a parachute.

Take it from someone that jumps out of planes for fun. There is not enough room to put on a parachute in a commercial plane. Everyone would have to wear the rigs before getting on the aircraft. Even if everyone had a parachute there is no safe way to exit the aircraft. You would need special equipment and training to survive the 560 + mph winds and 30,000 foot plus altitudes. Without extra oxygen and protective gear you would die in that environment. The fastest skydiving jumps are at 150 knots, not 500 + knots and are made from 18,000 feet MSL or lower. Just getting out of the airplane could kill you as you'd be slammed into the door on exit. The next issue would be landing a parachute. Most likely this case would use rounds and you'd just have to do a parachute landing fall. That is easy enough to learn. The steering of the canopy would require training. I'd say that about 25% of the people on any flight are not healthy enough to survive a normal skydive. The very young, old, and anyone not in good health would have no chance at surviving the exit, parachute flight or landing.

As a skydiver we know that at some point we will have to exit our aircraft during an aircraft emergency, it doesn’t happen very often, almost never, but it does.  But here is the catch, you need time and altitude to open up the parachute.  We wear seat belts in the plane for taxi, take off, and if needed landing.  If there is a problem with the aircraft under 1000 feet above the ground you go down with the plane.  In a commercial flight you will climb past 1000 feet very quickly but there will not be enough time to put on a parachute system, nor enough time to get everyone out of the plane.  The vast majority of the very rare commercial accidents happen right after take off or on landing…. A parachute would be useless.

For more information about traveling with a parachute you can check out www.uspa.org and there is a link to the TSA rules about traveling with rigs.

In the big picture. commercial airline flights are very safe and not something to worry about.  I travel for a living.  Taking two or more flights a week across the US.  I hate landing in planes because I’d rather be jumping out and landing my parachute, but it is impossible to do that safely from a commercial aircraft; never mind the less than legal part of it.

As for flotation devises, I don’t know about you, but when I get into water all I do is prolong my drowning.  I’m very glad there is something there to help me float if needed.  The parachutes are pointless, the flotation device, might of might not be useful, but I like having the piece of mind.  Perhaps having a parachute on the plane would give piece of mind, even if it couldn’t be used.

Answer 2

The types of accidents that happen and the low altitudes they often happen at (takeoff and landing) don't make parachutes on aircraft "needed".  Even if there was an emergency at altitude, there is seldom any warning to them, thus making parachutes unusable in time.

One of the main factors is weight.  Stuffing 150 parachutes onto an aircraft would severly limit the amount of passangers and fuel one could take... so for the limited times they would be valuable it is not worth the additonal cost and payload.

Answer 3

How are you going to sit comfortably with a parachute strapped to your back for an entire flight?  There  will be a mileage / fuel compromise for all the extra weight for every parachute.  Who is going to train you to use it?  Who will have time to strap one on when the plane is breaking / crashing / ?

Who is going to pay for the extra cost of each chute?

Answer 4

Because to use a parachute requires training that most of the passengers would not have recieved.

Answer 5

Because many problems happen too fast to provide 100+ passingers a chute, let alone a lesson on how to use it. Not to mention the space it would take to store. I doubt everyone would give up there carry on space for a parachute---just in case.

Answer 6

70% of the people would be to scared to use them, so why bother.  Women children old people.

Answer 7

most plane accidents happen during take off or landing. Either way, the parachute would not have time to deploy. Further more, most passengers dont really have the training to deploy a parachute in the first place..

Answer 8

Because of the height that planes fly, you would not be able to breathe, Let alone get out of the plane.

Answer 9

If a passenger knows a parachute won't be provided, and gives a d**n about his own life he'll bring one.  Those that don't are just too cheap, and deserve whatever happens.  To h**l with them.

Answer 10

well cause its pretty unlikely that your planes roof is going to come off and i dont think that there will be a ejection seat for everyone either so it just wouldnt make sence to spend so much money to change for no reason.

Answer 11

the pessenger dont know how to use the parachute and its expensive to have it to like 500 people

Answer 12

Well, let's see why not:

1) A parachute needs to be repacked whenever used, and also periodically

2)Most passengers aren't trained to use one (yeah, they COULD tell you how during the safety briefing, but when was the last time you REALLY listened to one of those?)

3)How long does it take to get the people out once the plane reaches the terminal and the door is opened? Imagine a plane load of panicked cattle trying to get out in a hurry!

4)Why would you try to get out with a parachute? Probably because the planes falling out of the sky? Well, if so, anyone not seat belted in would be plastered to the ceiling, so either way, no one's getting to a door!

5)the most dangerous period of a flight is takeoff and landing