In the last century, there have been a few thousand airplane crashes that have resulted
in the loss of human lives.
Although such air mishaps have decreased in recent decades, many people are still scared
of flying in a metal cage thousands of feet above the ground.
Granted, all passenger planes have oxygen masks and life jackets for their passengers,
so why don’t they throw a parachute in there too?
Wouldn’t those parachutes potentially save lives in the event of a crash?
If you’ve ever wondered this exact question, you may be surprised to know that there are
a few reasons why they don’t give out parachutes to every passenger on a commercial flight:
1 - Most airplane mishaps occur during takeoff or landing.
Most crashes that you hear about in the news occur either when the plane is taking off
and ascending through the air or when it is coming back to the ground, approaching the
runway and landing zone.
For this reason, take-off and landing are considered the most difficult and dangerous
parts of any flight.
During both these phases of a flight, the altitude of the airplane is too low for parachutes
to deploy safely.
Furthermore, the plane is moving too fast when it's taking off or landing, which makes
matters even worse for a would-be parachutist.
2 - Breathable oxygen and temperature
Most parachutists skydive from an altitude of 10,000 - 13,000 feet, but commercial aircraft
typically cruise at an altitude of 35,000-40,000 feet.
The air at this height is very thin, which is why planes have pressurized cabins.
This pressurization is critical because, without it, you wouldn’t be able to breathe inside
a plane.
In fact, that’s why oxygen masks drop from above your seat during emergencies, so that
you promptly get access to breathable oxygen and don’t pass out if the pressurization
of the plane is compromised.
Then there is the problem of the ambient temperature—at that altitude, the air temperature would be
40-50 degrees below freezing.
Thus, a parachutist jumping out from a commercial plane would not only need a portable oxygen
supply, but they would also need a special suit to protect against the freezing cold
temperature.
3 - Commercial airplanes are not designed for skydives.
You may have seen in movies that skydivers usually ride in special aircraft that are
designed to facilitate skydives.
They either have a big door on their side or a ramp that opens up at the rear of the
plane.
These structural adjustments make it safe for parachutists to jump off the plane.
Commercial planes are not designed for people jumping out at 35,000 feet.
In fact, since these passenger planes are pressurized, their doors wouldn’t be able
to open mid-flight in the first place!
4 - Passengers are not trained to use parachutes.
A parachute is not just a large piece of cloth tied to a few strings that pop out automatically
when it’s thrown in the air.
It is an intricate piece of equipment with a number of small parts that must work perfectly
for a timely and safe deployment of the parachute.
This is why even when you perform a tandem skydive, you’re required to go through some
pre-jump training.
Passengers who have never used or even seen a parachute most likely wouldn’t be able
to operate it to land safely.
On top of that, imagine a scenario where a plane is losing altitude quickly, and everyone
is panicking.
It would be almost impossible to make passengers line up single-file at the door and wait their
turn to jump.
It would be MAYHEM!
There’s a better chance of the airplane gliding and making a successful emergency
landing than a hazardous “jump procedure” involving panic-stricken passengers who don’t
know the first thing about parachutes, desperately hoping they will make it safely to the ground
5 – Money
Parachutes are big, heavy and bulky.
Typical parachutes wouldn’t fit beneath your plane seat.
They would take up a lot of real estate on the plane and add to its overall weight.
To tackle that, parachutes would have to be made significantly smaller.
Plus, there would have to be systems in place to ensure that the parachute opens ONLY WHEN
the passenger is ready to deploy it and that they work seamlessly.
All of these factors add to the overall cost of a single flight which, needless to say,
the passengers would have to bear.
As a result, ticket prices would soar, and that’s just bad news for airline businesses.
As such, money becomes a major deterrent for having parachutes onboard airplanes.
It’s important to realize that when the engines of a plane fail mid-flight, the plane
doesn't just drop out of the sky like a stone.
It still has the ability to “glide”—something that pilots use to execute an emergency landing
when something goes wrong.
All in all, it’s safe to say that if something goes wrong during a flight, passengers are
safer if they remain strapped to their seats while the pilots attempt an emergency landing,
rather than jumping out of the plane at 40,000 feet!